Published online by Cambridge University Press: 01 November 2007
Pressure ulcers are the visible evidence of pathological changes in the blood supply to dermal tissues. Pressure ulcers are rare, affecting only about 0.5% of the total population. The distribution is clustered into two groups, peaking once in younger, mostly neurologically impaired persons and again in older persons. The cluster in the geriatric population accounts for about 70% of all pressure ulcers.