Due to prolonged squeezing or immobility, bedsores can form on the soft parts of the body. How to treat such a disease on the buttock? It turns out that it is possible not only to treat ulcers, but also to prevent the appearance of dead skin and subcutaneous tissues. Most often, this problem worries bedridden patients.
What causes it
Regardless of what exactly provoked the appearance of a bedsore, such violations should not be left unattended. It is important to note that this pathological phenomenon never occurs independently, as it is always a complication of the primary disease that led to the immobilization of the patient.
Treatment of pressure sores on the buttocks is the fight against specific ulcers, redness and serious skin irritations. Such pathological changes are mainly diagnosed in elderly people or in patients after a stroke, spinal injury and other diseases.
The cause of the development of pressure soresis a forced lying position, which is accompanied by the inevitable squeezing of certain areas of the skin. Bedsores develop especially quickly in patients with overweight and diabetes mellitus. For such persons, it often takes 2-3 hours for the first signs of the disease to appear on the buttocks. How to treat a bedsore in such an intimate place? There are no fundamental differences from the method of treating ulcers in any other part of the body.
How a bedsore forms
Due to the constant load on the epidermis, small blood capillaries cease to perform their functions at the proper level. As a result, tissue trophism is disrupted, and then ulcers begin to develop. Treatment of pressure ulcers on the buttocks in immobilized people is very difficult, but the need for therapy cannot be ignored.
With a constant and unchanged position of the body, the patient's condition is aggravated by injuries of the brain or spinal cord. The skin and soft tissues constantly suffer from jumps in blood pressure, the autonomic nervous system ceases to function fully.
Interestingly, not only blood circulation is disturbed in the buttocks, but also innervation. With a combination of these two phenomena, the patient's condition worsens and new ulcers form. The main method by which you need to deal with pressure sores on the buttocks, no matter how paradoxical it may sound, is to return to physical activity.
Who is at risk
Overweight patientsare more likely to suffer from pressure sores. In people of normal weight, the development of ulcers does not occur so rapidly, however, if proper care cannot be provided, the disease is inevitable. The sooner treatment is started, the more likely the patient is to maintain the integrity of the epidermis and avoid the development of serious complications.
Ulcers occur in patients who are immunosuppressed after a long illness, including heart patients, stroke survivors and other circulatory disorders. Doctors believe that the following factors contribute to the complication of diseases by the occurrence of bedsores:
- advanced age of the patient;
- pathologies of the brain and spinal cord;
- injuries, postoperative wounds, multiple bruises, bone fractures;
- cancerous tumors;
- moderate to severe anemia;
- alcohol abuse and smoking;
- incorrect diet;
- puffiness and increased dryness of the skin;
- inability to control urination and bowel movements;
- allergic to skin care products.
Treatment of the disease at different stages
Before treating pressure sores on the buttocks, it is important to accurately determine the stage of the disease. Regardless of the localization of ulcers on the body, they go through several stages. First, the patient's surface layer of the epidermis is damaged, the tissue segment on the buttock swells and becomes denser. Hyperemia of the affected area becomes noticeable. If atwhen pressing on a he althy area, the skin becomes pale, then when exposed to a bedsore, no changes occur, it remains red. At this stage, it is usually easier to treat a pressure ulcer on the buttock than at later stages.
At the second stage of the disease, the first ulcerations are formed. The pathological process includes not only the surface layers, but also the subcutaneous fat. At the next stage in the development of bedsores, partial tissue necrosis occurs. The fourth stage is the most dangerous, since it is characterized by damage not only to soft tissues. Without proper treatment, the process reaches the cartilage and bones.
It is pointless to treat bedsores with antiseptic dressings at the fourth stage. In this case, only surgical intervention can become an effective method of therapy. Otherwise, the risk of developing sepsis increases against the background of the addition of a secondary infection, which drastically complicates the course of the disease.
Conservative treatment in the first stage
How to treat a pressure sore on the buttock with conservative methods? The therapy takes place in several stages. First, dead tissues are removed (if any), and only then are medications used that have a disinfecting and healing effect, which improve blood supply to the muscles and epidermis. At the same time, the choice of medicines largely depends on the stage of the course of the disease.
If bedsores under the buttocks or on the sacrum have just begun to appear, the skin should be treated with antiseptic solutions several times a day. The most common and inexpensive remedy is camphor.alcohol, which is sold in any pharmacy. An alternative to it can be natural sea buckthorn oil. The skin must be treated carefully, gently and very gently, without putting pressure on the affected area.
Drugs for pressure ulcers of the second stage
It is important to remember that in the presence of bedsores, massage is not allowed. At the next stage, ulcers and small blisters become noticeable in the patient. At this stage, you can fight bedsores with the help of Miramistin, Chlorhexidine or other, stronger antiseptics. Therapeutic solutions are applied to the skin several times a day.
In the presence of ulcers, dressings with "Actovegin" or "Solcoseryl" will be an effective treatment option. These ointments have wound healing properties, they start the processes of tissue regeneration. On the recommendation of a doctor, the patient may be prescribed absorbent applications with enzyme preparations. "Multiferm", "Hydrosorb" perfectly cope with their task - dressings that are applied to the affected areas once and do not require regular replacement.
Advanced Treatments
Decubituses on the buttocks in bedridden patients cannot be cured at home. The patient is assigned to the surgical department. At this stage of the development of the pathology, deep wounds are formed, in which conventional medicines for bedsores will no longer help. On the buttocks, dead tissue areas are first removed, the wounds themselves are treated with powerful antiseptics and covered with a bandage. Unlike superficial ulcers, deep bedsoresare treated with special dressings "PAM-T", "Proteox-TM". Such wipes not only thoroughly clean ulcers, but also promote speedy healing due to the content of active active ingredients in them.
To stop tissue necrosis, special absorbent gels are used, in particular Purilon. Such drugs are applied immediately after surgical cleansing of the wound. Gel-like products absorb excess fluid, which creates ideal conditions for healing. Dressings with "Purilon" are changed every 3-4 days.
Additional methods
What to do in each individual case and how to quickly cure bedsores on the buttocks, the doctor decides. Effective treatment implies not only the use of local drugs for soft tissue regeneration, but also systemic drugs. Such drugs activate blood flow to the affected area. With deep bedsores on the buttocks, patients are prescribed tablets or injections of Actovegin, Pentoxifylline. If necessary, therapy is supplemented with the use of immunomodulators designed to strengthen local immunity.
As patients recover and feel better, vitamin-mineral complexes are prescribed. To avoid side effects, the person's age and weight must be taken into account.
In order to stimulate the regeneration of the epidermis and subcutaneous tissues, physiotherapeutic procedures are often resorted to. A good effect, according to patients, is capable of producing a laser, Darsonval - therapy and ultrahigh-frequencyinductothermy. To reduce the risk of infection, wounds are treated with ultrasound and electrophoresis based on solutions with antibiotics.
If conservative treatment fails at the third and fourth stages, surgical manipulation is required. After the doctor treats the wound, he tries to match its edges. The procedure usually takes place using an autograft - a section of he althy epidermis removed from the patient. To date, such treatment does not always bring the desired result. Often, skin rejection occurs due to the inability to achieve absolute sterility of ulcers and prevent the development of infection. Tissue transplantation is repeated according to the same principle.
Do I need a special mattress for bedridden patients
In the treatment and prevention of pressure sores, the surface on which the patient has to lie plays a huge role. In order to prevent the appearance of ulcers on the patient's body, care should be taken in advance to purchase a special mattress for bedridden patients. From bedsores, such medical devices are used not only for the purpose of prevention, but also in the treatment of already existing pressure sores of the initial stages.
Thanks to the mattress, it is possible to prevent the appearance of ulcers in patients not only in the sacro-gluteal region, but also in other most common areas of localization. Places where bedsores form are:
- back of the head;
- shoulder blades;
- heels.
If the patient lies on his side for a long time, it is possibledystrophy of shoulder tissues, knee, ankle joint, femur. The mattress helps to evenly distribute the load on the body and alleviate the patient's condition, provide comfort and muscle relaxation.
Types of mattresses
In the treatment and prevention of bedsores, cellular and balloon models of orthopedic mattresses from bedsores for bedridden patients are in special demand. Products differ in two main criteria:
- by degree of mobility under the patient;
- according to the shape of the compartments.
For patients who are able to roll over without assistance, static models are more suitable. Such a mattress takes an anatomically correct shape, adjusting to the human body. Special cells have a therapeutic and prophylactic effect, preventing tissue squeezing. The advantages of such models include low price, simple operation and maintenance.
Unlike static options, dynamic options are able to change height and lift, creating conditions for activating blood circulation processes by maintaining variable pressure in the mattress. This type of product is designed for bedridden people who are unable to roll over on their own.
Tubular mattresses (balloon) are made from long chambers. A special compress is included with the balloon mattress, which pumps air from the chambers every 10 minutes and fills the compartments one by one. Tubular mattresses are suitable for obese people whose body weight exceeds 120 kg.
Cellular structures in appearance resemblehoneycombs. When the compressor is running, air enters the cells one by one. The compartments are not filled evenly, but in a checkerboard pattern. Cellular mattresses are recommended for patients who do not get out of bed for more than 3 months.
Mattresses are suitable for the treatment of pressure sores on the buttocks at home or within the walls of a specialized inpatient medical facility. The materials from which they are made are hypoallergenic and moisture resistant. Most often, products are made of polyurethane foam and polyvinyl chloride, so they are easy to clean and dry quickly, which is especially important when used by a patient who is unable to control the processes of urination and defecation. The most popular manufacturers of orthopedic mattresses for bedridden patients are the following companies:
- Invacare (USA);
- Redactron (Holland);
- Eurocare (Belgium);
- Bronigen (Germany);
- OSD (Italy);
- Armed (Russia).
Prevention
Prevention and treatment of pressure ulcers on the buttocks at home requires considerable effort from the person who has taken responsibility for the care and maintenance of a bedridden patient. At the same time, the recommendations that doctors give on preventing the formation of ulcers are quite simple:
- Change the position of the patient at least every two hours.
- If ulcers have not yet formed on the patient's skin, you should regularly do a light massage of those parts of the body that are most prone to pressure sores.
- Examine the patientyou need every day to start treatment on time at the first signs of illness.
- Weekly change of bed linen is mandatory. If a person is unable to control the functioning of the pelvic organs, the bed is changed as needed.
For bedridden patients, it is important to choose the right bed linen. The sheet should be sewn only from natural fabrics and matched exclusively to the size of the mattress. Before laying the patient on the bed, it is necessary to straighten all the folds.
When bedsores appear, it is urgent to review the patient's diet. Despite the fact that there is no specific diet for skin ulcers, all expert advice boils down to the need to consume increased amounts of protein. The patient's daily menu should include chicken, turkey, rabbit, fish, low-fat dairy products. If the patient is unable to chew fibrous meals on his own, he is fed pureed nutrient mixtures.
It is important to think about the prevention of pressure sores on the buttocks from the first days of being in bed. It is quite difficult to stop the formation of ulcers on the body, but with all the recommendations and constant monitoring of the patient's condition, there is every chance to avoid such problems.
