And the longer patients are lying
down for surgery, the greater their
chance of acquiring pressure
ulcers on the skin that covers
bony areas of the body, such as
the heels, ankles, hips and tail-
bone. Studies have shown that
nearly 1 out of every 10 patients
who undergoes surgical proce-
dures that last more than 3 hours
will develop a pressure ulcer.
Here are a 7 ways you can offload
the pressure of pressure injuries.
Remember, like most things, it's
more cost-effective to prevent
pressure ulcers than to treat them.
1. Identify high-risk patients
You can reduce the number of pressure injuries by creating a stan-
dardized assessment and implementing specific interventions for
patients at the most risk. Here are some of the patient-specific factors
that increase the likelihood a patient will develop a pressure injury:
• over 65 years old
• taking certain medications such as corticosteroids or vasoactive
agents
• diagnosed with certain diseases such as cancer, cardiovascular
disease and diabetes mellitus
• low hemoglobin and hematocrit levels, systemic blood pressure
and BMI
• poor nutrition
7 8 • O U T PA T I E N T S U R G E R Y M A G A Z I N E • M A Y 2 0 1 8
• KEEP SUPPLIES CLOSE Having your positioning supplies
close and organized ensures you always have the right piece
for the procedure.
Virtua
Voorhees
(N.J.)
