A synthesis of the factors that contribute to pressure sore formation.

Information about the etiology of pressure sores has been contradictory and is inconsistent with the idea that pressure sore formation is due extensively to depriving a tissue region of blood. Based on these observations and on studies done in the cooperating laboratories, an hypothesis has been formulated that integrates the published data and is consistent with clinical observations. The hypothesis states that a major contributing factor to pressure sores is tissue necrosis that is caused by cell to cell contact or accumulation of anaerobic metabolic waste products and that emotional stress is an independent variable that mediates how long a person can tolerate a set load on a soft tissue region without irreversible tissue damage.