What is a Dynamic Mattress?
A dynamic mattress has become an important part of managing a healthcare setting, such as a hospital, a respite care centre or a care home with long-term residential patients. Medical mattresses must possess different qualities and characteristics than a standard domestic mattress or even contract bedding for a hotel setting. They must offer relief for bed-bound patients and provide enough air flow to ensure that any bed sores and ulcers do not become infected or cause long-term issues for a patient, whilst also providing a much better level of comfort for patients.
A dynamic mattress is sometimes also referred to as an air mattress. It requires connection to the electricity supply and is a mattress that is aimed at vulnerable people, which is why they are often used in hospital settings. The pumps that are attached to a dynamic mattress are used to pump air through the mattress at regular (but different) intervals. What this does, is it offers a level of pressure relief and the offloading of tissue. There are multiple air pockets and cells which will slowly and incrementally deflate and inflate over time. This helps to regulate the blood flow of the person lying on the mattress. There are different models of dynamic mattress too, some offering different levels of support, including partial immersion and envelopment of patients that reduces the pressure on the subcutaneous tissues and skin even further.
What to consider when choosing a dynamic mattress?
There are a few things that you must consider when choosing a dynamic mattress. The first is to look at the specifics of the type of therapy that the mattress itself offers, as mentioned above with different types and levels of air flow etc. The clinical needs of the patient should also be a priority consideration. For instance, if you are looking for dynamic mattresses for a specific ward in a hospital, what are the common needs of patients, how long will they be staying there for and what level of care and input do patients generally receive? The pressure area care needs for each patient will differ, of course, so you need to be sure that you are choosing dynamic mattresses that cover the majority of patients that are seen in the specific ward and hospital.
As you can see, a dynamic mattress provides much needed comfort, support, and properties that provide relief to patients who spend a lot of time (or all of their time) in bed with chronic illness, disease, and disabilities. Even for short-term patients staying in hospital overnight or for a few days, dynamic mattresses provide the care and comfort that is required to ease the transition and to speed up the recovery process. Finding a supplier of medical mattresses and dynamic mattresses for use within a healthcare setting is a vital part of the procurement process for a hospital management team. Mattresses must meet stringent regulatory compliance, and it is best to work alongside a supplier that utilises the latest technology, materials, and processes. This way, you know with certainty that the healthcare mattresses that you are receiving have the best chance to offer robustness and quality for a long period of time. This is vital in a sector where there is heavy and consistent use of mattresses.
