Researchers develop technique to prevent bed sores

VANCOUVER, BC - Researchers at Vancouver General Hospital and Vancouver Coastal Health Research Institute are studying whether a simple manoeuver can improve the well-being of long-term care residents by preventing bed sores.

The study, known as The Big Squeeze, examines whether releasing the trunk of the patient’s body away from the hospital bed mattress could be an effective preventative tool for bed-bound patients who are at risk of developing these sometimes fatal sores.

The research team is now seeking more study participants -- healthy individuals aged 60 years and up -- to verify their preliminary results and further inform their research.

“We have been delighted with the preliminary results so far,” said Guylaine Desharnais, occupational therapist with Vancouver Coastal Health and investigator in the study. “This intervention is simple and cost-effective. Above all, we are hoping that by eliminating the pressure in the trunk -- or the Big Squeeze -- we can significantly improve the comfort and quality of life for seniors as well as for others who are bed-bound.”

Older adults with complex care needs -- as well as people with limited mobility due to spinal cord injuries -- tend to spend long periods of time in bed each day. Bedsores, also known as pressure ulcers, are a common complication. Difficult to treat and heal, bedsores can lead to infections that are sometimes fatal.

“An individual may need to spend three months or longer immobile,” said Dr. Bill Miller, co-lead investigator in the study and associate professor, Department of Occupational Science and Occupational Therapy, UBC Faculty of Medicine and research scientist with VCH Research Institute. “Additionally the cost of a pressure ulcer to the health care system ranges from $2,500 to $12,500 depending on the severity of the wound. But that only includes the direct cost to the health care system. Given that the prevalence of pressure sores in health care settings is as high as 30 per cent, this is a significant cost.”

The repeated motion of sitting up in a bed generates pressure and shearing forces over the buttocks. Shearing occurs when friction holds the skin in place against the mattress and gravity pulls the body down towards the foot of the bed. As the skin is stretched, the blood vessels within the tissues become distorted, leading to the development of a pressure ulcer or bed sore.

In developing the Big Squeeze study, researchers used a computerized pressure mapping system to generate an image that showed the magnitude and distribution of pressure forces through a colour grid. The team then observed that by simply using a bed sheet to move the patient’s upper trunk of their body away from the mattress, the high pressure consistently dropped and comfort was restored.

“In residential care, the prevalence for pressure ulcers can be very high and, in fact, may lead to death. Therefore research to prevent these ulcers is crucial to ensure quality of life in this group of older and often forgotten individuals,” said Miller. “We hope to have more study volunteers to participate in this important research.

Study volunteers should contact Guylaine Desharnais at 604-875-4203.

The Big Squeeze study is funded with a grant from Vancouver Coastal Health Research Institute and the VGH & UBC Hospital Foundation.

VCH is responsible for the delivery of $2.9 billion in community, hospital and residential care to more than one million people in communities, including Richmond, Vancouver, the North Shore, Sunshine Coast, Sea to Sky corridor, Powell River, Bella Bella and Bella Coola.

Vancouver Coastal Health Research Institute is the research body of Vancouver Coastal Health, which includes BC’s largest academic and teaching health sciences centres: Vancouver General Hospital, UBC Hospital, and GF Strong Rehabilitation Centre. The Institute is academically affiliated with UBC Faculty of Medicine, and is one of Canada’s top funded research centres, with $102 million in total research funding for 2008/2009.

Note to editors: Demonstration of the technique and the pressure mapping system is available upon request.

Media ContactVancouver Coastal Health
Trudi Beutel
Public Affairs Officer
Phone: 604-708-5282
Cell: 604-812-1847
Trudi.Beutel@vch.ca