Effect of mattress deployment on pressure ulcer development: a realworld observational cohort experience

Esa Soppi, Maarit Ahtiala, Riku Kivimäki, Ruut Laito
27 February 2020

The role that different types of mattresses play in preventing pressure ulcer (PU) development in intensive care unit (ICU) patients is unclear. The effect of mattresses on the development of PUs was retrospectively investigated in 8,956 ICU patients in a clinical observational study over a 6-year period. The annual PU incidence decreased from 11.1% to 3.7% during the study period, although the severity of the patients’ medical condition did not change. The four most prevalent support surfaces deployed as a first mattress were foam; alternating air; dynamic, low pressure mattress system; and the computerised, individually and precisely adaptive minimum pressure air mattress system (MPA). The significant reduction in PU incidence was concomitant with a reduction in foam mattresses from 53% to 4% and an increase in non-alternating MPA mattresses as the first mattress from 0% to 57.2%. The incident of PUs among patients on MPAs was significantly lower than on any of the other mattresses.

Free for all healthcare professionals

Sign up to the Wounds Group journals





By clicking ‘Subscribe’, you are agreeing that the Wounds Group are able to email you periodic newsletters. You may unsubscribe from these at any time. Your info is safe with us and we will never sell or trade your details. For information please review our privacy policy.

Are you a healthcare professional? This website is for healthcare professionals only. To continue, please confirm that you are a healthcare professional below.

We use cookies responsibly to ensure that we give you the best experience on our website. If you continue without changing your browser settings, we’ll assume that you are happy to receive all cookies on this website. Read about how we use cookies.

I am not a healthcare professional.