Mayflower Medical Feed

Infection Control For Mattress Covers

Mayflower Medical — Tue, 25 Jan 2011 13:31:54 +0000

Mattress covers can be damaged at any time which can allow body or other fluids to contaminate the inner mattress core. This can result in the potential source of contamination. The MHRA released a safety poster to help raise awareness of damaged mattress covers and associated interior mattress contamination.

- Inspect the exterior surface of each mattress

- Remove the cover and inspect its surface and the mattress
core for staining and contamination

- Safely dispose of any covers showing signs of damage or
staining

-          Arrange for contaminated mattress cores to be cleaned and
           decontaminated in accordance with the manufacturer’s
           instructions or safely disposed of.

- Ensure that a frequent inspection regime is established for all
mattresses.

Improved Safety & Infection Control

For superior levels of infection control and anti bacterial protection all Therawave ™ pressure mattresses are equipped with Dermagrade ™ BIO clinical mattress covers as standard. The latest development in medical fabric technology, Dermagrade ™ covers enable easier cleaning and optimum hygiene while meeting the toughest safety standards.

- Anti Bacterial/ Anti Viral / Anti Allergenic properties – with clinically proven resistance to MRSA

- RF High Frequency welded seams – preventing fluid ingress and core contamination for superior
protection

- Can be washed and dried at 95°C, vapour sterilisable for effective decontamination

- Patented quick release cover system for faster and easier cover removal and cleaning

- Biocompatible - Clinically tested against skin sensitivity

- Fire retardant to BS7175 crib test 5 UK standards

- VDV chamber suitable

- Dry cleanable

Healing a Grade 4 Pressure Ulcer - Client Story

Mayflower Medical — Tue, 21 Dec 2010 17:33:24 +0000

In certain care scenarios providing pressure care to vulnerable patients can be extremely challenging due to individual patient requirements and a wide range of extrinsic factors.

High risk users can also be at greater risk from pressure induced discomfort and can also be highly sensitive to the surfaces they rest on. All these issues can affect comfort levels, wound/ulcer healing rates, and patient well being.

Sarah Collard director and RGN at Mountbatton Nursing Home had a very high risk patient who was immobile, and had been suffering from a grade 4 pressure ulcer. Sarah had previously used other replacement mattresses and found that they just didn’t provide her patient with enough support or comfort levels. She had great success with the Therawave 8 Plus mattress once before, and due to the mattress’s multi user functionality she felt it was the perfect therapy surface for her patient.

This was what she had to say…..

“Having just purchased our 2^nd therawave 8 mattress from you I wish to give you feedback on the superiority of this product and the success we have achieved using it.

A patient we nurse had a severe Grade 4 ulcer on the sacral area, completely bed bound, quadriplegic, and for medical reasons unable to be nursed on his side. This sore with the use of dressings and your mattress healed completely within a few months, a great feat given the severity of the sore.

The Tri-Phase therapy cycle gives much better support and stability especially to some of the more sturdy residents. I would not hesitate in recommending this product and would purchase for the home in the future”

The Therawave 8 Plus is designed to allow care givers to provide individualised pressure care therapy to all patient types. Adding to it’s effectiveness, the Therawave 8 Plus also features an advanced Triphase Therapy function that is designed to provide greater support, stability, and comfort levels to very high risk users.

Skin Climate Control - AeroVent™ Technology

Mayflower Medical — Tue, 21 Dec 2010 17:32:49 +0000

Managing Patient Skin and Temperature: Aerovent Technology

A patient's skin can be weakend by excess moisture and overheating. The risks of damaging friction and forces can also be increased by the presence of excess moisture.

If factors that weaken a patient's skin can be controlled then the skin of the patient can be more resistant to pressure ulcers. Effectove low air loss technology mattresses function by releasing air flow from the supporting air cells under the patient, this air flow removes excess moisture and heat and can help improve clinical conditions.

Low air loss technology systems must take the following factors into account to be effective.

- The sources of excess moisture and temperature
- The quantity of excess moisture produced
- The elevation of skin temperature
- Air flow available for managing these excesses
- The ability of the support surface to effectivley use the air flow to remove the excess moisture and heat.

ref: Maintaining Appropriate Skin Moisture and Temperatire of a patient: A Biomedical Engineering Overview, E.Flam, L.I Raab

3M™ Clean-Trace™ Clinical Hygiene Monitoring

Mayflower Medical — Tue, 21 Dec 2010 17:32:18 +0000

In recent years, there has been an increased focus on the ability of hospitals to demonstrate that they operate to the highest possible standards of hygiene. Being able to demonstrate that cleaning regimes are effective plays a pivotal role in this process. Visual assessment of cleanliness has always played an important role, however more recently there has been an increasing need for a more sensitive quantitative approach.

3M™ Clean-Trace™ Clinical ATP Tests help assess standards of hygiene and cleaning procedures by measuring the amount of adenosine tri-phosphate (ATP) in a sample. The systems indicate overall biological contamination including microbiological and product residues for a fuller picture of the hygienic status of surfaces and equipment.

The only ATP system with a Department of Health

Rapid Review Panel Level 1 recommendation.