Evaluation of a new sitting concept designed for prevention of pressure ulcer on the buttock using finite element analysis

Dohyung Lim, Fang Lin, Ronald W. Hendrix, Brian Moran, Charles Fasanati, Mohsen Makhsous*

*Corresponding author for this work

Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

24 Scopus citations

Abstract

Excessive compressive load induces pressure related soft tissue damage, i.e. pressure ulcer (PU), in buttock area in wheelchair users. In solving this problem, our previous study has introduced a concept of Off-Loading sitting, which partially removes the ischial support to reduce pressure under buttocks. However, the effect of this sitting concept has only been evaluated using the interface pressure and tissue perfusion measurements. The objective of this investigation was to evaluate the Off-Loading posture for its ability to reduce internal pressure and stress in deep buttock tissues. This evaluation was performed on a 3D finite element (FE) model which was established and validated in a sitting posture and has realistic material properties and boundary conditions. FE analysis in this study confirmed that the pressure relief provided by Off-Loading posture created profound effect in reducing the mechanical stress within deep tissues. It was concluded that Off-Loading posture may prove beneficial in preventing sitting related PU.

Original languageEnglish (US)
Pages (from-to)1079-1084
Number of pages6
JournalMedical and Biological Engineering and Computing
Volume45
Issue number11
DOIs
StatePublished - Nov 2007

Funding

Acknowledgments The project was supported in part by Falk Medical Research Trust. The authors wish to thank Dr. Kenneth Shull for sharing his knowledge and experience in soft material modeling.

Keywords

  • Buttock thigh
  • Finite element analysis
  • Newsitting concept
  • Pressure ulcer
  • Wheelchair

ASJC Scopus subject areas

  • Biomedical Engineering
  • Computer Science Applications

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