Surgical management of pressure ulcers

Abstract

Surgical management of pressure ulcers ranges from office or bedside debridement to formal debridement in the operating room for the more extensive necrosis. Closure of these wounds may be by advancement flap closure for the simple ulcers and by local muscle or myocutaneous flap closure for the more complex ulcers and defects. Some pressure ulcers recur following previous surgery or following conservative treatment. The simple recurrences can be managed by the use of simple techniques while the surgical options for the management of the more difficult recurrent ulcers are limited involving more complex surgery like sensate flaps, expanded flaps, free tissue transfers and fillet flaps.