What is involved in debridement of pressure ulcers or decubitus?

There are two different kinds of debridement- one is done by the physician with a sharp implement to remove dead tissue and the other is done by certain ointments/medications to accomplish the same thing. The reason they do this is to help expose the good tissue underneath and help it to heal by filling the area where the old, dead tissue was.

Debridement is when you lacerate the ulcer. Take saline solution, rinse out the ulcerated void or hole. Then you take moist gauze and pack the void (gauze and sterile saline solution). Then you bandage the area. If the ulceration is rather large, they might put in a suction device called a Jackson-Pratt to make sure that any fluid or pus does not re-accrue in the void. Kind of like a boil or an ingrown hair that has gotten out of control.

For a Decubitus...this is more like a pressure sore. The skin breaks down. Think of someone who is bedridden and cannot move. They often get decubitus sores on their back, buttocks, elbows, or any other place where constant pressure is being applied. To get rid of them, you must cut out any of the dead flesh, as much as you can with out compromising the new skin. Then you cover it with a second skin film with a special ointment underneath that.

debridement is the surgical process of removing dead or necrotic tissue from the wound.Sometimes physical therapist do it and it really hurts because the patient is awake.