Innovations for In-Bed Patient Care During the Pandemic

Jitka Stranska, Managing Director LINET MEA

Over the last year, we have witnessed an extreme burden on healthcare professionals and healthcare systems as well as an increased demand for sufficient quality and quantity of medical equipment. As a manufacturer and an innovator, we were pleased to be able to cover the surge in demand for hospital beds and ensure both a temporary and permanent expansion and improvement of the bed capacity throughout our region. Advanced LINET technologies have proven their strength during the current coronavirus pandemic.

Pulmonary Complications Prevention

Our invention – bed-framed lateral tilt and especially the Automatic Lateral Therapy smart function, which tilts the bed to the sides automatically (+/- 30°) in predefined cycles, is used to prevent ARDS. The effect of Automatic Lateral Therapy (ALT) on the Multicare bed is through the promotion of ventilation distribution. The safe and radiation-free “Continuous, Individualized Ventilation Care” is based on a combination of frame-based lateral tilt and Electrical Impedance Tomography.

Hands-Free Lateral Tilt

Lateral tilt also has many uses in routine nursing tasks that nurses perform many times per shift. Tilting will help the nurse turn the patient sideways without exertion. A simple procedure facilitates hygiene, positioning, and basic examinations. Another great advantage, especially during the increased hygienic demands is the hands-free tilt adjustment. This eliminates unnecessary contact with the surface of the bed and, conversely, the nurse has her hands free for full concentration on nursing procedures. The ability to tilt the mattress platform also enables easier and safer side -mobilization of the patient even in the very early stages of the recovery.

Prone Nursing in Combination With ALT

A combination of bed-framed lateral tilt positioning options and programmed ALT cycles can be used for ventilated patients to boost the effects of prone nursing. COVID-19 patients with ARDS are often placed in the prone position to improve oxygenation and survival. Prone position, in which the patient lies on his abdomen, allows better blood circulation and ventilation of the dorsal lung regions. Gravity makes it easier to aspirate secretions and permits better gas exchange in both lungs. Rotation in repeated cycles within Automatic Lateral Therapy helps to further increase these effects.

Positioning patients in the prone position is very challenging. The main condition is the safety of the intubated patient. At the same time, turning requires great physical demands and therefore the involvement of a large team. With the use of lateral tilt, it is possible to turn the patient safely and gently in just a few steps using fewer members of the treatment team.

Our goal is to involve the beds in the recovery process as much as possible and to strengthen the effects of the therapy. We have been providing health professionals with long-term educational programs aimed at maximizing the technological advantages of LINET beds and their practical applications in nursing procedures and we want to share the details and our real-life experiences with you.

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