The effect of support surface on the prevention of pressure injury in acute care settings: A multi-center prospective observational study

This study aimed to analyze if a multi-foam core mattress with a laminated cover can reduce the incidence of pressure injuries, compared to an alternating air mattress overlay among critically ill patients in acute settings.

Prospective observational study.

and setting: Patients with a Braden scale score ≤16 on intensive care unit admission at five general hospitals in Korea were included in this study between February 2022 and March 2022.

One hundred and twenty patients in acute settings were enrolled and categorized into two groups: a multi-form core mattress with a laminated cover group (n = 60) and an alternating air mattress overlay group (n = 60). Data were collected for 7 days by wound care nurses.

Pressure injury developed at a significantly lower rate in the multi-form core mattress with a laminated cover group (n = 4/60, 6.7 %) than in the alternating air mattress overlay group (n = 25/60, 25.0 %) (P = 0.011). Using a multi-foam core mattress with a laminated cover demonstrated a protective effect against pressure injuries (odds ratio 0.123, 95 % confidence interval 0.024-0.620, P = 0.011).

A multi-foam core mattress with a laminated cover was significantly more effective than an alternating air mattress overlay in preventing pressure injury in critically ill patients.