What are Pressure Sores (Decubitus Ulcers)?

Pressure sores are localized areas of Necrotic tissue over bony prominences. Particularly susceptible to pressure sores are patients with limited motility such as victims of stroke, hip fracture, spinal cord injury and brain injury as well as paraplegics, quadriplegics and the elderly. Successful treatment of a pressure sore requires daily care and debridement for many months. In some cases, surgical skin grafting is necessary. The healthcare concerns and costs of treating a single pressure sore are great, making prevention paramount.

How the Hydro-Float® Wheelchair Pads Work

The supply of blood to tissue over bony prominences of the seated patient is comprised due to the pressure of the weight of the body. Distributing this weight over a greater weight-bearing surface reduces the pressure on tissue over bony prominences and increases the supply of blood to the endangered tissue. The Hudson Hydro-Float® Floatation Pad provides the lowest counter-pressure available (see Fig.2), and at the same time reduces skin temperature, reducing metabolic demand (see Fig. 1).

A rise of one degree centigrade in temperature causes a ten percent increase in tissue metabolic demand. A wheelchair pad which reduces skin temperature decreases metabolic demand and therefore reduces ischemic tissue damage. The Hudson Hydro-Float® Floatation Pad works because it not only reduces pressure better than any other product of its type; but also cools the tissue, reducing metabolic demand, promoting better skin integrity. In order to maintain optimal performance please contact customer service every 18 months for factory reconditioning.