A flexible pressure monitoring system for pressure ulcer prevention

Abstract

Pressure ulcers are painful sores that arise from prolonged exposure to high pressure points, which restricts blood flow and leads to tissue necrosis. This is a common occurrence among patients with impaired mobility, diabetics and the elderly. In this work, a flexible pressure monitoring system for pressure ulcer prevention has been developed. The prototype consists of 99 capacitive pressure sensors on a 17-cm x 22-cm sheet which is flexible in two dimensions. Due to its low cost, the sensor sheet can be disconnected from the reusable electronics and be disposed of after use, suitable for a clinical setting. Each sensor has a resolution of better than 2-mmHg and a range of 50-mmHg and offset is calibrated in software. Realtime pressure data is displayed on a computer. A maximum sampling rate of 12-Hz allows for continuous monitoring of pressure points.

Prevalence and Clinical Features of Pressure Ulcers in Patients Receiving Home Health Care Services in the City of Kocaeli

“…Bas› ülseri (dekübitis ülseri, yatak yaras›) uzun süre bas›ya maruz kalan bölgelerde iskemi sonucu oluflan ülserlerdir [1][2][3] . En s›k yatakta uzun süre kalmay› gerektiren parapleji, kuatripleji, koma ve flok tablosu bulunan yo¤un bak›m hastalar›n-da ve yafll›larda ortaya ç›kar [2][3][4] .…”

“…En s›k yatakta uzun süre kalmay› gerektiren parapleji, kuatripleji, koma ve flok tablosu bulunan yo¤un bak›m hastalar›n-da ve yafll›larda ortaya ç›kar [2][3][4] . Ölüm riskini art›ran, hastanede kal›fl süresini uzatan ve tedavi giderleri yüksek olan bir sa¤l›k sorunudur 2,3,5 . S›k karfl›lafl›lan bu klinik durumun dikkate de¤er yönü oluflumunun engellenebilmesidir 6 .…”

“…Bas› ülserleri uzun süre yatan hastalarda özellikle yo¤un bak›m hastalar›nda daha s›k görülen, ölüm riskini art›ran, hastanede kal›fl süresini uzatan ve tedavi giderleri yüksek olan bir sa¤l›k sorunudur 2,3,5 . Yap›lan çal›flmalarda bu ülserlerin mortaliteyi dört kat art›rd›¤›, hastanede yatan hastalar›n yat›fl süresini 18-20 gün kadar uzatt›¤›, ciddi ülserlerde ise bu sürenin [6][7][8] , sürtünme ve tahrifl de bu faktörler aras›nda say›lmaktad›r 2,6 .…”

Economic Evaluations of Strategies to Prevent Hospital-Acquired Pressure Injuries

“…This type of technology monitors the interface pressure of patients and could alert caregivers on the need for repositioning a patient and guide how it is done. [34][35][36] Based on the authors_ review of the literature, a number of recommendations (Table 3) 7,25,26,37 to improve on the economic evaluations of approaches to prevent HAPIs were made. The authors believe this information is needed to support rational decisions about PI prevention.…”

Remotely monitoring and preventing the development of pressure ulcers with the aid of human digital memories

“…It then commands the bed's actuators to adjust its surface profile periodically to redistribute pressure over the entire body [14]. In a similar approach, Yip et al [15] have developed a flexible pressure monitoring system, consisting of 99 pressure sensors on a 17-cm x 22-cm sheet. The results from both studies indicate that the use of sensing technologies can accurately measure the pressure that is being sustained on the body.…”