Complications of pressure sores
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Complications of pressure sores
Complications can occur from ongoing pressure sores and also from treating pressure sores.1 Some complications of ongoing pressure sores include:
- Infections.
- Cellulitis is an infection of the skin. Cellulitis causes painful, red, hot, swollen skin that may crack, split, or weep fluid.
- Osteomyelitis is an infection in the bone. It causes swollen and red skin over the affected bone. It also causes pain that is worse when pressing on the infected area.
- Bacteremia or a bacterial infection in the blood (sepsis).
- Necrotizing fasciitis or a bacterial infection that destroys skin and soft tissues such as fat and muscle.
- Endocarditis, which is an infection of the heart lining. Symptoms of endocarditis include vague, flu-like symptoms, such as chronic low-grade fever and fatigue.
- Meningitis, which is an infection of the fluid that surrounds the brain and spine. Meningitis causes a severe headache with a stiff neck, fever, nausea, and vomiting.
- Septic arthritis, which is pain and inflammation of a joint caused by a bacterial infection. Septic arthritis causes a joint to be red, hot, swollen, and tender.
- Abscesses. An abscess can form on the skin or on tissues within the body and cause pain, swelling, and tenderness.
- Deposits of bone in soft tissues (heterotopic bone formation). These occur especially around the hip joint and can cause pain and problems with walking or moving the legs.
- Squamous cell skin cancer, especially if the wound becomes a stage 4 pressure sore
. Symptoms of squamous cell cancer include growths or patches of skin that feel scaly, bleed, or develop a crust, and sores that do not heal.
References
Citations
O'Connor K (2005). Pressure ulcers. In JA DeLisa et al., eds., Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation: Principles and Practice, 4th ed., vol. 2, pp. 1605–1618. Philadelphia: Lippincott Williams and Wilkins.
Credits
| Author | Shannon Erstad, MBA/MPH |
| Editor | Kathleen M. Ariss, MS |
| Editor | Katy E. Magee, MA |
| Associate Editor | Michele Cronen |
| Associate Editor | Pat Truman, MATC |
| Primary Medical Reviewer | Martin Gabica, MD - Family Medicine |
| Specialist Medical Reviewer | Margaret Doucette, DO - Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation, Wound Care, Hyperbaric Medicine |
| Last Updated | March 15, 2007 |
| Last updated: | March 15, 2007 |
|---|---|
| Author: | Shannon Erstad, MBA/MPH |
| Reviewed By: | Martin Gabica, MD - Family Medicine, Margaret Doucette, DO - Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation, Wound Care, Hyperbaric Medicine |
| Editors: | Katy E. Magee, MA, Pat Truman, MATC |
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