Reasons why elderly patients with bladder cancer are prone to bedsores

Bladder cancer is a common malignant tumor of the urinary system. It is most common in people aged 51 to 70, with a peak age of 65. It can be seen that the elderly are the main group of patients with bladder cancer. In addition to the pain of cancer itself, elderly patients are also very likely to develop bedsores and even cause infections, which makes treatment difficult. The reasons are as follows.

1. Elderly people are weak and have poor skin

Elderly patients have weak constitutions, poor skin elasticity, and poor local blood circulation. As long as enough pressure is applied and they stay in bed for a period of time, it will cause ischemia of local squeezed tissue and dilation of peripheral blood vessels. Any part of the body, especially the sacrum, scapula, ankles and other places with protruding bones and less fat tissue, is prone to ulcers.

2. Influence of friction

Patients who are bedridden for a long time, have paralysis of their lower limbs and limited limb movement, suffer from local tissue edema in the low-hanging parts. When they turn over, a certain shear force and friction force is generated between their skin and the mattress, causing damage to the skin's stratum corneum, resulting in blisters and other abrasions on the epidermis, thereby increasing the occurrence of bedsores.

3. Urinary incontinence

Elderly patients often suffer from urinary incontinence due to kidney deficiency. Incontinence, excessive sweating, excessive wound exudation, etc. can cause local excessive moisture and temperature rise, which can soften the skin tissue and reduce resistance, making it easy for harmful substances to pass through, which is conducive to bacterial reproduction and leads to bedsores. It is reported that the probability of bedsores in patients with urinary incontinence is 5 times that of ordinary patients.

4. Malnutrition

Elderly patients who are bedridden for a long time will have a progressive decline in immunity due to insufficient nutrition or anemia, which will affect wound healing. It is reported that 75% of patients with hypoproteinemia will develop bedsores, which is also a factor that directly affects the difficulty of bedsore healing.