Protecting the skin of the elderly patient in the intensive care unit.

This article summarizes the ways in which factors in the ICU setting can affect skin breakdown in the elderly patient. The effects of aging, the presence of underlying chronic factors, and the imposition of critical illness may affect the skin of the elderly patient in ways not experienced in a younger patient population. It is important that ICU nurses recognize the unique differences and challenges in maintaining the skin integrity of the elderly, critically ill patient. Even though not all pressure ulcers in this population will be preventable in the ICU setting, an awareness of special risk factors in the geriatric patient will enable the ICU nurse to maintain the highest level of skin care for the geriatric patient.