An active seating system for prevention of pressure sores

A pressure management and relief system has been developed for use by wheelchairbound individuals who are at risk of developing pressure sores. This system can be used in passive or active form, depending on an individual's requirement for pressure management and relief. The active seat uses vacuum and pressure in combination with an open-cell-foam-based cushion to perform pressure relief. Testing methods for the system were studied and developed. These methods allow a controlled and precise testing of seating systems. Prototype systems have also been produced and tested. Experimental equipment and data are presented to support performance claims. Prototypes of both active and passive systems have also been tested in a pilot clinical study to assess their effectiveness. Results from this study are presented.

Department dc:contributor.department

Massachusetts Institute of Technology. Department of Mechanical Engineering

Grantor dc:publisher

Massachusetts Institute of Technology

Year dc:date.issued

1997

Author dc:creator

• Buchacoff, Gustavo Y. (Gustavo Yehezkel)

Advisor dc:contributor.advisor

• Woodie C. Flowers.

• Mechanical Engineering

Statement dc:rights

• M.I.T. theses are protected by copyright. They may be viewed from this source for any purpose, but reproduction or distribution in any format is prohibited without written permission. See provided URL for inquiries about permission.

Licence dc:rights.uri

• http://dspace.mit.edu/handle/1721.1/7582

Language dc:language.iso

eng

Handle dc:identifier.uri

http://hdl.handle.net/1721.1/43599

OAI identifier oai:identifier

oai:dspace.mit.edu:1721.1/43599