Without a good mattress, there is no way we can provide support and comfort to someone who is ailing. Patients suffering from chronic soreness and those who spend a longer time in bed usually need more comfort. Comfort is needed because consistent pressure and stress is applied to certain body parts as they continue to remain in position. This and a few other factors necessitated the manufacture and production of pressure relief mattresses. Pressure relief mattresses are therapeutically proven to offer succour to sick and ailing patients.
This type of mattress is particularly useful and valuable for patients who spend extended periods in bed. These patients are highly susceptible to pressure ulcers and bedsores. Pressure ulcers and bedsores are painful experiences and it exposes the patient to risks of infection. The idea behind pressure relief mattresses is to reduce the pressure exerted on the bed by high-risk parts of the human body.
For instance, the weight of the patient is redistributed evenly across the surface of the mattress. Pressure relief mattresses are also designed to have increased airflow so that the underside of the patient will remain cool and dry. It is also possible to incorporate additional systems and features to a pressure relief mattress for extra comfort and value. One of such is an air support system that ensures dryness of the mattress at every point in time.
It is also important to state that the pressure relief mechanism and approach varies from one mattress to another. This makes it more challenging to find the best and most appropriate pressure relief mattress for your need.
In this article, we will be looking at some of the best pressure relief mattresses. These products were manufactured by leading companies and the selection and assessment was done based on factors like cost effectiveness, durability, sizing, customer feedback, and pressure relief methods. This ranking is in no particular order.
- The Prevatt Defend Pressure Relief Mattress from Joerns
This mattress made the cut because it is one of the best products around. It is a foam mattress with impressive features such as increased airflow. It has a unique open-cell composition that adds to the safety of patients. Due to the fact that it is a foam mattress, it is typically more expensive than an equivalent innerspring mattress. However, this particular mattress is lower in cost when compared to other foam mattresses. It has a pleasant design that ensures even pressure distribution. Other features include pattern spacing, sloped heel zones, and cut depth. Its design is breathable and this reduces or eliminates the likelihood of bedsores occurring. This mattress is available with or without built-in sideways. It all depends on preference. On the flip side, it does not feature independent foam sections and there aren’t too many size options available for this product.
- ThevoRelief Pressure Relief Mattress
This one features micro-stimulation technology and an innovative design. It is very effective for relief of pain and it offers so much comfort to ailing patients. It has so many features because it uses a unique technology. As earlier explained, it uses micro-stimulation technology that stimulates the human nerves mildly while the patient is asleep. This technology helps ensure there is no soreness on the patient’s body. Apart from the micro-stimulation technology, there are suspensions in the construction of the mattress aimed at improving patient’s comfort. These suspensions are the wing and pain suspension. What the wing suspension does is to ensure proper pressure relief and response based on the body physique, shape, and size of the patient. On the other hand, the pain suspension does the job of ensuring the patient experiences a soft sensation by leveraging on a line of compression discs. With all these features, the patient can be assured of a pain-free night of sleep. One good thing about this product is that it is available in so many sizes and options. However, it is a bit more expensive than other mattresses.
- Therapeutic 5-zone support mattress
As the name suggests, this one is highly therapeutic. It offers superior comfort and support to ailing persons. It does this by combining two features – cross-cutting and zoning. By zoning, we refer to mattresses that are separated into different sections with each section offering a varying level of support. This means different parts of the body has different support levels. Most times, the part of the body around the hips experiences more firmness because the hip is relatively heavier than other body parts. For cross-cutting, the cells of the mattress have the ability to move with the body of the patient rather than offering a resistance to body movement. As a result, shear is reduced and the pulling on the skin’s outer layer is reduced when body movement occurs against the surface of the mattress. This product is specially made for hospital beds and it has received rave reviews from many users. Its dimension is 35” X 80” X 5.5” and it is made from foam. Also, its cover is zippered and it is made from nylon material. The weight capacity of this mattress is 350 pounds and it features a non-skid bottom. It is waterproof, fire-retardant, and super comfortable.
- Alternating Pressure Low Air Loss Mattress
The principle of operation of this mattress is such that it supplies air support dynamically while operating as an entire system so that bedsores can be prevented and healing can be accelerated. It is an entire system because it features a pump that is extremely quiet. This pump helps to ensure air flows consistently and it has the ability to supply up to 8 litres per minute. When air is supplied, it flows through the interior of the mattress so that air reaches the body of the patient. Invariably, bedsores and pressure ulcers are prevented from developing. When the pump is in operation, the patient doesn’t hear its operational sound or vibration. It has features that isolate the vibrations from the air pump. Also, the patient can choose between static and alternating modes of air supply. The difference between the two modes is that the static mode ensures consistent supply of the same amount of air while the alternating mode supplies varying air volume. One would expect that this mattress would be very expensive considering the fact that it features an innovative airflow system but it is quite affordable. However, some of its cons include the fact that it is only available in a particular size and leaks may occur as a result of wear and tear.
- Solace Resolution Glissando Heavy Duty Mattress
This mattress has a wide range of impressive features and qualities. It is made from foam of high density and it offers so much comfort to patients. With this mattress, patients cannot fallout from bed because it has durable, soft and sturdy foam sidewalls. Another feature it has is its sectioned foam design. This means it does not function as a single block of foam. By dividing it into sections, we ensure even distribution of pressure across the body of the patient so that pressure is not accumulated on a particular body part. This mattress also has a gliding layer that is patented. This gliding layer is located on the top of the mattress. The role of the gliding layer is to reduce frictional force and shear between the skin of the patient and the mattress. Therefore, body ulcers and bedsores are prevented from growing. Another interesting thing about this product is that it is quite inexpensive despite having so many impressive features. So, it is highly cost-effective and of top-quality. On the flip side, this mattress is not available in different sizes.
What should I ask my doctor about a pressure relief mattress?
If you are thinking about buying a pressure relief mattress, you should know the following or ask your doctor the following questions:
- Are there risk factors? If yes, what are the risk factors?
- Is the patient mobile?
- Does the patient have body ulcers and pressure sores already? If yes, where are these sores and how advanced are they?
- How balanced is the patient?
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