Realizing the dangers of the potentially preventable pressure ulcers, our team of scientists, surgeons, and trauma nurses performed a comprehensive study of the Back Raft system that was designed to reduce patient discomfort and skin interface pressure.
Pressure under the occipital, scapula, and sacral regions of the back was measured using the Tactilus pressure analyzer of 10 healthy volunteers immobilized on a backboard and a backboard with a Back Raft air mattress system. Discomfort levels of each volunteer were measured using a Visual Analog Scale.
Data from this study indicated that the Back Raft significantly reduces discomfort as well as tissue interface pressure in the occipital, scapula, and sacral regions of the back.
The implementation of an air mattress system analogous to the Back Raft would facilitate the prevention of pressure ulcer formation during prehospital care and transportation. In 2008, The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services enacted a policy in which the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services can refuse payment for hospital-acquired conditions. Pressure ulcers were among the hospital-acquired conditions within the final rule.