Falls- The final week.

The most serious thing that can happen after a patient falls is that they die as a direct result of the fall.

In my opinion the second most serious complication that a patient can suffer after a fall doesn't usually occur right after the fall, but in the months after the fall. This is the development of pressure ulcers, and the myriad of complications that may occur as a result of the development of pressure ulcers.

Sometimes the fall is an innocent non negligent cause, such as an normally ambulatory person falling because they tripped, or had a syncopal episode.  Now the person is bed ridden and dependent on staff for their care.  This is when the person is at increased risk for pressure ulcers.

The reasons for the development of pressure ulcers are different for each client and facility.  Sometimes they're as simple as a wet diaper left on a little too long, and they heal rather quickly without any damage, but sometimes they're more complex.

That's where it becomes necessary to read the medical records to understand why a pressure ulcer had formed in a particular client and whether or not the staff is negligent in the care.

Over the next couple of weeks we'll focus first on the general causes of pressure ulcers that are non-negligent and then we'll transition into how some of the various diseases that the clients are diagnosed with affect healing.