Preventing pressure ulcers using a new sitting concept

描述（由申请人提供）：仅在美国，就有超过140万人依赖轮椅。加上这种不幸的情况是压疮（PU）形成的继发性并发症，常见的慢性轮椅使用者。已建立脓肿的治疗往往是困难和长期的，极大地增加了轮椅使用者的发病率，并施加了巨大的经济负担。虽然最佳的治疗策略是预防PU，但迄今为止，没有任何预防策略被证明是有效的。我们已经开发并测试了一种创新的座椅系统，它可以自动改变坐姿，事实证明，这种系统既能显著减少棘旁肌肉的活动，又能重现脊柱的正常生理曲度。此外，我们的新设备可靠地防止升高和持续的压力，最大限度地提高软组织活力，并防止热积累，众所周知的PU形成的主要危险因素。因此，我们建议进一步完善和应用我们的创新座椅系统用于脊髓损伤（SCI）患者的轮椅使用。开发的轮椅将在SCI患者身上进行严格的测试，以确定这种创新装置是否能显著降低PU形成的主要危险因素。此外，我们将进行广泛的测试，以优化用户功能，同时最大限度地提高安全性

DESCRIPTION (provided by applicant): In the United States alone, over 1.4 million individuals are dependent on wheelchairs. Added to this unfortunate situation is the secondary complication of pressure ulcer (PU) formation, common in chronic wheelchair users. The treatment of established PUs is often difficult and prolonged, dramatically increasing the morbidity of the wheelchair user and imposing a tremendous economic burden. Although the optimal treatment strategy is PU prevention, to date, no prevention strategies have proven effective. We have developed and tested, in normal subjects, an innovative seating system which undergoes automatic sitting posture change, which has proven to both significantly reduce paraspinal muscle activity and recreate the normal physiologic curvature of the spine. Furthermore, our novel device reliably prevents elevated and sustained pressure, maximizes soft tissue viability, and prevents heat accumulation, well-known major risk factors of PU formation. Thus, we propose to further refine and apply our innovative seating system for wheelchair use in spinal cord injury (SCI) patients. The developed wheelchairs will undergo rigorous testing on SCI patients to determine whether this innovative device significantly decreases the major risk factors for PU formation. Furthermore, we will perform extensive testing to optimize user function, while maximizing safety