BEDSORES
TREATMENTS |
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Prompt medical attention can prevent
surface pressure sores from deepening into more serious infections.
For mild bedsores, treatment involves relieving pressure, keeping
the wound clean and moist, and keeping the area around the ulcer
clean and dry. Antiseptics, harsh soaps, and other skin cleansers
can damage new tissue, so a saline solution should be used to
cleanse the wound whenever a fresh non-stick dressing is applied.
The patient's doctor may prescribe infection-fighting antibiotics,
special dressings or drying agents, or lotions or ointments to be
applied to the wound in a thin film three or four times a day. Warm
whirlpool treatments are sometimes recommended for sores on the arm,
hand, foot, or leg.
In a procedure called debriding, a scalpel may be used to remove
dead tissue or other debris from the wound. Deep, ulcerated sores
that don't respond to other therapy may require skin grafts or
plastic surgery.
A doctor should be notified whenever a person:
Will be bedridden or immobilized for an extended time
Is very weak or unable to move
Develops bedsores.
Immediate medical attention is required whenever:
Skin turns black or becomes inflamed, tender, swollen, or warm to
the touch
The patient develops a fever during treatment
The sore contains pus or has a foul-smelling discharge.
With proper treatment, bedsores should begin to heal two to four
weeks after treatment begins.
Alternative treatment
Zinc and vitamins A, C, E, and B complex help skin repair injuries
and stay healthy, but large doses of vitamins or minerals should
never be used without a doctor's approval.
A poultice made of equal parts of powdered slippery elm (Ulmus
fulva), marsh mallow (Althaea officinalis), and echinacea (Echinacea
spp.) blended with a small amount of hot water can relieve minor
inflammation. An infection-fighting rinse can be made by diluting
two drops of essential tea tree oil (Melaleuca spp.) in eight ounces
of water. An herbal tea made from the calendula (Calendula
officinalis) can act as an antiseptic and wound healing agent.
Calendula cream can also be used.
Contrasting hot and cold local applications can increase circulation
to the area and help flush out waste products, speeding the healing
process. The temperatures should be extreme (hot hot and ice cold),
yet tolerable to the skin. Hot compresses should be applied for
three minutes, followed by 30 seconds of cold compress application,
repeating the cycle three times. The cycle should always end with
the cold compress. |
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