Article

OBJECTIVE: To assess the efficacy of an off-loading wheelchair seat cushion in
removing pressure from high-risk ischial tuberosities and the coccyx/sacrum in
wheelchair sitting. DESIGN: Repeated-measures design. SETTING: Private research
laboratory. PARTICIPANTS: Manual wheelchair users with chronic spinal cord
injuries (N=10). INTERVENTIONS: Three configurations of an off-loading wheelchair
seat cushion compared with a flotation style (10-cm air inflation) wheelchair
seat cushion. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: Outcome measures included peak pressure
index (PPI), ischial tuberosity peak pressures, and the dispersion index or ratio
of pressures under the ischial and sacral regions to the total of all pressures
recorded. RESULTS: PPI and ischial tuberosities peak pressure ranged from a low
of 39+/-18 and 68+/-46mmHg in the fully off-loaded cushion to a high of 97+/-30
and 106+/-34mmHg, respectively, for the flotation style cushion (2-way analysis
of variance main effect across 4 conditions, P<.001). Dispersion index ranged
from a low of 8%+/-3% in the fully off-loaded cushion to a high of 16%+/-3% in
the flotation style cushion. Pairwise comparisons yielded significance in all
cushion-pair analyses (P<.05 after multiple corrections). CONCLUSIONS: The
force-removal approach of this orthotic off-loading cushion design effectively
reduces a known extrinsic risk factor for pressure ulcers-interface pressure-in
the high-risk ischial tuberosity and sacral/coccygeal regions of the buttocks.
CI - Copyright (c) 2016 American Congress of Rehabilitation Medicine. Published by
Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Langue : ANGLAIS