Design and Implementation of a Measurement System for Determining Bedsores-related Shear Stresses at the Body-Bed Interface

褥疮是主要由压力和剪切力引起的皮肤和/或下层组织的局部损伤。褥疮是渐进的性质，最常见于卧床不起，椅子上或不动的人。剪应力的影响可能比压应力或压应力更严重。因此，系统和皮肤之间以及组织内的剪切应力必须最小化。Mobility（5 MM）开发了剪切减少技术（SRT），并设计了一种创新床垫，可将剪切力引导到床芯的两个低摩擦表面上。为了验证SRT，必须收集和分析模拟调整/重新定位期间的剪切力数据。目前市场上没有已知的系统可以直接测量身体和床垫之间的最大剪切力。此外，5 MM缺乏设备和专业知识来开发一个系统，以收集和分析来自SRT装备床垫的剪切数据。该项目的总体目标是设计和开发一个原型计算机化数据收集系统，该系统将使5 MM能够测量和分析作用在放置在不同床垫上的人体模型上的剪切力。这也涉及通过模拟和建模对应力发展的理论理解。一个创新的剪切测量系统将被实现，它也可以被相关行业使用，例如医疗保健设施的缓冲部门，人体工程学座椅设计等，这将使床垫公司能够开发更好的设计，减少剪切力。床垫的发展，如5 MM的床垫，有可能防止不必要的死亡和减少病人护理的成本，特别是在急性期。潜在地，该系统还可以在任何可调节的床中实施，以便监测处于发生褥疮风险的患者，并允许医疗保健专业人员基于由系统生成的技术信息提供更加个性化的治疗。解决褥疮问题将减轻加拿大医疗保健系统的社会和财政负担。

Bedsores are localized injuries to the skin and/or underlying tissue that develop primarily from pressure and shear. Bedsores are progressive in nature and most frequently found in bedridden, chair bound or immobile people. The effect of the shear stress may be more disastrous than the pressure or compression stress. Hence shear stresses between the system and the skin and within the tissues must be minimized. Mobility (5MM) has developed the Shear Reduction Technology (SRT) and designed an innovative mattress which directs shear forces onto two low friction surfaces at the bed's core. To validate SRT, shear force data during simulated adjustment/repositioning must be collected and analyzed. There are no known systems currently available in the market which can directly measure the maximum shear forces between the body and the mattress. Moreover, 5MM lacks the equipment and expertise to develop a system to collect and analyze shear data from SRT equipped mattresses. The general objective of this project is to design and develop a prototype computerized data collection system, which will enable 5MM to measure and analyze shear forces acting on a manikin placed on different mattresses. This also involves theoretical understanding of stress development via simulation and modeling. An innovative shear measurement system will be realized which can also be utilized by the relevant industries, such as those in cushioning sectors for healthcare facilities, ergonomic seat designs, etc. This will allow mattress companies to develop better designs that reduce shear forces. Development of mattresses such as the ones by 5MM, have the potential to prevent unnecessary deaths and reduction in the cost of patients care, especially at the acute stages. Potentially the system can also be implemented in any adjustable beds in order to monitor patients at risk of developing bedsores and allow healthcare professionals to provide much more personalized treatments based on the technical information generated by the system. Addressing the Bedsores issue will alleviate the burden on the Canadian healthcare systems socially and financially.