Prevention of Pressure-induced Soft Tissue Injuries in Acute and Chronic Hospital Settings: A Biomechanical...

Hospital-acquired pressure injuries are common for immobilized, intubated, and anesthetized patients. Current padding products fail to alleviate excessive pressure, leading to patient harm and significant healthcare burden. This study compared current pressure-avoiding materials used in the clinical setting with a novel silicone-based pressure relief system.

Seven "in clinical use" padding materials were systematically tested across 4 conditions: new, after 2 hours of 100 lbs load bearing, saturated (after 12 hours soaked in saline), and saturated after load bearing. Each test condition was performed on 4 unique samples totaling 76 tests. Electron microscopy was performed to determine material integrity.

Polyurethane foams demonstrated similar mechanical properties throughout testing. The eggcrate foam showed almost complete collapse under all conditions. All polyurethane foams demonstrated 13.2% ± 20.8 less force required to cause deformation when saturated (P = 0.023) with significantly higher rates of viscoelastic (P < 0.001), elastic (P = 0.043), and ultimate deformation (P = 0.016). The solid gels showed the earliest deformation under the lowest load. The silicone foam retained 20% of its structure despite maximal load, and no significant difference in force was required to cause deformation when saturated (P = 0.081). Scanning electron microscopy demonstrated substantial breakdown in polyurethane fibers compared with that in silicone.

Currently, a static, one-size-fits-all product approach is insufficient in addressing the pressure injury global issue. We present biomechanical data on a novel customizable open-cell silicone foam as a potential new surface padding solution, demonstrating equivalency and improved structural characteristics over time compared with current padding materials.