Word parts
What it means
Five vertebrae that fuse into one bone during growth. It forms the back wall of the pelvis, joins the hip bones at the sacroiliac joints, and has the coccyxKOK-siksThe small, triangle-shaped bone at the very bottom of the spine; the tailbone.Full entry (tailbone) below it. Nerves that serve the bladder, bowel, legs and sex organs leave the spine through openings in the sacrum.
For the nurse
The sacrum is the most common site of pressure injuries in clients who lie on their backs. Check the skin over it every shift, turn the client at least every 2 hours, keep the skin clean and dry, and keep the head of the bed at 30 degrees or lower when the client's condition allows, to reduce shearing.
In a chart
"Stage 2 pressure injury on sacrum, 2 cm x 1.5 cm, pink wound bed."
At a glance
| Spanish | sacro |
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