Introduction: Skin Necrosis in the Elderly

Some causes of necrosis are specific to the elderly population such as deep dissecting hematomas, skin tears or incontinence-associated dermatitis (ICD) lesions. Pressure sores are also common. Necrosis of arterial origin in the lower limbs is common but chronic obliterating arteriopathy is underestimated. Rarer causes of necrosis such as necrotic angiodermatitis, pyoderma gangrenosum, calciphylaxis, drug-induced necrosis and infectious necrosis also occur in old age. The risk if it involves amputation wounds of the lower limbs then poses an ethical problem which must be discussed with trained teams.