Abstract
Pressure injuries have been identified as one of the main health hazards among bedridden elderly people. Bedridden elderly people often stay in the same position for a long time, because they cannot switch positions; thus, the blood flow in the part of the body that is being compressed between the bed and their own weight is continuously blocked. As a result, redness and ulcers occur due to lacking oxygen and nutrients in the skin tissues, and these sites are often infected with microorganisms and, thus, become suppurative wounds, a condition commonly determined as pressure injuries. If left untreated, the pressure injury will recur with microbial infections, often resulting in cellulitis, osteomyelitis, and sepsis. The skin microbiome, in which many types of bacteria coexist, is formed on the skin surface. However, it remains unclear what characteristic of the skin microbiome among the bedridden elderly constitutes the development and severity of pressure injuries and the development of post-pressure injury infections. Thus, in this review article, we outlined the changes in the skin microbiome among the bedridden elderly people and their potential involvement in the onset and recurrence of pressure injuries.
Highlights
The results suggest that specific bacterial species exist in the primary lesion where pressure injury infections occur and that lethal pressure injury infections can be exacerbated by the combination of an immunocompromised situation, poor nutritional status, and unhygienic environment
The composition of the skin microbiome in the sacral region is significantly different from that in ambulatory elderly people and healthy young people, and the same result in the back skin region is observed [62]. These results suggest that the constitutional change of the skin microbiome in bedridden elderly people may be observed in the skin other than the pressure region
Bedridden elderly people were identified to be at higher risk of developing pressure injuries due to weakened immunities and skin functions caused by poor nutrition and decreased physiological functions
Summary
According to the 2019 White Paper on Aging Society released by the Japanese government, the aging rate in Japan is currently at 28.1%, and the population aged 75 and over has been estimated to be 17.98 million, accounting for 14.2% of the country’s total population [1]. These proportions are higher compared to other countries, making Japan the number one super-aging society in the world. The number of elderly people who are forced to live in a bedridden state is increasing year by year, and it has become a significant problem in how to prevent a worsening quality of life and health disorders among this specific population
Sign-in/Register to view highlights & summary Sign-in/Register to access full text options 
Free) 
Talk to us
Join us for a 30 min session where you can share your feedback and ask us any queries you have
Schedule a call
