Document Detail


Development of a simple approach to modify the supporting properties of seating foam for pressure relief.
MedLine Citation:
PMID:  9505253     Owner:  NLM     Status:  MEDLINE    
Abstract/OtherAbstract:
Pressure sores are a major problem frequently encountered by persons who use wheelchairs. Custom seat design, including contoured seating and various modular seating devices, has become an important option for pressure relief, especially when the market size is small and the variations of individual needs and requirements are large. An alternative approach in custom seating design for pressure relief is proposed in this paper. Holes were drilled in foam cushions to lower their supporting properties, particularly at the high pressure areas. This technique is evaluated systematically in this article. The scope of this study included: 1) a comparison of the foam material properties before and after such modifications, and 2) an evaluation of the static and dynamic degradation behaviors of the foams before and after modifications. It was found that the compression load (C-L) of the foam could be reduced by up to 46% using this simple drilling technique, while the material removed was only up to 28% by volume. It was also found that this approach would not significantly compromise the static and dynamic degradation behaviors of the foam; that is, such modification apparently did not dramatically shorten the lifespan of the foam material. Simple hole-drilling seems to be an effective approach to altering the supportive properties of foam cushions for pressure relief.
Authors:
T E Kang; A F Mak
Related Documents :
19853453 - Seating and pressure ulcers: clinical practice guideline.
23029413 - Burnt sugarcane harvesting - cardiovascular effects on a group of healthy workers, brazil.
869623 - Safety and efficacy of continuous flush systems for arterial and pulmonary artery cathe...
Publication Detail:
Type:  Journal Article; Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't    
Journal Detail:
Title:  Journal of rehabilitation research and development     Volume:  35     ISSN:  0748-7711     ISO Abbreviation:  J Rehabil Res Dev     Publication Date:  1998 Jan 
Date Detail:
Created Date:  1998-05-06     Completed Date:  1998-05-06     Revised Date:  2006-11-15    
Medline Journal Info:
Nlm Unique ID:  8410047     Medline TA:  J Rehabil Res Dev     Country:  UNITED STATES    
Other Details:
Languages:  eng     Pagination:  52-60     Citation Subset:  IM    
Affiliation:
Rehabilitation Engineering Centre, Hong Kong Polytechnic University, Kowloon, China.
Export Citation:
APA/MLA Format     Download EndNote     Download BibTex
MeSH Terms
Descriptor/Qualifier:
Biomechanics
Construction Materials
Equipment Design
Equipment Safety
Humans
Polyurethanes / chemistry
Pressure*
Pressure Ulcer / prevention & control*
Wheelchairs*
Chemical
Reg. No./Substance:
0/Polyurethanes

From MEDLINE®/PubMed®, a database of the U.S. National Library of Medicine


Previous Document:  A neural net representation of experienced and nonexperienced users during manual wheelchair propuls...
Next Document:  Three-dimensional kinematics of the shoulder complex during wheelchair propulsion: a technical repor...