The purpose of this project is to increase surgical staff awareness that pressure, friction and shear contribute to the development of a pressure ulcer. A better understanding of how these wounds develop can prevent their occurrence. Clinical performance testing demonstrates that a support surface exerts less pressure on the body surface when tissue interface pressure is low. The effects of shear added to the impact of pressure increases patient risk. An effective support surface redistributes the body weight and reduces shear force. Minimizing the pressure and shear force of the support surface on the body; decreases capillary closure in the areas of pressure, predominately under bony prominences. Intrinsic factors, such as, poor nutrition and medical status combined with the insult of time, pressure, and shear have the potential to affect the status of skin integrity. Selection of the appropriate support surface, positioning and transfer devices can significantly decrease the patients' risk for developing a pressure ulcer. To this end clinicians must continually assess the patient to insure optimum pressure redistribution for each perioperative phase. A pressure ulcer turns an uneventful surgical experience into a costly, painful and prolonged ordeal. We are empowered when we dispel the myths of pressure ulcers and understand how the facts become relevant to our perioperative practice.