I-Corps: Pressure Ulcer Prevention Pad

该I-Corps项目的更广泛影响/商业潜力是将轮椅使用者形成压疮的风险降至最低。此外，该项目将减少与治疗和预防溃疡相关的劳动力和成本。压力性溃疡是一种严重的伤害，折磨那些可能已经患有其他疾病，如瘫痪和糖尿病的人。它们往往被忽视，直到为时已晚，造成严重的发病率和死亡率风险。压疮预防是一项持续的工作，治疗已形成的溃疡是昂贵的。看护人员必须在一天的时间里不断检查、调整和转动有风险的轮椅患者。在全国范围内养老院人手短缺的情况下，这一问题更为严重。对于大多数处于风险中的个人和护理机构来说，最有效的可用缓冲垫是成本过高的。此外，广泛使用的垫子容易破裂，导致重复发生的成本和重新建立持续护理的需要。除了受影响的设施和个人，美国的保险公司每年花费超过110亿美元用于治疗溃疡，溃疡是美国医疗事故诉讼的第二大原因。这个I-Corps项目将开发一种新的轮椅垫，可以最大限度地减少压疮的发生。长时间坐着会导致极度不适，皮肤组织破裂，以及压疮的发展。缓解这一问题的战略主要基于沉浸和卸载的原则。浸没是将界面压力均匀分布在表面上的过程。这通常通过泡沫或气垫来实现。减压是将身体的特定区域悬浮在空气中以消除和/或重新分配压力的过程。迄今为止，传统的策略在管理压疮方面是无效的。浸没技术只能降低压力大小。卸载垫导致压力增加，并在支持部位形成压疮的风险。该项目开发了一种缓冲垫，该缓冲垫利用高风险区域的目标卸载来移除压力以及循环交变压力，以防止非卸载部位的长期组织变形。此外，可充电电池供电的垫子紧凑且安静，因此不会干扰用户的日常生活。该奖项反映了NSF的法定使命，并通过使用基金会的知识价值和更广泛的影响进行评估而被认为值得支持。审查标准。

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.