Efficacy of hand made silicone gel cushion in interface pressure reduction.

ABSTRACT

Objective: The purpose of the study was to evaluate the performance of two low cost hand-made silicone gel cushions designed for low income communities, called Silicone 1 and Silicone 2. Methods: Two silicone gel cushions were made with the same formula. The barrier surrounding of the Silicone 1 and the Silicone 2 were cross-linked poly-dimethylsiloxane (PDMS) and a polypropylene plastic bag respectively. Their pressure reducing characteristics were compared with the Reston® gel cushion now used in the Siriraj Hospital. A sample of 17 healthy volunteers tested the three cushions to evaluate the peak interface pressure in supine, semi-Fowler, lateral bending and sitting positions. All of the subjects are blinded to the types of the cushion. Results: It was shown that the peak interface pressures decreased significantly after the cushions were applied between the subjects and the standard hospital mattress in supine and lateral bending positions and between the subjects and wheelchair seat in sitting position. In semi-Fowler, only the Silicone 1 could reduce the peak pressure significantly (P< 0.05). Multiple comparison by Bonferrini test showed that in supine position both silicone gel cushions could significantly reduce peak interface pressure better than Reston® cushion (P<0.05), but there was no statistical difference between the two hand-made silicone cushions. There was no significant difference in peak interface pressure between these three cushions in semi-Fowler, lateral bending and sitting positions. Conclusion: Based on these findings, we concluded that the most advantageous cushion was the hand made silicone cushion covered with cross-linked PDMS.