the Data behind the Problem
Pressure Ulcers
Annually, an estimated 3 million patients in the United States are treated for pressure injuries.
Pressure injuries cost the U.S. healthcare industry around $26.8 billion per year and an estimated additional cost of $43,180 per hospital stay.
More than 17,000 lawsuits related to pressure injuries are filed annually, making them the second most common healthcare lawsuit subject after wrongful death.
60,000 U.S. patients die annually as a direct result of pressure ulcers.
Healthcare-Associated Infections
Each day, 1 in 31 U.S. hospital patients develops at least one healthcare-associated infection.
HAIs are the primary cause of preventable death among patients in the United States.
Using a mattress previously used by a patient with an infection increases one’s own risk by 583%.
Contaminated Mattresses
30% of hospital mattresses have invisible damage, which allows pathogens to infiltrate the mattress interior.
In 2013, the FDA released a safety alert, warning healthcare workers and care providers of the dangers and risks of worn and damaged medical bed covers.
Studies & Articles
U.S. Food and Drug Administration (2014)
“The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) is alerting health care providers, health care facility staff, and caregivers that damaged or worn covers for medical bed mattresses can allow blood and body fluids to penetrate medical bed mattresses, posing a risk of infection to patients.”
A Bacteriological Study of Hospital Beds Before and After Disinfection with Phenolic Disinfection (2000)
"...the usual disinfection procedures, instead of diminishing the number of microbes, merely displaced them from one part of the mattress to another, and the number of microorganisms remained the same."
Cleaning practices for hospital mattresses in Top U.S. Adult Hospitals (2012)
Most top US Adult Hospitals do not follow manufacturer's instructions on appropriate cleaning and disinfection of hospital mattresses.
Contamination of Hospital Mattresses by Microorganisms of Epidemiological Relevance: an Integrative Review (2013)
Mattress Contamination is due to failures in the execution of cleaning and disinfection, and the breakdown of covers. MRSA, Pseudomonas aeruginosa, Acinetobacter spp and Enterobacter cloacae are major contaminants.
Infection Prevention for Dummies (2016)
“There are no EPA-registered disinfectants on the market with a kill claim for mattresses. . . .This presents a serious infection prevention risk since there is a mere, thin sheet separating the patient from the pathogens that lie beneath...”
Review: The Contribution of Beds to Health-Care Associated Infection: the Importance of Adequate Decontamination (2008)
“Bed components including...mattresses may become contaminated by microorganisms through direct contact with skin scales, body fluids including urine and feces, and thus become a source of infection.”
Environmental Contamination by Carbapenem Resistant Enterobacteriaceae (2013)
“5 locations that are most likely to be contaminated - the bed surfaces, the infusion pump, and the personal table, with the bed surfaces being the most contaminated sites.”
Anti-Static Mattress as Reservoir of Pseudomonas Infection (1980)
Seventeen patients were infected by a contaminated mattress. The mattress had hidden damage and was filled with patient fluids.
Environmental Contamination Due to Methicillin-Resistant Staphylococcus Aureus (MRSA) (1998)
Out of 41 rooms that had previously been occupied by patients with recent evidence of MRSA, 10 showed evidence of MRSA in the environment after terminal cleaning. 8 mattresses in the 10 rooms were found to be contaminated.
Prior Environmental Contamination Increases the Risk of Acquisition of Vancomycin-Resistant Enterococci (2008)
“. . . prior room contamination, whether measured via environmental cultures or prior room occupancy by VRE-colonized patients, was highly predictive of VRE acquisition. Increased attention to environmental disinfection is warranted.”
Multiresistant Enterobacter Cloacae Outbreak in an Intensive Care Unit Associated with Therapeutic Beds (2006)
“A multi-resistant Enterobacter cloacae outbreak in an intensive care unit was traced to contaminated foam mattresses which were covered with a waterproof antibacterially treated permeable polyurethane cover. Cleaning had caused hidden damage to the covers.”
Environmental Reservoirs of Methicillin-Resistant Staphylococcus Aureus in Isolation Rooms; Correlation with Patient Isolates and Implications for Hospital Hygiene. (2005)
The isolation rooms of 25 patients with MRSA were cleaned regularly for four weeks and then tested. Over half the mattresses were still found to be contaminated with MRSA.
Potential Blood-borne Pathogen Exposure from Occult Mattress Damage (2014)
“A near-miss patient incident involving body fluids seeping from a mattress led to a visual inspection of 656 hospital bed mattresses of which 177 (27%) were contaminated because of occult (hidden) damage to mattress covers.”
Gentamicin-Resistant Pseudomonas Aeruginosa Infection from Mattresses in a Burn Unit (1981)
Three of eight mattresses in a burn unit were contaminated with Gentamicin-resistant Ps aeruginosa. Resistant strains survived for more then two months in mattress foam that was stored in the laboratory.
Mattresses as Reservoirs of Methicillin Resistant Staphylococcus Aureus (MRSA) (1991)
A year-long outbreak of MRSA in a post-natal ward was caused by damaged mattresses. 82 mothers and 32 newborn babies were infected.
Evaluation of Hospital Room Assignment and Acquisition of Clostridium difficile Infection. (2014)
Patients placed in rooms where the prior occupants were infected with Clostridium difficile have a statistically significant increased risk for becoming infected themselves.
Testimonials
I am extremely grateful to Unisoft Medical for allowing me the privilege of using the Unisoft One. It has made a very difficult, painful, and challenging set of circumstances much more comfortable. They have my thanks and eternal gratitude. I can only hope many more people in the future will be able to benefit from this wonderful mattress.
Cancer Patient, Florida
The Unisoft One is the most comfortable mattress I have ever used.
Pressure Ulcer Patient, Veterans Administration
We were amazed to see that not only did the Unisoft One prevent new pressure injuries from forming, but it was causing pre-existing wounds to heal.
Certified Wound, Ostomy, and Continence Nurse
Pressure Mapping
Video Transcript:
Interface pressure, (the pressure exerted on the skin from the supporting mattress) is a key factor in the development of decubitus ulcers, also known as bed sores. The better a mattress can support or redistribute a patient’s weight, the lower the risk of developing a bedsore. Pressure mapping is a computerized clinical tool for assessing interface pressures. A thin mat sensor is placed on the mattress surface. When the patient lies on the mat, a mapping system creates an image of the patient’s pressure profile. Hotter colors, like yellows and reds, indicate areas of higher pressure, and cooler colors, like blues and whites, indicate areas of lower pressure. We use the leading pressure mapping technology in our tests, manufactured by Vista Medical, who pioneered the pressure mapping industry. Three of the high-risk areas on the body are the shoulder blades, the tail bone, and the heels, which is what you see in the video. The video shows three maps comparing interface pressures on three different mattresses: the Unisoft One and two other market-leading mattresses. You will see that the Unisoft One provides better pressure redistribution and in turn lower interface pressures when compared to the other two mattresses. This is achieved by using new innovative materials and methods of manufacturing, which combined with a uniquely designed air pump, provides better pressure management therapy across a wide range of patient profiles.
Tested Mattresses (L to R):
UNISOFT ONE [DEEP CELL/ALTERNATING LOW-PRESSURE THERAPY]
CONVENTIONAL ALTERNATING PRESSURE MATTRESS
CONVENTIONAL DEEP CELL/ALTERNATING LOW-PRESSURE THERAPY.