Please find below a simple guide to help you find the right product that will do the right job. We would ask you to note that all contents in “Which Cushion Do I Use” is written by us, Dan Medica South Limited and gives our opinion of different http://www.onlinepharmacytabs.com products over our 30+ years experience in the Pressure Care Industry.
Pressure Sores and pressure care has over the last few years been put into 3 different sections which in simple terms fall into Low, Medium and High Risk groups. There are hundreds of reasons and hundreds of conditions why people suffer from pressure sores but again in simple terms and to anyone who is not familiar with this condition it means a lack of blood flow to a particular part of the body which in time will cause the skin/tissue to necrose/die, if left untreated pressure sores are life threatening hence it is always far better to prevent them from happening in the first place by using products that reduce pressure building up.
Low Risk Cushions mainly consist of different foam products from simple same density foams of 4cm thickness to 10cm upwards. There are thousands of different products available from as many companies selling them. These products are fine if you are not at risk of tissue breakdown as they are comfort giving rather than pressure relieving and if you are able to get out of your seat, walk around and live a fairly normal life, a foam product will no doubt suffice however one should also note they are known to wear out quite quickly making them lose their shape after some time.
foam base with a minimum depth of 5cm. Some of these medium risk products have inserts placed in the back of the cushions so the ischial/pelvic bones are positioned on a Gel or Air insert which will distribute the load far better than foam on its own. Again there are hundreds available however we at Dan Medica South decided to manufacture our own Gel Cushion products which in turn can be placed on any normal seating surface or on top of a standard foam seat. It is important to note some Polyurethane Gel Cushions are made of 1cm thickness and less, this is OK for example when used in an incubator for new born babies however any young adult or person over 40 kilo will in our opinion require a 1.8cm thick Gel to avoid bottoming out.
High Risk Cushions are considered to be high risk if they can demonstrate specific levels of care over a period of time or they have been pressure mapped by using the very latest digital technology available which gives the manufacturer the knowledge, a client can sit on or in the cushion and be prevented from getting a pressure sore. Sadly many companies are now promoting certain products as high risk resulting in users suffering and skin breakdown. When looking for high risk products go into the background of the cushion and try to find results which most responsible companies will show on their web sites. We at DanMedica South Limited are proud to include pressure mapping on both our Polyurethane Gels along with our DebbonAir High risk cushions.