We like to help crack the world of pressure area care which can often be a world full of strange jargon. This blog is going to explain the idea of dynamic mattresses and static mattresses. Both styles of mattress are used for pressure area care but function in different ways.
Broadly speaking Pressure Area Care (PAC) Mattresses offer either reactive or active therapy. Reactive therapy is pressure reducing whereas an active therapy is pressure relieving. So we can see that they may be used for different reasons and dependent on the individual.
This is the sort of support offered by a static mattress. This sort of mattress is used for lower risk residents with an element of mobility. Pressure area car would cover largely superficial pressure sores.
This type of therapy is covered by a dynamic mattress system. These are used on high risk residents, those with very limited mobility or unable to reposition themselves. This would also be used for pressure ulcers at a much higher severity.
So what are static and dynamic mattresses?
Static mattresses help to reduce pressure across the whole body. Static mattresses combine different types of foam and/or involve cuts or castellations on the foam surface. This results in support surfaces which conform to the patient’s body to enhance pressure redistribution by offering partial immersion and envelopment.
Also called air mattresses this type of PAC mattress will need an electricity supply and are aimed at more vulnerable people. The pumps attached to this type pump air through the mattress at different intervals offering pressure relief and offloading of tissue. This mattress consists of multiple air pockets or cells which will incrementally inflate and deflate to help blood flow across the resident’s body.
Some dynamic mattresses have specialist air cells that aid partial immersion and envelopment of patients into the support surface, further reducing the pressure applied to their skin and subcutaneous tissues.
When selecting a mattress for your resident you should consider:
Take a look at our range of both static, dynamic and hybrid mattresses here.
