A Functional Fabric for Pressure Ulcer Prevention

Pressure ulcers, also known as bed sores, pressure sores and decubitus ulcers, are localized areas of tissue damage that develop due to pressure usually over a bony prominence. They are associated with adverse health outcomes and high treatment costs. This study focused on developing a functional fabric for pressure ulcer prevention. For this purpose, face-to-face velour weaving technique was utilized to produce a spacer fabric from the different combinations of engineered polyester, polypropylene, cotton and viscose fibers. Thermal conductivity, thermal resistance, thermal absorptivity, water vapor permeability, wicking ability, compressibility and fabric hand properties of the resultant 32 fabrics were examined. Based on the results, channeled polyester, cotton and polypropylene were determined as the most promising fiber types for the final product.

[1]  J. H. Andreen,et al.  Fabric Evaluations Based on Physiological Measurements of Comfort , 1953 .

[2]  Yi Li,et al.  Moisture Management Tester: A Method to Characterize Fabric Liquid Moisture Management Properties , 2005 .

[3]  M. Snycerski,et al.  A FUNCTIONAL WOVEN FABRIC WITH CONTROLLED FRICTION COEFFICIENTS PREVENTING BEDSORES , 2004, AUTEX Research Journal.

[4]  A. Gagge,et al.  Physiological and physical factors associated with warm discomfort in sedentary man , 1974 .

[5]  Roger L. Barker,et al.  In Vivo Cutaneous and Perceived Comfort Response to Fabric , 1990 .

[6]  Ivan Dolezal,et al.  New Method and Equipment for Measuring Thermal Properties of Textiles , 1989 .

[7]  F. Collins.  The contribution made by an armchair with integral pressure-reducing cushion in the prevention of pressure sore incidence in the elderly, acutely ill patient. , 1999, Journal of tissue viability.

[8]  Norman R. S. Hollies,et al.  A Human Perception Analysis Approach to Clothing Comfort , 1979 .

[9]  J. Severens,et al.  The Cost of Illness of Pressure Ulcers in the Netherlands , 2002, Advances in skin & wound care.

[10]  J. Hearle,et al.  Physical Properties of Textile Fibres , 1962 .

[11]  A. Wieczorek,et al.  Sheet Fabrics with Biophysical Properties as Elements of Joint Prevention in Connection with First- and Second-Generation Pneumatic Anti-Bedsore Mattresses , 2003 .

[12]  N. Graves,et al.  Modeling the economic losses from pressure ulcers among hospitalized patients in Australia , 2005, Wound repair and regeneration : official publication of the Wound Healing Society [and] the European Tissue Repair Society.

[13]  E Bethell.  Alternating pressure systems are useful , 1994, BMJ.

[14]  Martha Molly Adler,et al.  Mechanisms of Transient Moisture Transport Between Fabrics , 1984 .

[15]  D. Jolley,et al.  The role of sheepskins in preventing pressure ulcers in elderly orthopaedic patients , 2000 .

[16]  D. Jolley,et al.  Preventing pressure ulcers with the Australian Medical Sheepskin: an open‐label randomised controlled trial , 2004, The Medical journal of Australia.