What to know about pressure injuries

Pressure injuries change slowly, and the early changes can be confusing. Damage that started deep may take days to show on the surface, so a wound can look worse at first even while care is going well. Dead tissue has to clear before new tissue can grow.

Healing happens from the base upward as the wound fills in and the edges draw together. The treating clinician tracks this with measurements at each visit, because week-to-week change is hard to judge by eye. Once closed, scar tissue forms over the area, and it is weaker than the original skin, so the same spot can break down again. Protecting that area continues long after the wound has closed.

What the treating clinician looks at

After the assessment, the treating clinician writes orders and explains them to the people who will carry them out. A pressure injury plan usually has several parts:

  • Wound orders: how the wound is cleaned and covered, and how often the dressing is changed
  • Pressure relief: the mattress, cushion or heel protection to use
  • Positioning: which positions to use, which to avoid and how often to change
  • Skin care: keeping the area clean and dry after incontinence
  • Follow-up: when the wound will be checked again

Gateway follows up on the supply and equipment orders and shares the plan with the caregivers, home health nurses or facility staff involved.

Arranging this care in the City of St. Louis

In the City of St. Louis, getting pressure-relief equipment into the home can be the hardest step. A hospital bed or specialty mattress may have to come up a narrow staircase or through a small elevator, and many families end up setting the bed in a first-floor living or dining room. Tell Gateway about stairs, entry codes and where a visiting clinician can park. We pass those details along when scheduling so the visit and any deliveries are planned around the building.

The City of St. Louis is its own jurisdiction, separate from St. Louis County, and stretches from the Mississippi riverfront west to Forest Park and the county line. Inside it are dozens of distinct neighborhoods, from Downtown and Soulard to the Central West End, The Hill and the north side. The city is dense, old and largely built of brick, and many households do not have a car. For someone managing a wound or several chronic conditions, getting to appointments by bus or by borrowed ride is a recurring struggle that care at home can ease.

When care happens at home

Most pressure injury care happens in the hours between visits. Someone has to change the dressing as ordered, help the person turn, keep skin clean after incontinence and look over the bony areas for new color changes. Before the clinician leaves, ask who is expected to do each task and what to do if a dressing comes loose early.

A simple written log helps. Note position changes, dressing changes and anything that looks different, and show it at the next visit so the clinician can see what the days are really like. Call Gateway at 314-325-0126 if supplies are running short or a visit needs to be moved.

For residents of nursing and senior living communities

In a skilled nursing facility, pressure injury care is a shared job. Facility nurses do the daily dressing changes and repositioning, the attending physician oversees the resident’s overall care, and a partner wound clinician can see the resident on site, often during scheduled wound rounds.

After each visit, measurements, staging and updated orders go to the nursing team so the chart and care plan match what the clinician found. Gateway coordinates the rounding schedule, the list of residents to be seen and the supply follow-up. Staff can also call Gateway between rounds when a resident’s wound changes.

Changes to report

An infected pressure injury can make the whole body sick, and in frail older adults the first sign is often a change in behavior, not a change in the wound. Contact the treating clinician promptly about:

  • Fever or shaking chills
  • Redness, warmth or swelling spreading out from the wound
  • Pus or cloudy drainage
  • Pain that is new or clearly worse
  • New confusion, unusual sleepiness or refusing food and drink

Call 911 if the person is very confused or unresponsive, is breathing fast or with difficulty, or looks suddenly and seriously ill.

How primary care fits in

Tissue under pressure survives on blood flow, so anything that reduces circulation or the oxygen carried in the blood makes a pressure injury more likely and harder to close. Diabetes, peripheral artery disease, heart failure, chronic lung disease and anemia are common examples. Heels are especially sensitive to poor circulation in the legs.

These conditions are managed in primary care. When the wound clinician and the primary care clinician can see each other’s notes, a wound that has stalled can prompt a fresh look at blood sugar, circulation or blood counts. Gateway arranges both kinds of visits and helps keep records moving between them.

Primary care at home in the City of St. Louis →

Getting care arranged in the City of St. Louis

To arrange pressure injury care in the City of St. Louis, call Gateway at 314-325-0126. Patients, family members and caregivers can call directly, and a referral is not required. We will ask where the patient lives, what has been done for the wound so far and which clinicians are involved. Gateway then confirms whether a partner clinician is available for that address and care setting, requests the relevant records and schedules the visit. At that visit the treating clinician examines the wound and decides on the plan. Our job from then on is the coordination: orders, supplies, follow-up visits and keeping the care team informed.

An address that says St. Louis can be in the city or the county, so give the ZIP code and neighborhood when you call. Have a reliable phone number, the name of the patient’s doctor or health center, and any discharge papers. Gateway arranges care throughout the City of St. Louis, including Downtown, the Central West End, North St. Louis and South St. Louis, and in Clayton and Central County next door. Building access and parking affect visits here more than distance does, so tell us about entry doors, buzzers and elevators.

  • County: City of St. Louis, Missouri (an independent city)
  • ZIP codes: 63101, 63103, 63104, 63106, 63108, 63109, 63110, 63111, 63112, 63113, 63115, 63116, 63118, 63139, 63147
  • Nearby hospitals: Barnes-Jewish Hospital; SSM Health Saint Louis University Hospital (not affiliated with Gateway)
  • Nearby communities: Downtown St. Louis, Central West End, North St. Louis, South St. Louis, Clayton and Central County
  • Care settings: Private homes, skilled nursing, assisted living, memory care and rehabilitation

Other conditions and nearby communities

Read the full guide to pressure injuries, or see everything Gateway arranges on the mobile wound care in the City of St. Louis page.

Common questions

Will insurance pay for pressure injury care or a special mattress in the City of St. Louis?

It depends on the plan, the treating provider and the care that is needed. You can ask us about Medicare, Medicare Advantage, Medicaid and commercial plans, and we will help you find out what applies before a visit. Equipment such as a support surface usually requires a clinician’s order and supporting documentation, and each plan sets its own rules.

Can sitting in a wheelchair or recliner cause a pressure injury?

Yes. Sitting puts much of the body’s weight on a small area under the sitting bones and tailbone, so pressure injuries can form in a chair as readily as in a bed. People who sit most of the day need a suitable cushion and regular changes of position. The treating clinician can advise on the cushion and on how long the person should sit at a stretch.

What should we have ready before the first wound care visit?

Have a current medication list, any hospital or rehab discharge papers, the insurance cards and the dressings you are using now. Write down when the sore was first noticed and how it has changed. Jot down your questions too, including who to call between visits. If several people share caregiving, try to have the main helper present to hear the plan.

Can a social worker or community health worker in the City of St. Louis refer someone to Gateway?

Yes. Hospitals, clinics, facilities, social workers and community health workers can refer by calling 314-325-0126 or faxing 314-786-7966. Patients and family members can also call on their own. Please include a phone number where the patient or a relative can be reached, since scheduling depends on making contact. Gateway confirms availability for the patient’s address in the City of St. Louis and updates the person who referred.

General information to help you talk with your own clinician. It is not medical advice, and the treating clinician makes every clinical decision. For a medical emergency, call 911.