Surgeons have successfully operated on a woman aged more than 100 years to treat a pressure sore that caused an ulcer to reach the bone.

Doctors at Welcare Hospital conducted the surgery on the great-grandmother of a large UAE national family.

The woman was bedridden and as a result suffered from multiple pressure sores, the largest measuring about 15 centimetres by 18 centimetres on the lower back. The ulcer had reached the bone.

She was initially treated by Dr Faruq Badiuddin, Consultant Surgeon, who cleaned up the wound by removing all the dead and infected tissues.

A few days later, Dr Mohan Rangaswamy, Consultant Plastic Surgeon, performed a four-hour reconstructive surgery to cover the deep wound.

Bedsores are the bane of the elderly and disabled. With an increasingly older population, the prevalence is increasing in the UAE and the rest of the world.

Sustained pressure, especially over bony areas, causes the overlying tissues to die due to lack of blood supply.

This can happen if an elderly person who is unable to move lies in the same position for a long time.

Dr Badiuddin added: "The entire treatment right to the stage of final healing did not take more than four weeks, which is considered tremendous, keeping in mind her age and nutritional status and the massive ulcer, which had two different bacteria growing from it and was bone deep."

He was full of regard for the family of the patient who showed a lot of concern and were actively involved in her treatment and care all the way through.

The lady's grandson said: "We have a dedicated caretaker who has now been trained by Welcare Hospital to take professional care of my grandmother. It requires just a simple understanding and routine. They have also recommended the use of an air bed."

He added: "We are relieved that we had it surgically treated before it became worse. We are happy that in spite of her age and other factors, she has shown a tremendous recovery."