Pressure reduction with a hospitalized population using a mattress overlay

Area of Science:

• Biomedical Engineering
• Clinical Nursing
• Patient Safety

Background:

• High annual costs associated with treating pressure ulcers necessitate cost-effective prevention strategies.
• Rising healthcare expenditures and ongoing reforms emphasize the need for innovative, user-friendly pressure-reducing devices.
• Identifying effective interventions is crucial for at-risk populations to prevent skin breakdown.

Purpose of the Study:

• To evaluate the efficacy of an anatomically contoured mattress overlay in reducing pressure over critical areas.
• To compare pressure readings between a standard hospital mattress and the contoured overlay.
• To assess the potential of the overlay as a cost-effective solution for pressure ulcer prevention.

Main Methods:

• Utilized a Mini-Tipe pressure sensor to measure pressures on the sacral and trochanter areas.
• Recruited 17 subjects identified as being at risk for pressure ulcer development.
• Compared pressure measurements obtained on a standard hospital mattress versus an anatomically contoured overlay.

Main Results:

• Demonstrated a 48% reduction in mean pressures over the sacral area with the contoured overlay.
• Observed a 23% reduction in mean pressures over the trochanter area.
• Found no significant correlations between pressure readings and demographic data of the subjects.

Conclusions:

• The anatomically contoured mattress overlay effectively reduces pressure in at-risk individuals.
• Further research is needed to explore the impact of patient-specific variables on pressure reduction efficacy.
• The device shows potential as a cost-effective tool for pressure ulcer prevention in clinical settings.