Our Goal
To provide better quality of life for the patient, better quality of care for the healthcare industry, and peace of mind for relatives.
What are pressure ulcers?
Pressure ulcers (PU) can occur within minutes and become large open wounds down to the bone. It could take several years to treat and even cause death to a greater extent than traffic accidents.
PU affects around 1 of 5 patients in European healthcare institutions today, as a tragic consequence of insufficient pressure redistribution. PU’s are areas of localized damage to the skin and/or underlying tissue as a result of pressure or pressure in combination with shear. Typically, occurring over a bony prominence.
In the absence of regular movements soft tissue is squeezed between bony prominences and the support surface. This causes deformation of the soft tissue to such a degree that the tissue cells are ruptured and die. As PU’s progress, severe, painful and open wounds can develop and lead to increased length of hospital stay, higher rates of readmission, increased mortality and reduced quality of life.
Who is at risk?
Presently, serious PU affects over 4 million people in Europe.
At risk are all those with a reduced physical ability to change position. The risk increases if you:
- Are over 70 years old
- Have been through a major surgery or are in the ICU ward
- Are under nourished or obese
- Have poor blood circulation
- Have reduced sensation for pain (e.g. spinal cord injury and Neurological condition)
- Have had PU before
How do we prevent pressure ulcers?
Although often prevented and treatable if detected early, PU can be very difficult to prevent in critically ill people. Sometimes it takes years of heavy treatment.
The main preventative measure is regular repositioning which is highly documented in research.
Therefore, focus on prevention ensures avoiding high treatment costs and most importantly; ensuring the quality of care and life for the patient. The SSKIN-bundle is a powerful tool in defining what needs to be in place for preventing pressure ulcers for people at risk:
S
Skin inspection
Inspect the skin for changes like redness regularly
S
Surface
Proper underlying pressure redistributing surface
K
Keep moving
Regular repositioning according to condition
I
Incontinence
Ensure that the skin is not exposed to fluids over time
N
Nutrition
Evaluate diet, fluids and supplements
What is the challenge with manual repositioning?
There are resource-demanding people in institutions, in hospitals and at home; People with very little or no mobility in bed who require a lot of help around the clock. Among other things to prevent pressure ulcers with labor-intensive manual repositioning.
There are several challenges with this routine:
- The patient has disturbed sleep and may experience pain and discomfort when being turned. The skin might be exposed to friction and shear forces.
- Healthcare personnel spend a lot of time and heavy lifting which can lead to work-related injuries and sick leave.
- Institutions and municipalities use a lot of resources in terms of workforce and expenses.
70000
can be the cost to treat one PU
2
more expensive to treat, than prevent
96
of the costs are human resources
The issue
95 percent of all pressure ulcers could be prevented. 95 percent! Still, we keep saying that today’s equipment is ‘good enough’. It’s not. Not for our loved ones.
What is the challenge with today’s PU prevention mattresses?
Bed systems designed to prevent pressure ulcers is nothing new. Unfortunately, there has been very little development over the years, and the society seems to have accepted that today’s solutions are ‘good enough’. Tidewave is here to change that.
There are a couple of problems with the traditional turning mattresses:
- They are so loud the patient will be waken up by the noise.
- They move so fast the patient will be waken up by the movement.
- They tilt the patient from side to side, creating shear and friction that will hurt their pressure ulcers.
We have solved all of these issues with our Tidewave Turning Mattress:
- The sound level is below hearable decibel level.
- The movement is continuous and so slow you won’t be able to feel or see it.
- The Tidewave Curve embraces the patient and stops any sliding.
Why Tidewave is the best alternative on the market:
Courses
Preventing pressure ulcers is at the core of everything we do. That is why it is so important for us to spread our knowledge to all relevant caregivers. Our Competence Manager, Menno Van Etten, is regularly giving you courses about positioning and pressure ulcer management. Sign up in your nearby area or get in touch to get a course at your institution.
Projects
The performance of the Turning Mattress has been verified through several trials. Learn more about the value for patients, caregivers and institutions in our reports.
Would you like to initiate a project with the Tidewave Turining Mattress at your institution or in your region? Do not hesitate to get in touch at post@tidewave.no
Ongoing projects:
- “Comparison study of the Tidewave Turning Mattress™ and an alternating air mattress for pressure ulcer prevention for spinal cord injury patients in a hospital setting” – Sunnaas Rehabilitation Hospital, Oslo, Norway
- “Value creation of the Tidewave Turning Mattress™ for patients and caregivers in an institution for disabled people and a nursing home” – Academy Het Dorp, Arnhem, Netherlands
- “Value creation of the Tidewave Turning Mattress™ for patients with highly reduced or no mobility in a nursing home setting” – Lervig Nursing home, Stavanger, Norway
Download reports:
User stories
Hanne Sofie first tried the turning mattress at the rehabilitation unit at Sandnes Health Centre. She had a broken hip and was suffering from pain at night when not being…
Sandnes Health Centre is a short-time rehabilitation centre, where patients arrive from surgery at the hospital or accidents at home. After testing the turning mattress on several patients during the…
The message is clear from the Department Managers: No doubt, we are convinced that Tidewave will relieve us from time, costs and unnecessary pain. We are just waiting for the…
For quality of life and independence.
