The relative contributions of muscle deformation and ischaemia to pressure ulcer development

Sustained mechanical loading of soft tissues covering bony prominences may lead to degeneration of skeletal muscle tissue. This can result in a condition termed deep tissue injury (DTI), a severe kind of pressure ulcer that initiates in deep tissue layers, and progresses towards the skin. Previously, we have provided evidence that in a controlled animal model, deformation is the main trigger for damage within a 2 h loading period [1,2]. Recently, we also showed that ischemia and reperfusion may contribute to the damage process during prolonged loading [3]. In the present study, we investigated the relative effects of deformation, ischemia, and reperfusion on the temporal and spatial damage process of skeletal muscle tissue during a 6 h period using magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) techniques.