DRIVE DEVILBISS PRODUCTS WORK IN HARMONY FOR IMPROVED PATIENT OUTCOME
Patients admitted to acute care with existing pressure ulcers can present conflicting care issues. At North Bristol Trust, staff have successfully implemented advanced Drive DeVilbiss Healthcare technologies to provide the highest quality of care.
North Bristol Trust is a Regional Trauma and Vascular Treatment Centre caring for highly complex patients where the Tissue Viability team is at the forefront of the Trust-wide, patient-centred care strategy. A patient admitted to the Trust in 2017 presented following a fall at home with a complex fracture to the femur. The admission assessment identified a chronic Grade 4 pressure ulcer to the right trochanter and a Grade 2 to the right buttock.
An individualised care plan was implemented combining two innovative Drive DeVilbiss Healthcare technologies; The Monitor, Alert, Protect (M.A.P™) system and the Acclaim Flow Hybrid mattress. Based on patient preference, in the initial stages of care a static foam mattress surface was selected, which was then ‘stepped up' to a dynamic surface for improved pressure management. However, when the patient noted a compromised ability to maintain independent movement in bed, clinical staff looked at viable alternatives, and selected Drive's Acclaim Flow non-powered hybrid mattress, already in use across clinical areas of the Trust.
This non-powered hybrid works on the principle of air displacement, with individual latitudinal air cells responding to individual patient weights and movements to achieve optimum pressure redistribution. In this case, the site of the Grade 4 pressure injury required close monitoring, and as part of the risk assessment a decision was taken, with the patient's consent, to combine the Acclaim Flow mattress with Drive's M.A.P™ system.
The M.A.P.TM system uses a pressure sensing mat to identify high and low pressure areas between the patient and the support surface. This accurately imaged information is sent to a monitor, providing a real time, colour coded visual ‘pressure map' giving care staff continuous bedside date on pressure levels developing between the patient and the support surface, enabling them to adjust each patient's repositioning strategies accordingly.
The Acclaim Flow mattress met both the clinical and comfort needs of this patient, with the M.A.P™ system providing reassurance for clinical staff that the support surface and repositioning schedules met the patient's needs. Using a combination of these two technologies resulted in maintaining patient safety whilst enhancing the patient experience.
This study demonstrated that a patient with restricted movement can be nursed effectively on the Acclaim Flow mattress, whilst the M.A.P™ system demonstrated that small movements reduced interface pressures to within tissue tolerance levels, particularly effective in this instance where full body repositioning and turning was restricted.
For further information, please contact:-
Drive DeVilbiss Healthcare Ltd
Heathfield Lane
Birkenshaw
West Yorkshire
BD11 2HW
T: 0845 0600 333
E: sales@drivedevilbiss.co.uk
(Editorial)
Ann Horan
T: 01422 371633
E: pr@dmddesign.co.uk