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Decubitus Ulcers

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Inpatient Dermatology
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Abstract

Decubitus ulcers (pressure ulcers) are commonly encountered in the hospital and long-term institutional care settings and typically result from prolonged compression of soft tissue between a bony prominence and an external surface; chronic pressure leads to tissue hypoxia with skin and underlying tissue damage and necrosis. Risk factors include severity of medical illness (such as ICU admission), immobility (e.g. hip fracture), malnutrition, reduced perfusion (e.g. hypotension, shock), sensory loss (e.g. spinal cord injury), moisture (incontinence), friction, and many others.

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  1. Grey JE, Harding KG, Enoch S. Pressure ulcers. BMJ. 2006;332:472–5.

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  2. Reddy M, Gill SS, Kalkar SR, et al. Treatment of pressure ulcers: a systematic review. JAMA. 2008;300:2647–62.

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Correspondence to Robert G. Micheletti MD .

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Micheletti, R.G. (2018). Decubitus Ulcers. In: Rosenbach, M., Wanat, K., Micheletti, R., Taylor, L. (eds) Inpatient Dermatology. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-18449-4_78

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-18449-4_78

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  • Publisher Name: Springer, Cham

  • Print ISBN: 978-3-319-18448-7

  • Online ISBN: 978-3-319-18449-4

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