Patients confined to their beds for prolonged periods of time due to specific illnesses face multiple challenges. For starters, there is the problem of sustenance, a major issue for patients in a coma. There is also the issue of bedsores, a common condition in patients who are immobile in bed for weeks, months and years. Bedsores, also known as pressure ulcers or decubitus ulcers, are lesions on the skin caused by frequent friction and pressure resulting from lying prone in bed for prolonged periods. Left unattended, bedsores could lead to deadly infections and necrosis, a premature dying of living tissue and muscles.
For decades, the solution to minimizing this problem was to lift and turn patients at strategically timed intervals to relieve sections of the body from pressure and temperature. This however, was neither ideal nor safe for all patients, particularly those in fragile condition. This is why there has been a constant search for the solution on how to treat bed sores. This search eventually led to the development of the pressure mattress, a special type of mattress made from modern and innovative materials specifically chosen to minimize the debilitating effects of prolonged bed rest which is inherent amongst bedridden patients and the elderly.
Pressure mattresses come in two types: static mattresses and dynamic mattresses. Here is a look at the key differences between the two.
Static Pressure Relieving Mattresses
Static pressure mattresses are designed for patients who spend most of their time during the day in bed, but are still capable of moving or at the very least, being moved from time to time. These mattresses are meant to reduce effects of staying in bed on a long-term basis. The design is meant to increase patient comfort and reduce the need to turn and move around periodically to ward off the development of bedsores. Cutting-edge foam materials are used to alleviate discomfort caused by constant pressure. The foam materials themselves are designed to adjust to the body shape of a patient, an innovation that is better at mitigating pressure in hotspots such as the back, shoulders and buttocks.
Dynamic Pressure Mattresses
Dynamic pressure mattresses on the other hand, use the most advanced materials that money can buy. They are made from cutting-edge air pressure cells that are designed to constantly adjust to a patient’s body and critical care needs, eliminating the need for them to be moved and turned on an everyday basis. Most dynamic mattresses feature individual air columns that line the mattress vertically. Each air column is pressurized individually for a specific pressure level. If a section of the body requires increased pressure, simply choose cells that make contact with that part and increase the pressure.
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