Progressa® intensive care unit (ICU) bed system, featuring StayInPlace™ technology that addresses needs of patient's body when seated or partially seated, is used to treat and prevent immobility complications. As patient sits up, bed extends to provide continuous support and address migration. Data collection technology is integrated, and different therapeutic surfaces are available to help treat and protect skin breakdown. Frame allows for configurations from flat bed to full chair position.

This week Hill-Rom (NYSE: HRC) is featuring the Progressa® bed system, the next generation of intensive care unit (ICU) bed systems, at the American Organization of Nurse Executives (AONE) annual meeting in Orlando, Fla. The Progressa bed system is a therapeutic system designed to treat and prevent complications of immobility. It features a state-of-the-art design that supports treatment goals and was engineered to help address patient migration via its StayInPlace(TM) technology.

"Addressing mobility needs and protecting patients from adverse events, such as pressure ulcers, are major challenges for critical care nurses," says Melissa Fitzpatrick, RN, MSN, FAAN, Vice President and Chief Clinical Officer at Hill-Rom. "We've worked closely with nursing experts to pioneer clinical practices, programs and products like the Progressa bed system that leverage technology to enable therapy delivery while easing the lifting and repositioning burden that can cause harm to nurses."

Patients at Risk of Complications, Caregivers at Risk for Injuries
The Progressa bed system's exclusive StayInPlace technology is a major advance in addressing the needs of a patient's body when seated or partially seated. When moving from lying down to an upright position, a patient's body naturally elongates. In a traditional bed, the result is increased pressure on the lower back and a tendency to "migrate" toward the foot of the bed. The Progressa bed system is the first and only bed to actually extend along with the patient when moving from lying to sitting. As the patient sits up, the bed extends, providing continuous support and addressing migration.

"We've all seen patients who slide down to the foot of the bed, and then you have to get two or three staff members to help pull the patient up," says Bette Idemoto, PhD, RN, Clinical Nurse Specialist in the surgical intensive care unit at University Hospitals Case Medical Center in Cleveland, Ohio. "The StayInPlace technology is one of the features that is helpful both for the patient and particularly for the nursing staff because they don't constantly have to move the patient back up in the bed."

A nurse lifts an average of 1.8 tons over the course of a single shift, which creates a risk for career-limiting and debilitating injuries that are costly to treat. The injuries sustained by nurses contribute to billions in preventable costs for the health care system.

Addressing a Paradox: The Need for Mobility While Immobile
More than five million patients spend time in the ICU each year and virtually all are at risk for potentially life-threatening complications. These complications range from skin pressure ulcers, to ventilator-associated pneumonia, to muscle loss, with patients losing as much as five percent of their muscle mass every seven days. Research shows that early and progressive mobility helps mitigate these risks.

Using advanced technology and design, the Progressa bed system helps prevent and treat some of the most serious skin and lung complications. The system has features that help actively support evidence-based early mobility protocols.

Source:Hill-Rom