Choosing a Pressure Care Mattress
Pressure care is one of the fastest-growing fields in modern healthcare and is used to prevent secondary issues and complications brought on by increased time in bed and decreased mobility and activity. Pressure care mattresses are used in hospitals, the community and homecare environments, along with profiling beds to help prevent and relieve pressure injuries.
Pressure injuries (sores)
Pressure injuries affect the skin and possibly underlying tissues that develop due to prolonged pressure on an area of the skin. These injuries mainly affect the elbows, base of the spine, hips and heels. i.e. the bony areas in contact with a mattress.
The risk of pressure sore development depends on the following factors:
- Skin integrity: to determine the integrity of the skin, a health professional, is needed to assess how a person’s skin deals with high amounts of pressure.
- Mobility: reduced ability to move & re-distribute body weight can increase the risk of developing pressure injuries.
- Time spent in bed: time spent in bed will increase the risk of developing pressure injuries.
- Other conditions: health conditions that affect the blood can play a role in increasing the risk of developing a pressure injury.
The severity of pressure injuries falls into different categories, starting with skin redness or blotches and irritation to full tissue loss, which can lead to exposed bone and tendons. It is important to note whether you want to help prevent pressure sores or if a person already has sores. Once the risk and/or presence of pressure sores has been determined, the appropriate mattress or overlay can be chosen.
Pressure mattresses & overlays
A pressure mattress is used to either prevent or help treat the presence of pressure injuries by distributing pressure around the body and providing relieving air pockets for the pressure sores to sit. These mattresses can be either overlays or full replacements on top of profiling beds. Overlays have a shallow depth and are positioned on top of an existing mattress. Full mattresses simply replace the need for an overlay mattress by having deeper air cells and incorporating both mattress and pressure care into one.
Types of mattresses
Pressure mattresses come in three main types, these are static/foam mattresses, dynamic airflow/alternating cell mattresses and hybrid mattresses. We can also provide bariatric (HD) versions of many of our models of mattresses.
1. Static/foam mattresses
Foam mattresses are best suited for those at low risk of developing pressure injuries and for those who don’t have pressure injuries. This type of mattress generally helps to prevent rather than treat pressure issues. They use single or multiple foam layers and shaped “castellated” surfaces to distribute the pressure around the body and reduce the pressure on the skin, providing high levels of comfort.
2. Dynamic/airflow/alternating mattresses
Dynamic (alternating airflow) mattresses redistribute pressure by inflating and deflating different air cells at pre-set intervals. Airflow is controlled by a pump that is normally hung at the end of the bed. The inflated cells provide support, while the deflated cells provide relief for present pressure sores. The pump ensures constant air movement within the cells of the mattress, which is useful in treating pressure sores. These mattresses are best suited for people with moderate to high risk of pressure sores.
3. Hybrid mattresses
Hybrid mattresses combine the properties of both static foam and dynamic airflow mattresses to create a hybrid mattress best suited for those at high risk of developing pressure sores. These mattresses combine alternating air cells with a foam layer providing the highest level of support and comfort. A hybrid mattress will normally provide some pressure relief (due to the foam layer) in the case of a power outage, however, only for a very limited period of time.
Pressure care mattresses are important in reducing pressure injuries as well as reducing risks and complications associated with pressure sores such as infections and pain or discomfort. It is important to use the right mattress for the correct assessed level of risk for the user. It is very important to consult a health care professional (Tissue Viability Nurse) before purchasing a mattress. For further information or advice, feel free to browse our website (see below) or contact us.
