In the development of pressure ulcers different risk factors influence, which can be classified as intrinsic and extrinsic depending on whether or not they are specific to the patient. The firm’s specialists they detail them for us.
within the intrinsic factors we can list the following:
· General state of health of the patient
· Patient mobility level
· Nutritional condition
· Age
· Skin hydration level
These factors are directly related to the patient and there are different scales to be able to determine the degree in which the patient is in each of them. Roughly speaking, these factors and how they could influence the development of a PU We could say that:
· The worse the general state of health of a patient, the greater the risk of developing a Pressure Ulcer.
· Patients with reduced mobility increase their risk of suffering a PU
· It is advisable to keep the skin hydrated to reduce the risk of it breaking
As for the extrinsic factors We can list four:
· Pressure. It is defined as the load or force exerted perpendicularly on the tissue. This pressure, which deforms the skin and tissue, often occurs between a bony structure and an external surface, causing ischemia and necrosis in the affected area.
· Friction. Contact forces parallel to the skin surface in case of movement. Friction between the tissue and the contact surface can cause deterioration of the skin layers.
· Shears. Consequence of tangential forces applied to the tissue surface. These forces occur in combination with pressure and increase as a consequence of the patient’s lateral movements over the affected area.
· Microclimate or humidity. In general, it refers to the humidity and temperature conditions of the fabric and the contact surface. As far as the microclimate is concerned, it is important to consider the following two factors:
a) Heat: It is defined as the temperature and degree of humidity existing in the contact area between the fabric and the surface that exerts the pressure:
– A high temperature increases metabolic activity.
– The increase in metabolic activity facilitates the onset of sweating.
– The appearance of sweat increases the level of humidity.
b) Effect of humidity on the skin:
– Weakens the skin increasing the risk of maceration.
– Reduces the strength of the skin increasing the risk of erosion
– Increases the risk of friction.
– Increases the level of adhesion to the contact surface.
– Facilitates abrasion, desquamation and ulceration.
– Increases the pH of the skin – pH close to alkalinity.