Pressure ulcers (PUs) develop when pressure, shear, friction, or excess moisture and heat is applied to skin, disrupting blood flow and breaking down the skin & underlying tissue. In the UK >700,000 people per year are affected by PUs costing the NHS £2.8Bn pa.(1) Many people at risk of developing PUs, specifically elderly or ‘plus sized’ people (also defined as obese, morbidly obese or bariatric) with reduced mobility, increased metabolic needs and different adipose tissue composition. The impact of excessive moisture and heat at the skin is of particular concern for plus sized people (2,5). Plus size people often use a recliner as their main domestic furniture for rest & sleep, as lying flat may compromise their resting breathing (Muir and Rush,19). Currently, there are no commercially available pressure redistributing devices (PRDs) for use on Recliners that have intrinsic microclimate control properties. In this 18 month, £249k Development of Prototype project, Medstrom will learn from the TSB AeroSpacer overlay project (ML720552) to develop a prototype that deals with the very different needs of plus size people, providing pressure reduction and maintaining optimal skin condition. The AeroSpacer mattress provides microclimate control due to its pressure-relieving core being manufactured from an innovative, 3D-knit spacer fabric, this enables transfer of air via patient movement or when air is driven air through it. The core is covered with a moisturevapour permeable fabric that enables moisture to move away from the skin. The entire unit benefits from being fully washable. These features are unique in this type of device. Conservative sales projections indicate that 9% of all Bariatric Recliners could be fitted with an AeroSpacer Plus (AS+) within 5 years of project close; if the AS+ prevented PU formation in 10% of the plus sized population (PSP) then a cost saving of £5.2M per year would be derived for the UK(1)

Pressure ulcers (PUs) break down the skin & underlying tissue, and develop when pressure, shear & friction is applied to skin, disrupting the flow of blood through the skin, starving the skin of oxygen & nutrients. PUs affect people confined to lying in a bed or sitting for prolonged periods of time. 0.5 million people in the UK will develop a PU per year. PU treatment costs the NHS over £4bn/year, and costs are increasing as the population ages. Pressure relieving devices (PRDs) are deployed by health and social care providers, as specialist mattresses, overlays for standard mattresses, or as complex full bed systems, to reduce the incidence of PUs. Raised skin temperature and increased moisture levels around patients are risk factors implicated in the development of PUs. Temperature and moisture levels induce a ‘microclimate’ around the patient, and current medical literature suggests that microclimate control could also help reduce the incidence of PUs. Currently, there are no commercially available PRDs that have intrinsic microclimate control properties. In this 15 month, £201k development of prototype project, Medstrom will develop the ‘Aerospacer’ overlay, which enables pressure reduction and maintenance of an optimal skin microclimate. The Aerospacer enables microclimate control due to its pressure-relieving core being manufactured from an innovative, 3D-woven spacer fabric which has an open core structure permitting air to pass underneath the patient, this airflow can be augmented with driven air provided by a low voltage fan accessory. The core is covered with a moisture-vapour permeable fabric that enables moisture to move away from the skin. The entire unit benefits from being fully washable. Conservative sales projections indicate 5.5% of all NHS beds could be fitted with an Aerospacer within 5 years of project close; if the Aerospacer prevented PU formation across the NHS by 5.5%, a cost saving of £220M could be realised per year