South Africa Change Country
Careers | Investor Relations | News & Media | Events | Events | About KCI
Home  |  Conditions  |  Products  |  Clinical Evidence  |  Education & Training  |  For Patients  |  Customer Support
You are here: Home > Conditions > Skin Management & Wound Prevention > Skin Shear Stress
Print
Illustration of skin shear

Skin Shear Stress

Skin shear stress is an internal stress caused when adjacent surfaces slide across each other, which results in twisting and tearing of the underlying blood vessels and leads to tissue ischaemia and localised tissue death.

About Skin Shear Stress


Flash Placeholder

Shear stresses commonly occur when patients are semi-recumbent in bed. The body begins to slide and, before the frictional force of the skin on the bedclothes is overcome, the internal parts of the body, such as the skeleton, move down the bed. As the skin does not move, there is a stretching or tearing of the blood vessels.

 

Reference:   Flanagan, Fletcher. Tissue viability: managing chronic wounds. In: Brooker C, Nicol M, eds. Nursing Adults: The Practice of Caring  

Related Products

Image of the TheraPulse ATP TheraPulse™ ATP™ Pulsating Air Suspension Therapy

The TheraPulse ATP uses an automated, programmable nurse turn assist with pulsating air suspension therapy to help prevent and treat pressure ulcers.

Image of the BariAir Therapy System BariAir™ Therapy System

The BariAir Therapy System is an integrated therapy system designed to help manage the clinical challenges of bariatric patients.

Print
Bookmark this page. del.icio.us