Intraoperatively acquired pressure ulcers

1. Pressure ulcer formation is a major health care concern when one considers the costs involved and patient morbidity and mortality. Patients with skin ulcers experience pain, disfigurement, immobility, septicemia, longer hospitalizations, and sometimes death. 2. Pressure ulcers are one of the most common iatrogenic illnesses in health care that affect special patient populations--the elderly and the immobile. 3. Both cost and improvement in the patient's quality of life are important concerns in the implementation of improved prevention activities.