“Conservative management is ineffective for stage III or IV pressure sores, and plastic surgery to create flap coverage of the sore becomes inevitable” states Chun-Yu Chen, MD, plastic surgeon.
What else did Dr. Chen report in “Surgical Treatment and Strategy in Patients with Pressure Sores” published in Medicine (Baltimore) 2020 Oct 30, 99(44): 223022?
“The optimal approach to high-grade pressure sores involves collaboration among physiotherapists, specialist nurses, social workers, and plastic surgeons.
The most common etiology of the patient’s bedridden state was dementia (33.3%) and the second was a cerebrovascular accident (23.9%).
Surgical reconstruction combined with patient rehabilitation and education effectively reduces the postoperative recurrence rate of such sores.
Pressure sores sized <16 cm2 and given the laxity of elderly patients’ skin, primary closure methods should be considered for resurfacing pressure sores.
Flaps with complications were significantly larger than those without complications. The mortality rate was 9.4%”
Read Dr. Chen’s article: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC7598787/
Greg Vigna, MD, JD, national decubitus ulcer attorney explains, “This is an important article because the author’s experience is with the demographic particularly at risk in the United States, which includes those with dementia and those with strokes, which represents populations with multiple medical problems.”
Dr. Vigna concludes, “Patients with deep Stage 3 or Stage 4 need access to flap closure because their prognosis is poor as described by the important study by Dr. Damioli which revealed that in patients who were not provided a myocutaneous flap for cure with decubitus ulcer related osteomyelitis, there is a 17% risk of death at one year.”
Read Dr. Damioli’s study: https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/full/10.1177/20499361231196664
Greg Vigna, MD, JD, is a national malpractice attorney and an expert in wound care. He is available for legal consultation for families and patients who have suffered decubitus ulcers due to poor nursing care at hospitals, nursing homes, or assisted living facilities. The Vigna Law Group along with Ben C. Martin, Esq., of the Martin Law Group, a Dallas Texas national pharmaceutical injury law firm, jointly prosecute hospital and nursing home neglect cases that result in bedsores nationwide.
To learn more: https://vignalawgroup.com/decubitus-ulcer-compensation/
