Wound Healing

A pressure ulcer is caused by external pressure being applied to prominent bony surfaces of the body such as the elbows, spine, heels, ankles, and in your husbands, case the coccyx. The ulcer formed when the capillary pressure within the tissue was exceeded, interrupting his circulation, and causing his tissue to go without oxygen which caused damage and tissue death (Anders, J. et al., 2010). In the case of your husband, a decubitus ulcer formed which was caused by his lying or sitting for an extended period without repositioning (McCance, Huether, Brashers, & Rote, 2014, p. 1625). Your husband has a stage 3 decubitus ulcer. This stage of ulcer is characterized by full thickness loss of skin with the first and second layer of skin both being destroyed (Ahmed, Papier, Whelan, & Whalen, 2016).
Types of Healing
Primary Intention
Secondary Intention
The first is obtaining lab work to identify any underlying factors that can slow wound healing. Such lab work includes but is not limited to a complete blood count (CBC), and Hemoglobin A1C (HBA1C) which looks at one’s level of glucose over the past three months. In addition, an albumin and pre-albumin level should be obtained to look at the amount of protein in your body. If levels such as glucose or white blood cells are high healing will be delayed. On the other hand, if one’s hemoglobin and hematocrit are low, the wound may not receive the oxygen rich blood it needs. If the pre/albumin is low the protein needed to promote wound healing is not available (Ahmed, 2016). Corrective measures much be taken to correct all abnormal labs whether it includes adding supplements, getting one’s diabetes under control by adjusting medications, or obtaining further testing to determine why levels such as a white blood count is high. Wound healing will be promoted by having your husbands labs within normal