Evaluation of a New Deeply Immersive, Targeted Microclimate Management Support Surface 

Introduction: An estimated 3 million patients per year are treated for pressure injuries (PIs) in the United States with cost approaching $17.8 billion.1 PIs are the most prevalent in intensive care units (ICUs) with incidence of 8%-40% resulting in increased length of stay, higher mortality rates, and increased financial burden.2  Support surface selection plays an important role in PI prevention and treatment due to their influence on soft-tissue perfusion.3  Patient comfort and caregiver acceptance are also important to improve clinician workflow and patient outcomes.4  A new deeply immersive, targeted microclimate management (DI-TMCM) support surface was evaluated to understand ease of use, caregiver and patient acceptance, and prevention and treatment of pressure injuries. Methods:Two surgical ICUs at two sister hospitals utilized a convenience sample of 84 critically-ill patients.  Each patient was placed on the DI-TMCM support surface as they were admitted to the units.  Initial assessments included skin, existing PIs, and risk factors for pressure PIs.  Data was collected until patients were discharged from the ICU.  Staff and patients were surveyed to gather feedback on ease of use and overall acceptance. Results:The average length of stay was 8 days on the DI-TMCM surfaces.   No patient developed a pressure injury, while 11 patients with existing pressure injuries showed signs of healing through size reductions or resolution.  One patient developed a deep tissue PI on a different rental bed and was transferred to the DI-TMCM surface where the PI resolved.  Caregivers (n=33) reported the surfaces were easy-to-use (100%) and successfully managed pressure redistribution (100%) and microclimate management (100%) for their patients.  Patients (n=27) reported the surfaces were very comfortable (96%) and kept them at a good temperature, not to hot or cold (100%). Discussion: Critically-ill patients placed on the DI-TMCM support surface in surgical ICUs did not develop PIs, while existing PIs progressed in healing.  Caregivers overwhelmingly felt the surface was easy-to-use and clinically efficacious while patients reported high comfort.  Based on these findings a larger study comparing the performance of the DI-TMCM surface to current market surfaces is warranted. References:Hajhosseini, B., Longaker, M., Gurtner, G. (2020) Pressure Injury. Annals of Surgery. 271(4), 671-679 Roque, K., Tonini, T., Melo, E. (2016). Adverse Events in the Intensive Care Unit: Impact on Mortality and Length of Stay in a Prospective Study. Cadernos de Saude Publica. 32(10) McNichol, L., Mackey, D., Watts, C., Zuecca, N. (2020). Choosing a Support Surface for Pressure Injury Prevention and Treatment. Nursing 2020. 50(2), 41-44 Galinato, J., Montie, M., Patak, L., Titler, M. Perspectives of Nurses and Patients on Call Light Technology. Comput Inform Nurs. 33(8), 359-367.