Pressure Sores and Wounds in Infants and Children

-Prevention and Treatment at the National Center for Child Health and Development-

Abstract

Infants and children can suffer problems such as pressure sores and wounds following medical treatment. We report 1805 cases at the National Center for Child Health and Development in Japan from 2003 to 2007. The number of wounds that resulted from medical treatment was 4 times greater than the number of pressure sores. The pressure sores mostly occur on the heads of younger children, and in the sacral region in older children. Wounds due to medical treatment include extravasation injuries and skin damage from adhesive tapes.