Pressure ulcers: An important condition in medicine and surgery

Abstract

Pressure ulcers are a condition of the skin and deep tissue that has been recognized for at least 5,000 years [1–6]. They can affect the human body at different sites, and many simple remedies have been prescribed and used to treat these ulcers. In the eighteenth and nineteenth [7–15] centuries, an accurate diagnosis of pressure ulcer was established. In the twentieth century, the etiology, management, and prevention were established, and physicians, nurses, and allied health professionals were expected to have knowledge of this condition and to manage and prevent pressure ulcers. The standard treatment was set in the United States in 1994 by the Agency for Health Care Policy and Research [16], and, in 2000, the Consortium for Spinal Cord Medicine [17] published the standard management of pressure ulcers. In 1999, the standard was published in Europe by the European Pressure Ulcer Advisory Panel [18].