抄録
In order to examine the properties of sheepskin for prevention of pressure ulcer, experimental works were carried out using 8 type sheepskin specimens. Applied pressure to sacral region, namely contact pressure, and tissue blood flow in sacral skin of subjects who were stationary state in the dorsal decubitus on the sheepskin specimens were measured at the same time for 40 min with the apparatus equipped with an air-pack type pressure sensor and a Laser-Doppler tissue blood flow meter. Individual average contact pressures obtained from sheep skin specimens put directly on the blank mattress were distributed in wide range of 4.65 kPa to 14.84 kPa, and individual average tissue blood flows were recorded in range of 0.69ml/100ml/min to 2.60ml/100ml/min. Furthermore, the contact pressures decreased considerably and blood flows increased as the surface fiber weight increased from 1330 g/m2 to 1600 g/m2. On the other hand, in case of the polyurethane mattress developed for prevention of pressure ulcer was overlaid with sheepskin specimen, contact pressures remarkable reduced and standard deviations of blood flow indicated large values. Thus we concluded that overlaying sheepskin on the preventive mattresses of pressure ulcer such as polyurethane mattress is one of the effective measures from a viewpoint of prevention of pressure ulcer.
