Computer Simulation Predicts Development, Progress of Pressure Sores

Pittsburgh: Researchers at the University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine have devised a computational model that could enhance understanding, diagnosis and treatment of pressure ulcers related to spinal cord injury. In a report published online in PLOS Computational Biology, the team also described results of virtual clinical trials that showed that for effective treatment of the lesions, anti-inflammatory measures had to be applied well before the earliest clinical signs of ulcer formation.

New technology could help reduce bedsores in hospitals

Calgary: W21C researchers conduct trial of mattress overlay system that provides visual, easy-to-understand pressure images. Researchers at the University of Calgary’s Ward of the 21^st Century (W21C) are conducting a trial of a new technology designed to help reduce the risk of pressure ulcers — also known as bedsores — in hospital patients.

The randomized controlled trial, conducted at Foothills Medical Centre, will examine the effectiveness of XSENSOR’s ForeSite PT Patient Turn System, a thin flexible mattress overlay that goes underneath the sheet on a patient’s bed. The device monitors, records, and analyzes persistent body surface pressures — a key factor in the risk of developing pressure ulcers — and provides this information on a display above the bedside.

‘Smart bandage’ detects bedsores before they are visible to doctors

Berkeley: Engineers at UC Berkeley are developing a new type of bandage that does far more than stanch the bleeding from a paper cut or scraped knee. Thanks to advances in flexible electronics, the researchers, in collaboration with colleagues at UC San Francisco, have created a new “smart bandage” that uses electrical currents to detect early tissue damage from pressure ulcers, or bedsores, before they can be seen by human eyes – and while recovery is still possible.