Our Objective

The aim of our design project is to prevent deep tissue injury (DTI) in patients with spinal cord injuries. Often it is seen that the patients suffering from paraplegia and quadriplegia have deep tissue injuries. Deep tissue injuries can result in the development of severe pressure ulcers, which lead to damage in the muscles, surrounding tissue, and bones. What makes DTI’s such a serious condition is that this injury in many cases goes undetected by the paralyzed patient due to lack of sensation. Thus, the group decided to find a solution to decrease the occurrence of deep tissue injuries.

 Most often it is seen that an individual who suffers from paraplegia remains in the same upright position for a long time. This build-up of pressure in the individuals’ body, is the primary cause of DTI’s. Hence, through research the group attempted to find a preventative solution for this problem. After determining the value at which the pressure in an individuals’ gluteus maximus region becomes detrimental to the individual, the amount of pressure that will initiates the process of tissue deterioration, the group purposed the design of a portable pressure sensing seat cushion to help decrease the build-up of destructive pressure. The main function of the seat will be to sense the accumulation of pressure at different regions of the seat in real time and ultimately alert the patients or patients’ care giver in an attempt to reduce the occurrence of deep tissue injuries.