It can take anywhere from three months to two years for a stage 4 bedsore to properly heal. In some cases, if the damage is too great, a stage 4 bedsore might never heal completely. Stage 4 bedsores need to be properly cared for or a patient's life expectancy can be limited.
Grade 3 or 4 pressure ulcers can develop quickly. For example, in susceptible people, a full-thickness pressure ulcer can sometimes develop in just 1 or 2 hours. However, in some cases, the damage will only become apparent a few days after the injury has occurred.
If a patient gets proper treatment, stage 4 bedsores are generally treatable. However, it can take up to two years for the sores to heal completely. If a stage 4 bedsore gets infected and remains untreated, it can quickly lead to death, especially in already sick or frail nursing home residents.
A stage 4 pressure sore is very painful and can take months to improve. Treatment for a stage 4 bedsore includes keeping the area dry and clean, applying pressure-relieving dressings, and taking measures to prevent further injury. In some cases, surgery may be necessary to remove dead tissue to help improve the wound.
Bed sores stage 4 are the worst-case scenario: the blood supply has been so severely cut off that the wound tunnels down through all layers of the skin and exposes bone. They often cause extreme pain, infection, and even death. Many residents must undergo invasive surgeries to survive stage 4 bedsores.
The more advanced the bedsore, the greater the possibility that the nursing home resident will pass away from the injury. By some accounts, patients with Stage 4 bedsores have an average life expectancy of just 50 days once the condition has progressed to that level of severity.
Instead, the full-thickness ulcer is filled with scar tissue composed primarily of endothelial cells, fibroblasts, collagen, and extracellular matrix. A Stage IV pressure ulcer, therefore, can't become a Stage III, Stage II, or subsequently Stage I pressure ulcer.
These wounds need immediate attention, and you may need surgery. Recovery time: A Stage 4 pressure sore could take anywhere from 3 months or much longer, even years, to heal.
The wound healing process can be divided into four separate stages: hemostasis, inflammation, proliferation, and maturation. Each of these phases is defined by its vital chemical processes, which work to maintain the individual's well-being by regenerating their damaged cells.
Remodeling or also known as maturation phase is the fourth and final phase in wound healing and lasts from 21 days up to 2 years. In this final and longest phase, collagen synthesis is ongoing in order to strengthen the tissue. Remodeling occurs as wound continues to contract and fibers are being reorganized.
If your wound is large or deep, it may take longer to heal. And if you have lots of tissue damage, your body may need more time to fully recover.
Phase 2: Inflammation
This phase can be the most painful of all. It is often when you'll notice some reddening, heat and pain as your blood rushes to the wound to clean it. Inflammation generally takes up to six days and should go away.
Wounds generally heal in 4 to 6 weeks. Chronic wounds are those that fail to heal within this timeframe. Many factors can lead to impaired healing. The primary factors are hypoxia, bacterial colonization, ischemia, reperfusion injury, altered cellular response, and collagen synthesis defects.
Stage IV. Full thickness skin loss with extensive destruction; tissue necrosis; or damage to muscle, bone, or supporting structure (such as tendon, or joint capsule). Full thickness tissue loss with exposed bone, tendon, or muscle. Slough or eschar may be present on some parts of the wound bed.
Over time, the new tissue gets stronger. You might notice stretching, itching, and even puckering of the wound as that happens. Within 3 months, the wound is almost as strong in its repair as it was before the trauma. The entire healing process might take a couple of years to complete.
Stage 3 and 4 pressure injuries are wounds that most often need surgical and reconstructive treatment to promote healing. Stage 3 is a wound that extends from the first layer of the skin (epidermis), through the second layer (dermis), and into the fatty tissue below (subcutaneous tissue).
The final and most life threatening stage is a Bleeding Ulcer. This type of ulcer is a partial or complete hole in the stomach tissue causing hemorrhage. This condition is a medical emergency and can cause significant GI complications.
For stages 3 or 4 bedsores, you might see a wound specialist. Depending on the severity of the pressure ulcer, it may take weeks or months for the sore to heal. To treat a pressure injury, you or your healthcare provider may: Irrigate or clean the wound with soap and water or saline (sterile saltwater solution).
Healthy granulation tissue is pink in colour and is an indicator of healing. Unhealthy granulation is dark red in colour, often bleeds on contact, and may indicate the presence of wound infection. Such wounds should be cultured and treated in the light of microbiological results.
Stage IV: Full thickness tissue loss with exposed bone, tendon or muscle. Slough or eschar may be present on some parts of the wound bed. Often include undermining and tunneling.
Mottling of skin before death is common and usually occurs during the final week of life, although in some cases it can occur earlier. Mottling is caused by the heart no longer being able to pump blood effectively. Because of this, blood pressure drops, causing extremities to feel cool to the touch.
At this stage, there may be undermining and/or tunneling that makes the wound much larger than it may seem on the surface. Stage 4 pressure ulcers are the deepest, extending into the muscle, tendon, ligament, cartilage or even bone.
Serosanguineous drainage is common during the healing process of a wound. Although it lasts a few days, the drainage can continue longer, depending on the size of the wound and how fast you heal. Many people will experience this fluid discharge in the six weeks following surgery.