I
f you think residents of nursing homes are
the only people who wind up with agoniz-
ing pressure injuries because they've been
laying in the same position for weeks at a
time, consider the case I saw while over-
seeing a multi-year project to develop and initiate a
comprehensive pressure injury prevention program
for a large hospital system.
A 19-year-old woman came to the outpatient sur-
gery center for a mandibular surgery, which was a
success. During the post-op appointment with the
surgeon, however, she arrived with a deep-tissue
pressure injury on her left buttocks from being in
the same position on the operating table for approx-
imately eight hours. This patient, whose mandible
was healing perfectly, actually took the post-op pain
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T O O U T P A T I E N T S U R G E R Y M A G A Z I N E • O C T O B E R 2 0 2 0
PRONE TO PROBLEMS Special attention should be paid to padding the head, chest, breast, torso and genitalia on patients who are positioned on their stomachs.
7 Keys to Reducing Pressure Injuries
Protect vulnerable areas during surgery to make sure
patients leave with their skin intact.
Sue Creehan, MSN, RN, CWON | Richmond, Va.
