Complications of pressure sores
Complications can occur from ongoing pressure sores and also from treating pressure sores.1 Some complications of ongoing pressure sores include:
- Infections.
- Cellulitis is an infection of the skin. Cellulitis causes painful, red, hot, swollen skin that may crack, split, or weep fluid.
- Osteomyelitis is an infection in the bone. It causes swollen and red skin over the affected bone. It also causes pain that is worse when pressing on the infected area.
- Bacteremia or a bacterial infection in the blood (sepsis).
- Necrotizing fasciitis or a bacterial infection that destroys skin and soft tissues such as fat and muscle.
- Endocarditis, which is an infection of the heart lining. Symptoms of endocarditis include vague, flu-like symptoms, such as chronic low-grade fever and fatigue.
- Meningitis, which is an infection of the fluid that surrounds the brain and spine. Meningitis causes a severe headache with a stiff neck, fever, nausea, and vomiting.
- Septic arthritis, which is pain and inflammation of a joint caused by a bacterial infection. Septic arthritis causes a joint to be red, hot, swollen, and tender.
- Abscesses. An abscess can form on the skin or on tissues within the body and cause pain, swelling, and tenderness.
- Deposits of bone in soft tissues (heterotopic bone formation). These occur especially around the hip joint and can cause pain and problems with walking or moving the legs.
- Squamous cell skin cancer, especially if the wound becomes a stage 4 pressure sore
. Symptoms of squamous cell cancer include growths or patches of skin that feel scaly, bleed, or develop a crust, and sores that do not heal.
| Author: | Bets Davis, MFA | Last Updated: March 5, 2009 |
| Medical Review: |
Kathleen Romito, MD - Family Medicine
Margaret Doucette, DO - Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation, Wound Care, Hyperbaric Medicine |
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