New research indicates Wellsense’s MAP system improves patient outcomes for those at risk for pressure ulcers, according to results published in WOUNDS. 

The study, “A Continuous Bedside Pressure Mapping System for Prevention of Pressure Ulcer Development in the ICU: A Retrospective Analysis” involved intensive care patients being monitored over two months. Only one out of 307 patients being monitored developed a pressure ulcer, compared to 16 in the control group.

“Patient repositioning to offload high-pressure areas is an essential component of pressure ulcer prevention for bed-bound patients,” said lead investigator Aamir Siddiqui, M.D., Division Head of Plastic Surgery at Henry Ford Hospital in Detroit.  “In most settings, the quantity and quality of offloading and repositioning are difficult to measure but real-time continuous bedside pressure mapping unblinds caregivers to be able to see instant pressure distribution data and then off-load pressure accordingly.”

The M.A.P’s pressure sensing mat allows caregivers to see pressure across a patient’s body on a monitor, using a color scheme for high (red) to low (blue) pressure points.