A specialist seating assessment clinic: changing pressure relief practice

Area of Science:

• Biomedical Engineering
• Rehabilitation Medicine
• Clinical Practice

Background:

• Pressure-related injuries are a significant concern for individuals with spinal cord injuries (SCI).
• Effective pressure relief is crucial for maintaining tissue health and preventing complications.
• Traditional pressure relief methods may not be sufficient for all SCI individuals.

Purpose of the Study:

• To describe a specialist seating assessment clinic's services.
• To evaluate the effectiveness of current pressure relief practices in SCI individuals.
• To identify changes in clinical practice resulting from the clinic's interventions.

Main Methods:

• A retrospective review of 50 spinal cord-injured (SCI) individuals was conducted.
• Ischial transcutaneous oxygen measurements were taken in loaded (sitting) and unloaded (pressure relief) positions.
• The study was conducted at the National Spinal Injuries Centre, Stoke Mandeville Hospital, UK.

Main Results:

• The mean duration required to restore tissue oxygen levels to unloaded levels during pressure relief was 1 minute and 51 seconds.
• A wide range in required pressure relief duration was observed (42 seconds to 3 minutes 30 seconds).

Conclusions:

• Brief pressure relief durations (15-30 seconds) are insufficient for most SCI individuals to normalize tissue oxygen levels.
• Sustaining traditional pressure relief methods for the required duration is often impractical and undesirable.
• Alternative pressure relief methods were found to be more sustainable and efficient for SCI individuals.