A new study published in the Journal of the American Geriatrics Society sheds light on hospital acquired pressure ulcers with data on epidemiology, mortality, and patient characteristics. Its results are certain to fuel the debate on avoidability of pressure ulcers. The researchers analyzed 51,842 discharges of hospitalized Medicare patients in 2006 and 2007 for occurrence of hospital […]| Jeffrey M Levine, MD
The term “never event” is commonly applied to pressure ulcers, giving the impression that they are always associated with medical error. As such, it lends this outcome an emotional charge that can lead to misplaced patient dissatisfaction and unnecessary accusations of wrongdoing or poor quality. Although pressure ulcers are sometimes associated with factors such as […]| Jeffrey M Levine, MD
Click here for a downloadable PDF of Charcot’s Lecture on Pressure Ulcers. . Some years back while browsing in an antiquarian book sale I came across a translated collection of lectures by the great 19th century neurophysiologist, Jean Martin Charcot (1825-1893). Inside this book I was surprised to find diagrams of pressure ulcers that […]| Jeffrey M Levine, MD
When the body is malnourished, it lacks the essential nutrients necessary for these processes, which can lead to delayed or impaired wound healing. Here are some key relationships between malnutrition and wound healing...| Jeffrey M Levine, MD
This new manuscript reviews barrier functions of skin and defines specific pathophysiologic factors that lead to its disruption including hypoperfusion, hypoxia, increased vascular permeability, and edema – all of which act synergistically. The article further defines acute and chronic conditions leading to these pathophysiologic aberrations including Multiple Organ Dysfunction Syndrome (MODS), protein-calorie malnutrition, and immunocompromised states. Also addressed are critical contr...| Jeffrey M Levine, MD