Public Funding for Talar-Made Limited

Pressure 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

Talar Made Ltd (TML) would like to undertake research & development in pressure relieving devices for the treatment & prevention of pressure ulcers. The need to use & develop improved clinically effective & economically sustainable support surfaces is beyond dispute in the ongoing fight against pressure ulcer damage (Wounds UK 2006 vol 2 No3). The development of hospital acquired pressure ulcers on the heel has been an increasingly acknowledged problem (Donnelly 2001). Patients with limited mobility due to sensory or motor impairment, lower limb fractures, heavy sedation & other intrinsic problems are particularly at risk. Pressure ulceration is a conspicuous blight on the health & well being of both the patient & carer/care systems affecting 10% of all patients in acute hospital setting. (NHS Research 2005). The situation in the community & primary care home settings may be much worse with exact numbers impossible to measure (Cullum et al 2001). Some studies suggest that in-hospital settings pressure ulcer prevalence ranges from 5% to 32% (Kaltenhaler et al 2011). Also noted is the high prevalence rate occurring in elderly patients with limited mobility. In the UK in 2011 23.6% of population (12.5m people) were over age 65 & largest % growth in any group was in 85+ age group. With diabetes also rapidly increasing with 2.9M sufferers in UK & sufferers not diagnosed at an estimated 800,000 people the high risk pressure ulcer groups are increasing in size. TML proposal for a modular cost effective & clinically effective treatment, prevention & monitoring technology has significant potential benefits for patient & healthcare services alike.