Describe clinical staging of pressure sore. Understand preventive strategies in high risk individuals. Pressure Sores Pressure sores might be considered the orphan disease of American health care. And they're not going away anytime soon. Pressure ulcers are recognized as such a major public health issue that the Agency for Health Care Policy and Clinical Research has developed clinical practice guidelines for their prevention.
Pressure is focused in deep tissue over bony prominences.
The higher the pressure, the lower the tolerable time duration before irreversible damage occurs. Typical pressures over bony prominences in sitting or lying have been measured at 100-200 mm Hg. Pressures greater than approximately 32 mm Hg exceed capillary filling pressure and result in potential tissue ischemia. The standard recommendations of a 2 hour turning cycle for the immobile patient are based on animal models. Ninety percent of pressure sores occur below the waist, with two-thirds of those localized around the buttocks or hips.