More than 2.5 million people get pressure ulcers every year, often from having limited mobility and being unable to change positions in a bed or chair. For hospitals, patients who develop pressure sores generally have longer lengths of stay and are more likely to be readmitted, adding to the cost of care.
CMS considers pressure ulcers acquired during a hospital stay to be preventable “never events” and a few years ago moved to stop reimbursing hospitals for the cost of treating them. In response, providers have developed standardized approaches to risk assessment, skin examination and nutrtion to prevent them.
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A Nashville startup thinks technology can help, too. Wellsense has developed a bedside pressure mapping system that enables caregivers to better monitor patients and know when they need to be turned to avoid the development of sores.
The MAP System is simple concept: a sensor-embedded mat is placed over a mattress. It measures pressure from thousands of discrete points and displays that data in real time on a bedside monitor. Caregivers and patients see a color-coded image that shows the buildup of pressure over time. The system contains an alarm, but that alarm doesn’t monitor high pressure. Instead, it can be set to go off at certain intervals to remind caregivers to turn the patient.
Dr. Matthew Pompeo, medical director of a long-term acute care facility in Texas, led a study of the system and found that as it progressed, the length of time between when the alarm sounded and when the patient was turned gradually went down. A separate, six-month study at the Phoenix VA Medical Center Intensive Care Unit found zero hospital acquired pressure ulcers in patients using MAP, compared to nine in the same time period of the previous year.
Pressure sensing technology exists today but is likely out of reach for mass use by hospitals because of the cost. Pompeo has said Wellsense’s system costs somewhere in the range of $15-$20 a day.
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Wellsense was founded in 2009 by Ran Poliakine, who also founded Powermat Inc. to commercialize wireless power technology. The system, considered a Class I exempt medical device, was unveiled in 2011.
[Image credit: Wellsense]
