I-Corps: Pressure Ulcer Prevention Pad

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The broader impact/commercial potential of this I-Corps project is to minimize the risk of pressure ulcer formation in wheelchair users. In addition, this project will reduce the labor and cost associated with treating and preventing ulcers. Pressure ulcers are serious injuries that afflict those who are may already be suffering from other ailments such as paralysis and diabetes. They are often overlooked until it is too late, posing serious morbidity and mortality risk. Pressure ulcer prevention is a continuous job, and treatment of established ulcers is costly. Caretakers must constantly check, adjust, and turn at-risk wheelchair bound patients for the duration of the day. This is even more problematic with the nationwide staffing shortage in nursing homes. The most effective available cushions are cost prohibitive for most at-risk individuals and care facilities. Moreover, cushions that are widely used are prone to breaking, resulting in reoccurring costs and the need to reestablish constant care. Aside from the facilities and individuals who are affected, insurance companies in the US spend over $11 billion in treatment of ulcers every year and ulcers are the 2nd largest cause of medical malpractice lawsuits in the US.This I-Corps project will develop a new wheelchair cushion that can minimize pressure ulcer onset. Prolonged sitting can lead to extreme discomfort, the breakdown of skin tissue, and the development of pressure ulcers. Strategies to mitigate this issue are based primarily on the principles of immersion and offloading. Immersion is the process of distributing interfacial pressure evenly across a surface. This is normally achieved with a foam or air cushion. Offloading is the process of suspending a specific region of the body in the air to remove and or redistribute pressure. To date, traditional strategies are ineffective in managing pressure ulcers. Immersion techniques can only reduce pressure magnitudes. Offloading cushions result in increased pressure and risk of pressure ulcer formation at support sites. This project develops a cushion that utilizes targeted offloading of high-risk areas to remove pressure alongside cyclic alternating pressure to prevent prolonged tissue deformation in non-offloaded sites. Furthermore, the rechargeable battery powered cushion is compact and quiet, so it does not interfere with a user's daily life.This award reflects NSF's statutory mission and has been deemed worthy of support through evaluation using the Foundation's intellectual merit and broader impacts review criteria.