Stage 3 Bedsore / Decubitus Ulcer
A stage 3 bed sore occurs when a full layer of skin is destroyed. A stage 3 bed sore pressure sore or decubitus ulcer extends into the underlying subcutaneous tissue layer, but not all the way to the bone. This subcutaneous tissue layer has a relatively poor blood supply and can be difficult to heal. A stage 3 bedsore reaches, but does not go through, the muscle. Nonviable (dead) tissue may be present. This is commonly black in color, but occasionally appears to be hard red or white tissue. The nonviable tissue, called eschar, must be removed from the sore before healing can occur. A stage 3 / stage III bedsore or pressure sore must be treated immediately by medical professionals or it will progress into a stage 4 bedsore with even more complication and life threatening dangers to the patient. Another problem is the mis-staging or mis-diagnosing of a stage 3 bed sore as a stage 2 and only treating it as a stage 2 pressure sore. Proper staging of a pressure sore is a must, as this can be a costly mistake.
Treatment of a Stage 3 Bedsore / Pressure Sore
Stage 3 bedsore medical treatment include debridement, constant changing of dressing & cleansing for proper wound care, electrical stimulation and even surgery. Stage 3 bedsore and Stage 4 bedsore surgery may consist of excising of pressure ulcer, surrounding scar, bursa, soft tissue calcification, and underlying necrotic or infected bone. On deeper stage 3 bedsores and especially on stage 4 bedsores and decubitus ulcers, a flap surgery is needed to close the wound, fill in the dead space thus enhancing vascularity of the healing wound, and distributing pressure off the bone
Neglect is the Major Cause of a Stage 4 Bedsore
" In order for a bedsore to reach stage 3 and especially stage 4 in a nursing home or hospital setting, there must have been serious lack of care and attention to the health of the patient. A stage 3 or a stage 4 bedsore doesn't just happen overnight, it takes days of neglect on the part of the nursing home, it head nurse nurse, LVNs, staff and floor nurses to allow a patient to all but rot in their beds. Such nursing home neglect is called negligence and abuse. Such nursing home neglect is actionable in most courts throughout the United States...." David Willis - Trial Lawyer
