A 78 year-old female client is admitted to the unit on which you are working. You (the LPN) are assisting the RN with data collection for the admission assessment. The client reports spending most of the day in a wheel chair. She reports she is able to go to the bathroom independently, but is sometimes incontinent. She also reports that she is unable to cook her own meals, and is dependent on family to do this for her, adding that she is getting tired of macaroni and cheese from a box.
The RN’s assessment reveals a small pressure injury on the client’s sacrum. The pressure injury measures approximately 2 cm in diameter.
Your data results are as follows:
Blood pressure- 100/ 60
Heart rate- 88
Respiratory rate- 16
Oxygen saturation- 96%
Height- 5’9’
Weight- 100 pounds
Please respond to the following questions in your original post.
1. Considering the client’s age and weight, what physiological changes put her at risk for pressure injury?
2. Do you think the client’s nutritional status had any impact on the development of a pressure injury? Why or why not?
3. What can you (the LPN) do to help promote skin integrity and wound healing for this client?
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