ABSTRACT
Decubitus ulcerations have been documented as a significant health care problem that affects all age groups and is observed across all health care settings. While this clinical problem is a common complication for the medical practitioner to address, the successful treatment of this condition requires an organized approach to the overall assessment of the patient and factors responsible for the ulcer being treated. The primary goal of decubitus ulcer debridement should be the conversion of this complex, necrotic, infected soft-tissue ulceration into a clean, healthy, acute (or recovering) wound that will respond predictably to clinical measures designed to promote wound bed preparation and possible wound closure. In this chapter, we will briefly discuss the etiology of this condition, its staging, the goals of decubitus ulcer patient treatment, wound bed preparation, and techniques of surgical and nonsurgical ulcer debridement.
