THERMOGRAPHY AS A PREDICTOR OF SACRAL PRESSURE SORES

摘要

Ninety-one patients admitted to a geriatric unit with apparently undamaged sacral akin were examined by thermography. Nineteen per cent showed a thermal pattern consistent with occult skin damage, and 35of these developed an overt pressure sore at the thermographically abnormal site within 10 days of admission. None of the remaining patients developed a sore within this time. Thermography can provide a more precise indication of the risk of early development of a sacral pressure sore than the Norton score.