Comparative occipital pressure mapping in the operating room

Hospital-acquired occipital pressure injuries are a preventable cause of morbidity and mortality in the perioperative setting.

To find the occipital cushion/pillow with the lowest measured peak pressures and the highest measured surface area using pressure mapping technology.

A quality improvement project involving 3 operating room staff volunteers was conducted using pressure mapping. Five different pillows were tested based on what the study location commonly used and had available. The pillows included: standard pillow with pillowcase, non-powered fluidized positioner, medium-sized (17 × 17 × 1.5 inches) static seat cushion placed under the shoulders and head, pediatric-sized (13 × 13 × 2 inches) static air cushion placed under the head, and foam donut.

The non-powered fluidized positioner had the highest average pressure and peak pressure for all 3 volunteers. The medium static air seat cushion had the lowest average and peak pressures for 2 out of 3 volunteers. None of the head cushions consistently demonstrated a larger surface area of pressure distribution.

The medium-sized static air seat cushion, placed under the shoulders and head, demonstrated the most favorable pressure redistribution properties. The non-powered fluidized positioner demonstrated the least favorable pressure redistribution properties.