Task Leader(s): Kath Bogie, D.Phil

Co-Investigator: Greg Nemunaitis, MD, Melvin Mehia MD

Project Overview

A pilot study to determine the effects of passive weight shifting on pressure ulcer risk factors will be carried out using a repeated measure longitudinal study design. A total of 15 wheelchair users with complete spinal cord injury (SCI) will be recruited for this study. Tissue health will be assessed at three month intervals during the 18 month period of study participation.

Project Objective(s)

The specific aim of this project is to evaluate the effects of passive weight-shifting produced by an active pressure relief cushion on pressure ulcer risk factors.

Expected Findings and Deliverables

We anticipate that this research will enhance our understanding of the relative impact of passive and dynamic weight-shifting on pressure ulcer risk factors. This effort will generate several papers to be published in multidisciplinary fields, including clinical rehabilitation, biomedical engineering, physiology and technology. In addition in order to disseminate to professionals in the field, our findings will be presented at national and international meetings including the annual conferences of the American Paraplegia Society (APS) and the International Spinal Cord Society (ISCoS). It is further anticipated that our initial evaluations will be leveraged as preliminary data for larger scale clinical studies of weight-shifting devices. The potential for developing new devices and systems will also be explored.

Project Updates

• Two study participants have been recruited and baseline assessments have been completed. They are currently using the cushion and will be returning for their first intervention assessments.
• Two further subjects have been recruited and will be scheduled for baseline assessments.
• We are collecting tissue health data using the established laboratory protocol developed by our Skin Care Research Team (SCRT) at the Cleveland DVAMC. This standard assessment is followed by assessment of tissue blood flow using laser Doppler flowmetry.
• A poster on the study was presented at the MetroHealth Research Festival, Cleveland OH on September 25th, 2008