Pressure relief capabilities of the Sof.Care bed and the Clinitron bed

Area of Science:

• Biomedical Engineering
• Materials Science
• Clinical Medicine

Background:

• Increasing number of pressure-relieving support surfaces available.
• Need for objective evaluation of device effectiveness.
• High incidence of pressure ulcers in at-risk patients.

Purpose of the Study:

• Compare pressure relief capabilities of a specialized air mattress (Sof.Care), an air-fluidized bed (Clinitron), and a standard hospital mattress.
• Objectively measure tissue interface pressures over critical bony prominences.
• Evaluate the effectiveness of advanced support surfaces in pressure reduction.

Main Methods:

• Sixty-four volunteers participated, serving as their own controls.
• Tissue interface pressure measurements taken over sacrum, greater trochanter, and heels.
• Statistical analysis using one-way ANOVA and Newman-Keuls test for pairwise comparisons.

Main Results:

• A statistically significant difference in pressure relief was found among the three surfaces.
• Both Sof.Care Cushion and Clinitron Bed demonstrated superior pressure relief compared to standard hospital mattresses.
• No significant difference in pressure relief between Sof.Care and Clinitron over sacrum, trochanter, or heels.
• Heel tissue interface pressures exceeded 32 mm Hg on both Sof.Care and Clinitron surfaces.

Conclusions:

• Sof.Care Cushion and Clinitron Bed are effective in reducing tissue interface pressure compared to standard mattresses.
• Both advanced surfaces show comparable pressure-relieving capabilities.
• Further research is needed to address high heel pressures observed on advanced support surfaces to prevent pressure ulcers.