Pressure Ulcers in Pediatric Spinal Cord Injury

Pressure ulcers can be a devastating complication of pediatric spinal cord injury (SCI). In addition to the medical and surgical consequences, pressure ulcers interfere with education, employment, and personal goals. Because of the magnitude of this problem, identification of risk factors and prevention are essential. It is the responsibility of health care providers to educate patients and caregivers in pressure ulcer prevention. The continuous process of growth and development of pediatric patients presents an additional challenge. Each age group must be targeted with developmentally specific information. The purpose of this article is to address risk factors for pressure ulcer development in pediatric SCI and describe a developmentally based prevention program.