Franz Morat unveils innovative system for repositioning bedridden patients
For bedridden individuals, everything revolves around the correct resting position in the bed. The position must be adjusted to match each individual patient and their physical condition. This means the patient’s position in the bed must be changed regularly to take pressure off of areas of the patient’s body and to prevent pressure sores.
The Franz Morat Group has recently launched a new product designed to make the repositioning easier for caregivers and more comfortable for the patient.
“When you use this system, it only takes one caregiver to reposition the patient and the process can be done in a way that is easier on the patient’s body,” said Holger Kuster, who leads the Development & Design department at Framo Morat.
In addition, it is easier for the caregiver to interact with the patient and attend to the patient’s needs during the repositioning process. As a result, bedridden persons will feel safer, while ensuring comfortable and dignified treatment at the same time.
It only takes a few steps to get the system up and running. The system can be used with a wide variety of hospital-style beds. Once the system has been positioned at the foot of the bed and the supporting device is extended, the winding shafts are extended and positioned parallel to the edges of the bed. A loop-and-hook fastening system is used to attach a highly tearresistant special bedsheet to the winding shafts. Rotating the winding shafts in the opposite direction securely fastens the bedsheet and the patient is lifted. The standard version of the system was designed to have a load capacity of up to 120 kg body weight per patient. Kuster says that it is possible to scale the system for higher load capacities.
Thanks to the intuitive operation, predefined positions allow the patient to be repositioned comfortably to the 30° position, which is often recommended to prevent pressure sores. To achieve this, the turning mechanism has a tilting feature that is used to position the winding shafts at different heights. This makes patient repositioning very gentle and easy on the patient’s body. In addition, the 135° prone position can be selected to ventilate the dorsal pulmonary areas or in the event of dorsal injuries. A 180° turn, such as in a monitored intensive care unit, can be executed within a few seconds by significantly fewer staff.
The interface using the bedsheet ensures compatibility with a variety of beds. As a result, each facility or ward requires only one system, which can be set up as an autonomous unit. The repositioning system also as an option to weigh patients.
The system is expected to enter the market soon and the company says they are currently looking for partners.
