Lateral Rotation Mattresses | Turning Mattress

What is a Lateral Rotation Mattress?

A lateral rotation bed is meant to help those with complete (or almost complete) immobility to have a system that provides total pressure redistribution when necessary. Paraplegic users, for instance, find these mattresses to be ideal. They allow air redistribution to help caregivers and medical personnel bilaterally rotate their patients. As briefly mentioned above, it combines both low air loss and alternating pressure relief into one convenient air mattress for turning patients on a regular basis. 

There are many people who can benefit from lateral rotation air mattresses. While some people may consider them for medical advancements, they’re much more common in use for home hospital beds and are a more suitable option to help alleviate pressure sores for at-home patients. Some people who are known to benefit from a turning mattress are: 

•         Paraplegic patients
•         Users with multiple sclerosis, cerebral palsy, or muscular dystrophy.
•         Those suffering from ALS (Lou Gehrig’s Disease).
•         Those who have traumatic brain and/or spinal cord injuries.
•         Elderly patients with degenerative disk disease or simply those who live with immobility.
•         Sufferers of extreme rheumatoid arthritis.
• Those who suffer from the rare autoimmune disorder known as Guillain-Barré (pronounced “gee-YAH-buh-RAY”) syndrome, which paralyzes the entire body as their immune system attacks their nerves.

Benefits of Lateral Rotation Hospital Beds

There are many benefits to using a lateral rotation mattress. Using a lateral rotation alternating pressure mattress for numerous medical and home use applications has been proven to improve quality of life as well as increase comfort in those who are unable to move. Even medical studies have shown that a slowly rocking bed (due to a continual lateral rotation system by itself) can provide more pain relief than that of a wedge positioning in hospital environments (University of Iowa Health Center, 2016). Other benefits of lateral rotation mattresses are: 

Increased Circulation and Blood Flow

The low air loss and alternating pressure functionality of a lateral rotation mattress improves blood flow throughout the body and promotes circulation. This helps to not only enhance the quality of life throughout the atrophied limbs (as this naturally occurs with permanently bedridden patients) but also provides comfort and reduces the inflammation that causes more pain and discomfort for the patient. Using lateral rotation with our hospital beds, one can know that a patient or loved one’s entire body is getting the oxygen-rich blood it needs to thrive. 

Improved Organ Vitality

Partially due to the improved circulation as well as the rotation of the body itself, a bed-bound person’s internal organs can benefit from continuous rotation treatment as well as lateral air loss. The human body was not meant to remain completely stationary, and by moving the patient at regular intervals, blood flow to the organs is increased and organ function is more likely to remain steady. Since completely immobilized patients cannot move their bodies to achieve this, bilateral rotation therapy is the only way to meet this need. 

Reduction and Prevention of Pressure-Related Wounds

Low loss air pressure and alternating pressure have been proven to help reduce pressure ulcers and bedsores associated with continuous bed rest. Using lateral rotation mattresses for wound healing is an acceptable and tested method of aiding those who cannot move, and also of preventing these pressure sores in the first place. When a patient is completely paralyzed or unable to move around in bed, having a rotation mattress is the best way to prevent sores from occurring. This further serves to eliminate additional health problems that may occur if a patient cannot be rotated and repositioned on a regular basis. 

Programmable Treatments

Many turning mattress systems have programmable features that the caregiver or medical staff can program into them. This allows the patient to be turned at regular intervals as frequently as possible, based on their individual needs. By using a lateral rotation bed, one can ensure that their patient is being turned appropriately, more times a day if need be, so they can get the most benefits from it. 

Less Strenuous Work for Caregivers

Another great benefit of a rotation mattress is that caregivers can receive significant help from using them with their home-care or medical facility patient. When used in conjunction with a full-electric bed or even a semi-electric bed, the caregiver has ultimate control on how the patient can be positioned and how their bodies can be elevated or rotated at specific intervals. Further, these practices lower the chances of their patients of having more health problems, and pressure sores. This combination can make a caregiver’s job much easier, enabling them to spend more time catering to the finer details of patient care with as few complications as possible. It can also help to give caregivers a break in terms of physical strain that they have to endure when continuously repositioning and rotating their patients. 

Are Lateral Rotation Mattresses Expensive?

These mattresses are considered to be the best when it comes to providing both types of air mattress systems in one unit. Therefore, yes – they are on the more expensive side, especially if they are purchased with a blow power unit instead of a simple regular air compressor. But with all of the health benefits that come with these models and the thousands of dollars that would be saved in intensive care costs by not using one, this investment is more than worth it to most homecare users. Lateral rotation mattresses can cost as little as $2977, and be as expensive as almost $11,000; depending on the model you choose. 

Take care of your loved one or your patients with the most comfortable care that only a lateral rotation mattress can provide! Our turning mattresses are made by the best manufacturers in the US, and are shipped free within 24-hours after you place your purchase! If there are any questions you’d like to ask before placing your order, don’t hesitate to give our customer representatives a call at 1-877-813-7799 during business hours. Additionally, you can always send an email and a representative will get back to you as promptly as possible!

References:

¹ 2016 Nursing Annual Report, p.15, University of Iowa Healthcare, https://uihc.org/sites/default/files/nursing_annual_report_2016_0.pdf