PDF(Pubmed)
Abstract：
As today\'s society ages, age-related diseases become more frequent. One very common but yet preventable disease is the development of pressure ulcers (PUs). PUs can occur if tissue is exposed to a long-lasting pressure load, e.g., lying on tissue without turning. The cure of PUs requires intensive care, especially for the elderly or people with preexisting conditions whose tissue needs longer healing times. The consequences are heavy suffering for the patient and extreme costs for the health care system. To avoid these consequences, our objective is to develop a pressure ulcer prophylaxis device. For that, we built a new sensor system able to monitor the pressure load and tissue vital signs in immediate local proximity at patient\'s predilection sites. In the clinical study, we found several indicators showing correlations between tissue perfusion and the risk of PU development, including strongly reduced SpO2 levels in body tissue prior to a diagnosed PU. Finally, we propose a prophylaxis system that allows for the prediction of PU developments in early stages before they become visible. This work is the first step in generating an effective system to warn patients or caregivers about developing PUs and taking appropriate preventative measures. Widespread application could reduce patient suffering and lead to substantial cost savings.
摘要：
随着当今社会的老龄化,与年龄有关的疾病变得更加频繁。一种非常常见但仍可预防的疾病是压力性溃疡（PU）的发展。如果组织暴露于持久的压力负荷，则可能会发生PU，例如，躺在组织上没有转动。治疗PU需要重症监护，特别是对于老年人或具有先前存在的疾病的人，其组织需要更长的愈合时间。后果是患者遭受沉重的痛苦，医疗保健系统的成本极高。为了避免这些后果,我们的目标是开发一种压疮预防装置。为此，我们建立了一个新的传感器系统，能够监测压力负荷和组织的生命体征在病人的好发部位的局部附近。在临床研究中,我们发现了几个指标显示组织灌注与PU发展风险之间的相关性，包括在诊断PU之前，身体组织中的SpO2水平大大降低。最后,我们提出了一种预防系统，可以在早期阶段预测PU的发展。这项工作是建立一个有效的系统来警告患者或护理人员关于开发PU并采取适当预防措施的第一步。广泛的应用可以减少患者的痛苦并导致大量的成本节约。
