Electric Underwear May Prevent Bedsores in Nursing Home Patients

Underwear designed to help prevent bed sores.

The sick, the elderly, and others who are stuck in the same position for long periods of time may suffer from bedsores, also known as pressure sores. These are injuries that occur when the skin is compressed by the body’s own weight causing circulation to shut down. The lack of circulation can lead to open wounds, which, if left untreated, can ulcerate and become serious injuries.  More than 34,000 people die from infection and other complications due to bedsores each year.
In Dallas nursing homes, nurses and staff must frequently rearrange the bodies of bed-ridden patients to prevent the formation of painful pressure sores. But there may be another solution. Scientists at the University of Calgary in British Columbia, Canada, have designed electric underpants that are designed to prevent bedsores.
The underwear were tested on 37 patients with spinal cord injuries. The underpants delivered a low-current electrical charge for ten seconds every ten minutes for 12 hours a day. The mild shocks improve circulation by jolting the patients, causing them to shift into slightly different positions with each shock. None of the patients involved in the month-long trial developed bedsores.
The next step is to determine if the underwear can prevent bedsores in other at-risk groups, including hospital patients and nursing home residents.
Nearly one-third of hospital patients and nursing home residents suffer from bedsores. Bedsores can be a sign of Texas nursing home abuse or neglect. If someone you love has been diagnosed with bedsores or pressure sores while a resident at a Texas nursing home, it is important that you contact a Dallas nursing home abuse attorney as soon as possible. Your loved one may be at risk.