Abstract

Pressure ulcers are costly and life-threatening complications for patients with spinal cord injury. We hypothesized that a computer simulation of the pressure ulcer formation process could provide insights into the pathogenesis and effective treatment of such ulcers. In recent years, Agent-Based Modeling (ABM) has emerged as an innovative technique for modeling complex biological systems. We developed a novel ABM framework, SPARK (Simple Platform for Agent-based Representation of Knowledge), and used it to simulate the process of inflammation and pressure ulcer formation in the skin. The relationship between pressure and the course of ulcer formation is demonstrated in this model. This efficient model also captures several other important characteristic patterns of pressure ulcer formation. We suggest that computational modeling of inflammation and related processes will prove clinically useful in the setting of SCI-induced secondary complications.