alternating air mattress????do heels need to be floated

Hi! I will look into it.

Suebird

I always float heels even if they have an alternating mattress.

Not touching anything is the best treatment of all. Always float them; at least when possible.

We use boots with the two rezzies on air mattresses.

I also found some information at: http://answers.google.com/answers/threadview?id=522239

Hope this helps!

Suebird

There are actually some alternating mattresses with special heel sections. I have seen one on a DFS3 mattress, can't remember the company though...

I agree with this one! Prevention is easier than the alternative.

You should float the heels or use one of the dynamic low air loss systems that reduce the pressure below 32mm Hg on the all the bony areas. We use a mattress called the AirCell XL that reacts to the patients movements and automatically reduces the pressure to a level below the threshold for capillary closure.

We've tried over 20 mattresses over the years but have finally found one that does everything we need it to (not to mention making our assistants job a bit easier i.e. reduced turning). I think the AirCell is new but I'm not sure who makes it. According the my DON, its also very affordable (not like the Clinitron). Check into it.

And when it comes to prevention...I agree that its better to solve the problem ahead of time when possible. I know that the insurance companies tend to disagree but in reality, its both better policy and cheaper policy to stop bedsores than to treat them.