Providing correct pressure-relieving devices for optimum outcome

Abstract

Pressure redistributing (PR) support surfaces are positioned by manufacturers against different levels of patient vulnerability to developing pressure ulcers. However, there is no agreed method through which such linkage between a patient and an appropriate support surface can be made. This lack of clarity leads to new devices being positioned in a manner not representative of their eventual use in clinical practice. Using a data hierarchy approach, three strands of evidence (interface pressure, a pilot national survey and a randomized controlled trial) are presented to illustrate, and support, the repositioning of the Viaclin dynamic mattress overlay (formerly the Pegasus Overture) from use with medium-risk patients to use with higher-risk patients. The need for amendment is seen most strikingly in the two clinical studies featured in this article, during which 87% of all patients nursed on the Viaclin dynamic mattress overlay were at high- to very high-risk of developing ulcers.