Journal Articles

Pressure redistribution in the ambulance: is this possible?

Share this article

Pressure redistribution in the ambulance: is this possible?

David Barella, Fiona Downie
12 September 2021

In the UK, NHS ambulance services respond to 999 emergency calls for patients who have fallen and are unable to get up unaided. The mean ambulance response time for Category 3 calls has been identified as 90 minutes from call to attendance (Nuffield Trust, 2020). Therefore, in some cases fall patients can remain on hard surfaces for long periods of time, which can put a patient already at high-risk for developing a pressure ulcer (PU) at an even higher risk. A standard ambulance trolley mattress is constructed of inner foam and a tough outer material able to withstand constant cleaning and it must be stable and suitable for cardiopulmonary resuscitation while the ambulance is stationary or on the move. The standard ambulance trolley mattress is less than ideal for the use with patients at risk of PUs who are being transported to hospital. This review explores the potential benefits of using an alternative pressure redistributing support surface on a standard ambulance service trolley.

Free for all healthcare professionals

Sign up to the Wounds Group journals





By clicking ‘Subscribe’, you are agreeing that the Wounds Group are able to email you periodic newsletters. You may unsubscribe from these at any time. Your info is safe with us and we will never sell or trade your details. For information please review our privacy policy.

Are you a healthcare professional? This website is for healthcare professionals only. To continue, please confirm that you are a healthcare professional below.

We use cookies responsibly to ensure that we give you the best experience on our website. If you continue without changing your browser settings, we’ll assume that you are happy to receive all cookies on this website. Read about how we use cookies.

I am not a healthcare professional.