Pressure ulcers are an injury that breaks down the skin and underlying tissue. They are caused when an area of skin is placed under pressure.
They are sometimes known as “bedsores” or “pressure sores”.
Pressure ulcers can range in severity from patches of discoloured skin to open wounds that expose the underlying bone or muscle.
Read more about the symptoms of pressure ulcers.
Pressure ulcers can develop when a large amount of pressure is applied to an area of skin over a short period of time. They can also occur when less pressure is applied over a longer period of time.
The extra pressure disrupts the flow of blood through the skin. Without a blood supply, the affected skin becomes starved of oxygen and nutrients, and begins to break down, leading to an ulcer forming.
Pressure ulcers tend to affect people with health conditions that make it difficult to move, especially those confined to lying in a bed or sitting for prolonged periods of time.
Conditions that affect the flow of blood through the body, such as type 2 diabetes, can also make a person more vulnerable to pressure ulcers.
Learn more about the causes of pressure ulcers.
It’s estimated that just under half a million people in the UK will develop at least 1 pressure ulcer in any given year. This is usually people with an underlying health condition – for example, around 1 in 20 people who are admitted to hospital with a sudden illness will develop a pressure ulcer.
People over 70 years old are particularly vulnerable to pressure ulcers, as they are more likely to have mobility problems and ageing skin.
Treatment for pressure ulcers includes the use of dressings, creams and gels designed to speed up the healing process and relieve pressure. Surgery is sometimes recommended for the most serious cases.
For some people, pressure ulcers are an inconvenience that require minor nursing care. For others, they can be serious and lead to life-threatening complications, such as blood poisoning or gangrene.
Read more about the complications of pressure ulcers.
Pressure ulcers can be unpleasant, upsetting and challenging to treat. Therefore, a range of techniques is used to prevent them developing in the first place. These include:
Read about treating pressure ulcers and preventing pressure ulcers for more information.
Unfortunately, even with the highest standards of care, it’s not always possible to prevent pressure ulcers in particularly vulnerable people.
The parts of the body most at risk of developing pressure ulcers are those that are not covered by a large amount of body fat and are in direct contact with a supporting surface, such as a bed or a wheelchair.
For example, if you are unable to get out of bed, you are at risk of developing pressure ulcers on your:
If you are a wheelchair user, you are at risk of developing pressure ulcers on:
Healthcare professionals use several grading systems to describe the severity of pressure ulcers. The most common is the European Pressure Ulcer Advisory Panel (EPUAP) grading system. The higher the grade, the more severe the injury to the skin and underlying tissue.
A grade 1 pressure ulcer is the most superficial type of ulcer. The affected area of skin appears discoloured – it is red in white people, and purple or blue in people with darker-coloured skin. Grade 1 pressure ulcers do not turn white when pressure is placed on them. The skin remains intact, but it may hurt or itch. It may also feel either warm and spongy, or hard.
In grade 2 pressure ulcers, some of the outer surface of the skin (the epidermis) or the deeper layer of skin (the dermis) is damaged, leading to skin loss. The ulcer looks like an open wound or a blister.
In grade 3 pressure ulcers, skin loss occurs throughout the entire thickness of the skin. The underlying tissue is also damaged, although the underlying muscle and bone are not. The ulcer appears as a deep, cavity-like wound.
A grade 4 pressure ulcer is the most severe type of pressure ulcer. The skin is severely damaged and the surrounding tissue begins to die (tissue necrosis). The underlying muscles or bone may also be damaged.
People with grade 4 pressure ulcers have a high risk of developing a life-threatening infection.
Pressure ulcers are caused by sustained pressure being placed on a particular part of the body.
This pressure interrupts the blood supply to the affected area of skin. Blood contains oxygen and other nutrients that are needed to help keep tissue healthy. Without a constant blood supply, tissue is damaged and will eventually die.
The lack of blood supply also means that the skin no longer receives infection-fighting white blood cells. Once an ulcer has developed, it can become infected by bacteria.
People with normal mobility do not develop pressure ulcers, as their body automatically makes hundreds of regular movements that prevent pressure building up on any part of their body.
For example, you may think that you are lying still when asleep, but you may shift position up to 20 times a night.
Pressure ulcers can be caused by:
The time it takes for a pressure ulcer to form will depend on:
Grade 3 or 4 pressure ulcers can develop quickly. For example, in susceptible people, a full-thickness pressure ulcer can sometimes develop in just 1 or 2 hours. However, in some cases, the damage will only become apparent a few days after the injury has occurred.
There are several factors that increase the risk of developing pressure ulcers. These include:
These are discussed in more detail below.
Possible reasons for having a mobility problem are:
Reasons that your diet may lack nutrition include:
Health conditions that can make you more vulnerable to pressure ulcers include:
There are several reasons why ageing skin is more vulnerable to pressure ulcers. These include:
Both urinary incontinence (inability to control your bladder) and bowel incontinence (inability to control your bowels) can cause certain areas of the skin to become moist and vulnerable to infection. This can cause pressure ulcers to form.
People with severe mental health conditions such as schizophrenia (a condition where people have problems telling the difference between reality and imagination) or severe depression have an increased risk of pressure ulcers for a number of reasons. These include:
Pressure ulcers are easily diagnosed by looking at them. However, health professionals prefer to prevent ulcers developing in the first place, so it’s important to assess a person’s risk of developing them.
As part of the risk assessment process, the following will be considered:
As part of the risk assessment, you may be referred for blood and urine tests. Blood tests can be a good way of assessing your general state of health and whether your diet is providing enough nutrition.
Urine tests can be used to check how well your kidneys are working and whether you have a urinary tract infection, which can be a cause for concern if you are incontinent or if you have had spinal damage.
If you are thought to be at risk of developing pressure ulcers, but you are not staying in a hospital or care home, you may be advised to regularly check for early signs of the condition.
Look out for areas of discolouration and patches of skin that feel unusually spongy or tough to the touch. Use a mirror to check parts of your body that can be difficult to see, such as your back or buttocks. Contact your GP or your healthcare team if you notice any signs of damage.
Treatment for pressure ulcers can vary, depending on the grade of the ulcer. Treatment options may include regularly changing your position, or using special mattresses and dressings to relieve pressure or protect the skin. In some cases, surgery may be needed.
Pressure ulcers are a complex health problem arising from many interrelated factors. Therefore, your care may be provided by a team comprising different types of healthcare professionals. This type of team is sometimes known as a multidisciplinary team (MDT).
Your MDT may include:
It’s important to avoid putting pressure on areas that are vulnerable to pressure ulcers or where pressure ulcers have already formed. Moving and regularly changing your position helps to prevent pressure ulcers developing and relieves the pressure on the ulcers that have developed.
After your risk assessment is completed, your care team will draw up a “repositioning timetable”, which states how often you need to be moved. For some people, this may be as often as once every 15 minutes. Others may need to be moved only once every 2 hours.
The risk assessment will also consider the most effective way of avoiding putting any vulnerable areas of skin under pressure whenever possible.
You may also be given training and advice about:
There are a range of special mattresses and cushions that can relieve pressure on vulnerable parts of the body. Your care team will discuss the types of mattresses and cushions most suitable for you.
Those thought to be at risk of developing pressure ulcers, or who have pre-existing grade 1 or 2 pressure ulcers, usually benefit from a specially designed foam mattress, which relieves the pressure on their body.
People with a grade 3 or 4 pressure ulcer will require a more sophisticated mattress or bed system. For example, there are mattresses that can be connected to a constant flow of air, which is automatically regulated to reduce pressure as and when required.
Specially designed dressings and bandages can be used to protect pressure ulcers and speed up the healing process. Examples of these types of dressings include:
Topical preparations, such as creams and ointments, can be used to help speed up the healing process and prevent further tissue damage.
If you have a pressure ulcer, you will not routinely be prescribed antibiotics. These are usually only prescribed to treat an infected pressure ulcer and prevent the infection from spreading.
Antiseptic cream may also be applied directly to pressure ulcers to clear out any bacteria that may be present.
Certain dietary supplements, such as protein, zinc and vitamin C, have been shown to accelerate wound healing.
If your diet lacks these vitamins and minerals, your skin may be more vulnerable to developing pressure ulcers. As a result of this, you may be referred to a dietitian so that a suitable dietary plan can be drawn up for you.
In some cases, it may be necessary to remove dead tissue from the ulcer to help stimulate the healing process. This procedure is known as debridement.
If there is a small amount of dead tissue, it may be possible to remove it using specially designed dressings and paste. Larger amounts of dead tissue may be removed using mechanical means. Some mechanical debridement techniques include:
A local anaesthetic will be used to numb the area of skin and tissue around the ulcer so that debridement does not cause any pain or discomfort.
Maggot therapy, also known as larvae therapy, is an alternative method of debridement. Maggots are ideal for debridement because they feed on dead and infected tissue without touching healthy tissue. They also help to fight infection by releasing substances that kill bacteria and stimulate the healing process.
During maggot therapy, the maggots are mixed into a wound dressing and the area is covered with gauze. After a few days, the dressing is taken off and the maggots are removed.
Many people may find the idea of maggot therapy off-putting, but research has found that it is often more effective than more traditional methods of debridement.
It’s not always possible for a grade 3 or 4 pressure ulcer to heal. In such cases, surgery will be required to seal the wound and prevent any further tissue damage occurring.
Surgical treatment involves cleaning the wound and closing it by bringing together the edges of the wound (direct closure), or by using tissue moved from a nearby part of the body (flap reconstruction).
Pressure ulcer surgery can be challenging, especially because most people who have the procedure are already in a poor state of health. There is a risk of a large number of possible complications occurring after surgery, including:
Despite the risks, surgery is often a necessity to prevent life-threatening complications, such as blood poisoning and gangrene (the decay or death of living tissue).
Even with the best possible medical care, complications can arise from grade 3 or grade 4 pressure ulcers and can occasionally be life-threatening.
These complications are discussed below.
Infection can spread from the site of the pressure ulcer to a deeper layer of skin. This type of infection is called cellulitis. It causes symptoms of pain and redness, plus swelling of the skin. It will need to be treated with a course of antibiotics.
Read more information about cellulitis.
Left untreated, there is a risk that the infection can spread to the blood (see below) or the underlying bone or joint. In rare cases, where pressure ulcers involve the lower back, tail bone and spine, the pressure ulcer can spread to the membranes that surround the spine and brain. This is known as meningitis.
If a person with a weak immune system has a pressure ulcer that becomes infected, there is a risk that the infection will spread into their blood and other organs. This is known as blood poisoning or septicaemia.
In the most serious cases of blood poisoning, damage to multiple organs can lead to a large drop in blood pressure, known as septic shock, which can be fatal. Symptoms include cold skin and an increased heart beat.
Blood poisoning is a medical emergency. It requires immediate treatment in an intensive care unit (ICU), so that the functions of the body can be supported while the infection is treated with antibiotics or antiviral medication.
Read more information about blood poisoning.
Infection can also spread from a pressure ulcer into underlying joints (septic arthritis) and bones (osteomyelitis).
Both of these infections can damage the cartilage, tissue and bone. They may also affect the joints and limbs.
Antibiotics are required to treat bone and joint infections. In the most serious of cases, infected bones and joints may need to be surgically removed.
Necrotising fasciitis, commonly known as “flesh-eating” bacteria, is a serious skin infection that causes rapid tissue death. It can occur when a pressure ulcer becomes infected with a particular type of bacteria, such as Group A streptococci.
Emergency treatment is required. It involves a combination of antibiotics and surgical debridement of the dead tissue.
Gas gangrene is a serious but rare form of infection that occurs when a pressure ulcer becomes infected with the clostridium bacteria. The bacteria thrive in environments where there is little or no oxygen. They produce gases and release dangerous toxins. Symptoms of gas gangrene include severe pain and rapid swelling of the skin.
Gas gangrene requires immediate treatment with surgical debridement. In the most serious of cases, it may be necessary to amputate the affected body part to prevent the gangrene from spreading to the rest of the body.
As part of your treatment plan, your care team will discuss with you the best way to prevent pressure ulcers. This will be based on your individual circumstances.
However, you may find that the general advice outlined below is helpful.
Making regular and frequent changes to your position is one of the most effective ways of preventing pressure ulcers. If a pressure ulcer has already developed, regularly changing position will help to avoid putting further pressure on it, and give the wound the best chance of healing.
As a general rule, wheelchair users will need to change their position at least once every 15 to 30 minutes. People who are confined to bed will need to change their position at least once every 2 hours.
Once you have developed a pressure ulcer, it’s important that you minimise or avoid putting any further pressure on it to give the wound the best chance of healing.
If you are unable to change position yourself, a carer or relative will need to assist you. For more information and advice about positional changes, read about treating pressure ulcers.
Eating a healthy, balanced diet that contains an adequate amount of protein and a good variety of vitamins and minerals can help prevent skin damage and speed up the healing process. You may be referred to a dietitian so that a dietary plan can be drawn up for you.
If you currently have a reduced appetite due to a pre-existing health condition, the following advice may be useful:
Read more information about healthy eating for more advice.
If you have known risk factors for pressure ulcers, it’s important that you check your skin on a daily basis for any signs of pressure ulcers, such as discoloured areas of skin. This is particularly important if you have an underlying condition, such as nerve damage or diabetes, which may dampen or numb feelings of pain in certain parts of your body.
You can use a mirror to check the parts of your body that are difficult to see, such as your bottom and the heels of your feet. If you notice any damage, report it to your care team. If you are at home, contact your GP or community nurse. If you are in hospital or a nursing home, inform one of your nurses or carers.
If you are a smoker, giving up is one of the most effective ways of preventing pressure ulcers. Smoking reduces the levels of oxygen in your blood. It also weakens your immune system, which increases your risk of developing pressure ulcers.
Read about quitting smoking for further information and advice about giving up smoking.
Last updated:
09 November 2023