Abstract：
This study aims at investigating the effects of three different wheelchair cushion technologies at the patient-wheelchair interface. To this end, eight participants were recruited to remain in an unrelieved seated position on a wheelchair successively equipped with three different cushions (foam, air-cell-based and gel), for a duration of 45 min. Interface pressure, temperature (measured with infrared thermography) and relative humidity were measured at the seat interface, at different timestamps. Experimental results show that foam cushion is significantly more efficient in reducing contact peak pressure (p < .01), while the gel cushion displays higher heat evacuation capabilities. In terms of relative humidity, no significant difference is observed among the three technologies (p > .29): all of them evacuate around only 10% of the total humidity compared to the reference situation (i.e., without cushion). Besides, a complementary numerical simulation corresponding to the steady state of the patient-wheelchair structure clearly highlights the temperature volume field at the underside of the seat, which acts like a thermal barrier and contributes to heat accumulation. Besides, an air flow at the underside of the chair in motion is shown to significantly reduce heat accumulation.
摘要：
本研究旨在研究三种不同轮椅垫技术在患者-轮椅界面上的效果。为此,招募了八名参与者，让他们在轮椅上保持不放松的坐姿，依次配备了三种不同的垫子（泡沫，基于空气电池和凝胶)，持续45分钟。接口压力,温度（用红外热成像测量）和相对湿度在座椅界面测量，在不同的时间戳。实验结果表明，泡沫垫在降低接触峰值压力方面显着更有效（p<0.01），而凝胶垫显示出较高的散热能力。在相对湿度方面,在这三种技术之间没有观察到显着差异（p>.29）：与参考情况相比，所有这些技术都仅疏散了总湿度的10％左右（即，没有垫子)。此外,与患者-轮椅结构的稳态相对应的互补数值模拟清楚地突出了座椅下侧的温度体积场，它就像一个热障，有助于热量的积累。此外,在运动中的椅子的下侧的空气流动显示出显着减少热量积累。
