Having a wound can mean your stay in hospital is longer. It can also reduce your independence and your ability to look after yourself once you leave hospital. During a stay in hospital, your skin may be affected by the hospital environment, staying in bed or sitting in one position for too long, whether you are eating and drinking enough and your physical condition.

Ask hospital staff to regularly check your skin, particularly if you feel any pain. If you sit in a chair or lie in a bed a lot, over time, the weight on the bony parts of your body stops blood from flowing.

Pressure sores can begin to form in as short a time as two hours and can be serious, potentially leading to infection that spreads to the bloodstream, if untreated. Pressure sores are more likely to develop in people who are undernourished or who leak urine or faeces involuntarily are incontinent.

Being undernourished makes the skin thin, dry, rigid, and more likely to tear or break. Being incontinent exposes the skin to moisture from urine and faeces, which can lead to irritation and pressure sores. Keeping mobile and moving is important for your skin. Movement increases blood supply to tissue and means you are not staying in bed in one position for too long.

To avoid pressure sores, try to move regularly and check your skin. Eating healthy food and drinking enough water are also important in maintaining healthy skin and play a key role in wound healing. Make sure you eat regular main meals and snacks, and drink plenty of water unless your doctor has told you not to.

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Summary Read the full fact sheet. On this page. Skin care in hospital Risks of pressure sores in hospital Reducing your risk of pressure sores in hospital Where to get help.

Skin care in hospital During a stay in hospital, your skin may be affected by the hospital environment, staying in bed or sitting in one position for too long, whether you are eating and drinking enough and your physical condition.

There are some things that you can do to look after your skin, including: Keep your skin clean and dry. Avoid any products that dry out your skin.

This includes many soaps, body washes and talcum powder. Ask for skin cleansers that are non-drying. Ask nursing staff or your pharmacist to give you options.

Use a water-based moisturiser daily. This content does not have an Arabic version. Diagnosis Your doctor will likely look closely at your skin to decide if you have a pressure ulcer and, if so, to assign a stage to the wound. Questions from the doctor Your doctor might ask questions such as:.

Request an appointment. By Mayo Clinic Staff. Show references Pressure ulcers. Merck Manual Professional Version. Accessed Dec. Berlowitz D. Clinical staging and management of pressure-induced injury. Office of Patient Education. How to prevent pressure injuries. Mayo Clinic; Pressure injury.

Ferri FF. Pressure ulcers. In: Ferri's Clinical Advisor Philadelphia, Pa. How to manage pressure injuries. Rochester, Minn. Prevention of pressure ulcers.

Tleyjeh I, et al. Infectious complications of pressure ulcers. Lebwohl MG, et al. Superficial and deep ulcers. In: Treatment of Skin Disease: Comprehensive Therapeutic Strategies. National Pressure Ulcer Advisory Panel NPUAP announces a change in terminology from pressure ulcer to pressure injury and updates the stages of pressure injury.

News release. Accessed April 13, Raetz J, et al. Common questions about pressure ulcers. American Family Physician. Epidemiology, pathogenesis and risk assessment of pressure ulcers. Gibson LE expert opinion. Mayo Clinic, Rochester, Minn. Pressure ulcer prevention.

Rockville, Md. Pressure injury flap surgery adult. Related Warning signs of a bedsore. Mayo Clinic Press Check out these best-sellers and special offers on books and newsletters from Mayo Clinic Press. Mayo Clinic on Incontinence - Mayo Clinic Press Mayo Clinic on Incontinence The Essential Diabetes Book - Mayo Clinic Press The Essential Diabetes Book Mayo Clinic on Hearing and Balance - Mayo Clinic Press Mayo Clinic on Hearing and Balance FREE Mayo Clinic Diet Assessment - Mayo Clinic Press FREE Mayo Clinic Diet Assessment Mayo Clinic Health Letter - FREE book - Mayo Clinic Press Mayo Clinic Health Letter - FREE book.

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You might need blood tests to assess your general health. Treating pressure ulcers involves reducing pressure on the affected skin, caring for wounds, controlling pain, preventing infection and maintaining good nutrition.

The first step in treating a bedsore is reducing the pressure and friction that caused it. Strategies include:. Care for pressure ulcers depends on how deep the wound is.

Generally, cleaning and dressing a wound includes the following:. To heal properly, wounds need to be free of damaged, dead or infected tissue. The doctor or nurse may remove damaged tissue debride by gently flushing the wound with water or cutting out damaged tissue.

A large bedsore that fails to heal might require surgery. One method of surgical repair is to use a pad of your muscle, skin or other tissue to cover the wound and cushion the affected bone flap surgery.

Explore Mayo Clinic studies testing new treatments, interventions and tests as a means to prevent, detect, treat or manage this condition.

People with bedsores might experience discomfort, pain, social isolation or depression. Talk with your care team about your needs for support and comfort. A social worker can help identify community groups that provide services, education and support for people dealing with long-term caregiving or terminal illness.

Parents or caregivers of children with pressure ulcers can talk with a child life specialist for help in coping with stressful health situations. Family and friends of people living in assisted living facilities can be advocates for the residents and work with nursing staff to ensure proper preventive care.

Mayo Clinic does not endorse companies or products. Advertising revenue supports our not-for-profit mission. Check out these best-sellers and special offers on books and newsletters from Mayo Clinic Press. This content does not have an English version. This content does not have an Arabic version.

Diagnosis Your doctor will likely look closely at your skin to decide if you have a pressure ulcer and, if so, to assign a stage to the wound. Questions from the doctor Your doctor might ask questions such as:. Request an appointment.

By Mayo Clinic Staff. Show references Pressure ulcers. Merck Manual Professional Version. Accessed Dec. Berlowitz D. Clinical staging and management of pressure-induced injury.

Office of Patient Education. Critical care patients are at high risk for development of pressure injuries because of the increased use of devices, hemodynamic instability, and the use of vasoactive drugs. In , the U. Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services CMS announced it will not pay for additional costs incurred for hospital-acquired pressure injuries.

The staging system also was updated and includes the following definitions:. The injury can present as intact skin or an open ulcer and may be painful. The tolerance of soft tissue for pressure and shear also may be affected by microclimate, nutrition, perfusion, co-morbidities, and condition of the soft tissue.

Stage 1 Pressure Injury: Non-blanchable erythema of intact skin — Intact skin with a localized area of non-blanchable erythema, which may appear differently in darkly pigmented skin. Presence of blanchable erythema or changes in sensation, temperature or firmness may precede visual changes.

Color changes do not include purple or maroon discoloration; these may indicate deep tissue pressure injury. Stage 2 Pressure Injury: Partial-thickness skin loss with exposed dermis — Partial-thickness loss of skin with exposed dermis. The wound bed is viable, pink or red, moist, and may represent as an intact or ruptured serum-filled blister.

Adipose fat is not visible and deeper tissues are not visible. Granulation tissue, slough and eschar are not present. These injuries commonly result from adverse microclimate and shear in the skin over the pelvis and shear in the heel. This stage cannot be used to describe moisture-associated skin damage MASD , including incontinence-associated dermatitis IAD , intertriginous dermatitis ITD , medical adhesive-related skin injury MARSI , or traumatic wounds skin tears, burns, abrasions.

Stage 3 Pressure Injury: Full-thickness skin loss — Full-thickness loss of skin, in which adipose fat is visible in the ulcer and granulation tissue and epibole rolled wound edges are often present.

The depth of tissue damage varies by anatomical locations; areas of significant adiposity can develop deep wounds. Undermining and tunneling may occur. If slough or eschar obscure the extent of tissue loss, this is an unstageable pressure injury.

Stage 4 Pressure Injury: Full-thickness skin and tissue loss — Full-thickness skin and tissue loss with exposed or directly palpable fascia, muscle, tendon, ligament, cartilage, or bone in the ulcer.

Depth varies by anatomical location. If slough or eschar obscure the extent of tissue loss, this is unstageable pressure injury. Unstageable Pressure Injury: Obscured full-thickness skin and tissue loss — Full-thickness skin and tissue loss in which the extent of tissue damage within the ulcer cannot be confirmed because it is obscured by slough or eschar.

If slough or eschar is removed, a Stage 3 or Stage 4 pressure injury will be revealed. Stable eschar i. Deep Tissue Pressure Injury : Persistent non-blanchable deep red, maroon, or purple discoloration — Intact or non-intact skin with localized area or persistent non-blanchable deep red, maroon, purple discoloration, or epidermal separation revealing a dark wound bed or blood-filled blister.

Pain and temperature changes often preceded skin color changes. Discoloration may appear differently in darkly pigmented skin. The wound may evolve rapidly to reveal the actual extent of tissue injury or may resolve without tissue loss. If necrotic tissue, subcutaneous tissue, granulation tissue, fascia, muscle, or other underlying structures are visible, this indicates a full-thickness pressure injury unstageable, Stage 3 or Stage 4.

Do not use DTPI to describe vascular, traumatic, neuropathic, or dermatologic conditions. Medical Device-Related Pressure Injury — This describes the etiology.

Ask staff for help if you need it. Check your skin every day or ask for help if you are concerned. Let a doctor or nurse know if there are any changes in your skin, especially redness, swelling or soreness. If you are at risk of pressure sores, a nurse will change your position often, including during the night.

Always use any devices given to you to protect your skin from tearing and pressure sores. These may include protective mattresses, seat cushions, heel wedges and limb protectors.

Drink plenty of water unless the doctor has told you not to. Eat regular main meals and snacks. Sit out of bed to eat if you can. Try to maintain your regular toilet routine. If you have a wound, a plan will be developed with you and your family or carers before you leave hospital.

It will tell you how to dress and care for the wound. Pressure sores can particularly occur over bony areas such as: hips knees tailbone sacrum heels. Reducing your risk of pressure sores in hospital Keeping mobile and moving is important for your skin. Try to: Do what you can for yourself, as long as you can do it safely, such as showering, dressing and walking to the toilet.

Walk around the ward every few hours if you can. If you have been advised not to walk by yourself, change your position every one to two hours, particularly moving your legs and ankles.

Whenever possible, sit out of bed rather than sitting up in bed, as this puts pressure on your tailbone. Move as frequently as possible. Even small changes in how you sit or lie make a difference. Ask staff if you need an air mattress, cushions, pillows or booties to ease sore spots. Check your skin regularly for signs such as: Is your skin red, blistered, or broken?

Do you have any pain near a bony area? Are your bed or clothes damp? Let staff know if you see any changes to your skin that could lead to pressure sores.

Where to get help Your GP doctor Allied health staff Nursing staff Patient liaison officer. Older people in hospital External Link.