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Show POINTS ON KEEPING WELL DR. FREDERICK R. GREEN Editor of "HEALTH" 00 PREVENTION OF BEDSORES r-nilE healthy human being, who Tspends from seven to eight hours n bed at a time, will turn from side to side, even unconsciously, during deep sleep, thus relieving any one part or the body from tlie pressure of the body weight for too long a time. But the chronic Invalid, who must sometimes some-times pass weeks, months or even vears in bed, has no such ability, bo one of the most serious and dangerous complications from which such unfortunates unfor-tunates suffer Is what are known as bedsores. These --troublesome sores may develop de-velop at any point where there is long-continued pressure or Irritation, Irrita-tion, such as is caused by the patient lying too long In one position, from the pressure of Ill-fitting casts or splints, from too tight bandaging or even from such apparently trivial causes as wrinkles or creases In the clothing or bedding, crumbs or other Irritating bodies on tlie under sheet, friction or pressure from two surfaces sur-faces of the skin which touch each olher or any other cause of pressure or Irritation on the same spot for a long period of time. Nurses or those having the care of chronic invalids, especially of older patients, should know the causes of bedsores and should be constantly on the alert to prevent them. Once formed, they are exceedingly difficult to cure and the suffering and exhaustion exhaus-tion caused by them may and often does prove the determining factor between be-tween recovery or death of the patient. pa-tient. In an excellent article on this subject sub-ject by Dr. E. K. Marriott in the Trained Nurse and Hospital Review, attention is called to the well-known fact that patients with feeble circulation circula-tion due to old age, persons suffering from heart disease, from Bright's disease, dis-ease, diabetes or malignant growths are particularly liable to bedsores. In long-continued illnesses, such as tuberculosis tu-berculosis and typhoid fever, where the resistance of the patient is reduced, re-duced, they are also apt to occur. Very thin persons, where tlie bony prominences promi-nences press on the skin, and very fat persons, where the skin surfaces come in contact, are equally liable. Two things are necessary for their prevention : First, scrupulous cleanliness clean-liness and, second, frequent change of position. Tlie skin must be kept clean and dry. Frequent baths with warm water and mild soap, followed by gentle rubbing until perfectly dry, ( sponging with alcohol and dusting with a zinc dusting powder, will generally prevent them. The bedding must be fresh, clean and smooth. If a bedsore does develop, it is like any open wound and should be treated by a surgeon. |