Innovative Treatment Bed Helps Prevent Bedsores

An innovative new patient bed imitates the movements of a healthy person during sleep, thereby preventing bedridden patients from developing bedsores (decubitus ulcers).

Developed by a researcher at the Swiss Federal Laboratories for Materials Science and Technology (EMPA; Duebendorf), the bed is based on a monitoring system that logs the patient's movements and initiates a repositioning operation when needed, using a special mattress which lies on a flexible slatted frame made of materials whose properties can be modified as required. This also reduces the strain on health care professionals of the necessity of frequently turning patients in the bed.


The joint-free mechanisms and a low-maintenance bed support system consist of only a few individual parts, contributing to the low costs of the manufacture of the bed system. An additional advantage is that existing bed frames can be retrofitted with the new slatted bed-frame and mattress combination. The prototype flexible bed was tested at the Paraplegic Center Nottwil (Switzerland) using a pressure sensitive mattress to determine critical regions for the development of decubitus ulcers, and so optimize the mattress motion control system.

“We were determined not to lose sight of the wishes of both patients and healthcare personnel even for a moment,” said inventor of the bed Michael Sauter, PhD, and CEO of Compliant Concept (Duebendorf, Switzerland), a spin-off company of EMPA and ETH Zurich (Switzerland) formed to market the bed. “It is very important to have feedback from the people who are going to be using the new system on a daily basis. This includes not just the patients and the nursing staff but also the technical personnel and cleaning teams.”

“A new nursing bed only has a chance of becoming established if all the people involved in its use are convinced of its advantages over conventional beds. This is not just a question of how “practical” it is to use; future success also depends on seemingly unimportant details such as how easy it is to clean,” added Dr. Sauter. “We have already evaluated the feedback we received and this will be taken into account in the further development of the system.”

Related Links:
Swiss Federal Laboratories for Materials Science and Technology
ETH Zurich
Compliant Concept