710639Pressure care support surface and suspension device technology for the treatment and prevention of pressure ulcersClosedGRD Proof of ConceptInnovate UKPressure ulcers tend to develop on bony prominences and on areas of the body that have little body fat to cover them. This includes the hips, buttocks, heels, shoulder blades and the small of the back. Existing offerings are a one-size-fits-all with each patient managed using the same level of inflation regardless of the force applied due to their individual BMI. Further, current offerings are simple non-robust ‘lilo’ like structures which once laid upon disperse the air to the peripheral regions of the structure giving no support to susceptible bodily regions. A MHRA study (MDA/2010/002) showed that current polyurethane coatings and support structures swell-up in the presence of hospital cleaning agents and as a direct result are susceptible to bodily fluid ingress into the mattress leading to increased patient infection rates. Pressure ulcers can trigger other ailments and complications such as autonomic dysreflexia, bladder distension, osteomyelitis, pyarthroses, sepsis, amyloidosis, anemia, urethral fistula and gangrene. In some cases, complications from pressure sores can be life-threatening. The need to develop improved clinically effective and economically sustainable support surfaces is beyond dispute in the on-going fit against this debilitating condition. Talarmade propose a novel technological support solution to managing and treating pressure ulcers. Immediate benefits to patients would be: (1) improved comfort and support for limited mobility patients; (2) reduced infection rates as support structure is incorporated with silver and continually circulated with clean air; (3) clinicians can monitor pressure distribution patterns and make adjustments (in real time) to system to maintain patient comfort. Immediate benefits to the healthcare sector would be: (a) provision of enhanced clinical care to patients; (b) reduced costs associated with treating pressure ulcers, currently estimated at £1.8-£2.5 billion annually in the UK