A new design of an alternating-pressure air cushion

In this study, a new alternating-pressure air cushion (APAC) is designed and fabricated to render, for pressure ulcer prevention, a sufficient rest for the skin tissue in contact with the user´s body pressure. The APAC designed comprises six cylindrical air bags and conforms to human factors or ergonomics. The inflation/ deflation system adopts a microcontroller IC chip to drive the pump and four associated electromagnetic valves. The software code renders a full control on the system parameters, such as the period, inflation duration, deflation duration, air-withholding duration, and so on, to enable the user to adjust or readjust the parameters so as to achieve an optimal status for his or her most satisfactory comfort while using the proposed device. The actual field tests indicate that the proposed system, indeed, exhibits a significant effect in reducing pressure for pressure ulcer prevention and treatment.