Wound Care

CHG Hospital Beds^® Commitment to Wound Care

CHG Hospital Beds^® is dedicated to helping hospitals provide the best care for your patients, and meet your safety initiatives.

While a patient is lying in bed, they are often required to rest in a specific position to avoid further injury and heal faster. It is this immobility that can lead to other complications over time. Lack of movement creates constant pressure on one specific area in the body and eventually can cause the strained tissue to die, forming what is known as a pressure ulcer. Pressure ulcers are just one of the many conditions that can develop during a patient’s stay at the hospital.

The Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality (AHRQ) estimates that in the past 10 years, the number of hospital patients that develop pressure ulcers and bed sores has risen by 63%. The patients most at risk of developing this problem are ones that suffer from lack of immobility, have a hard time sensing pressure on their bodies, and patients that are bed ridden. Although these sores can sometimes develop in as little as 24 hours, they take much longer to heal and can cause the patient a great deal of pain.

There are many strategies to help treat the complications of pressure ulcers, but many experts agree that it is better to take preventable measures when possible, rather than be reactive once the condition has developed. Preventable measures can include:

• Relieving pressure on the skin whenever possible.
  • Change position in bed at least every two hours (if feasible)
  • Use a specialty mattress
  • Pad areas of the bodies with less flesh on them to relieve the amount of pressure directly through the skin to the bone
• Keeping skin dry and clean.
  • Avoid skin rubbing on plastic or rubber, which can generate bacteria and promote infection