Measurement of SCI patient's buttock pressure on wheelchair and bed

The prevention of pressure sores is a serious problem for patients with spinal cord injuries (SCI). It is most important for SCI patients to relieve their buttock pressure for the prevention of pressure sores. Many kinds of pressure-relieving cushions and mattresses have been developed to distribute the weight evenly and widely. We previously measured the buttock pressure of SCI patients using the Tekscan pressure measurement system to evaluate the pressure distribution. In this study, we propose the evaluating system of the buttock pressure distribution. Using this system, the medical staff can easily adjust the air quantity of the air cushion for each SCI patient for prevention of pressure sores. Moreover we measured the buttock pressure on four kinds of posture on the bed to clear the pressure relieving effect of the mattress. The air mattress has a large pressure relieving effect at sacrococcygeal regions in all postures on the bed.