PRS Medical | PURAP Bedsore Mattress Pad - Pressure Sore Prevention & Treatment - Pressure Relief Fluid 3D Flotation Technology - 38 x 12 x 3 inches

For the past three months, my father - who is incontinent and spends most of the day reclining in bed - has suffered from on-going pressure ulcers and skin tears on his sacral area. His skin first broke after sitting in a chair for a few hours on the advice of his visiting nurse: that this would help him recover after a stay in the hospital. Before this, his skin was pristine and we were ignorant and innocent about how insidious and persistent pressure ulcers could be.When we discovered the initial wound - a small, shallow tear - the medical advice we received was to turn him every two hours. We did this scrupulously as was demonstrated to us. The result: after two days of turning, his initial wound grew and deepened and new skin breakage spots emerged on both sides of his buttocks. Lying at a tilt for even a couple of hours at a time created new pressure points that his skin couldn't tolerate.We covered his wounds with hydrocolloidal dressings, "secured" in place with transparent dressings on top. The wounds would heal somewhat, but the dressings inevitably and frequently slipped off his skin from friction against the bed, and there would be a multitude of new skin tears as the dressing was rubbed off his fragile skin. The dressing being pulled off the wounds by friction required frequent dressing changes - which further aggravated the situation. It was so frustrating, because these dressings helped to an extent, but could not adhere properly and seemed to create new wounds at the same time, and they were so expensive. Over ten weeks, I spent a few hundred dollars out-of-pocket for these dressings.I also tried expensive ointments. I bought an alternating air mattress overlay, which - even on the lowest soft setting - created new pressure red spots all over his back and legs. I also tried another gel mattress overlay: the lumpy surface disoriented my father and did nothing to help the pressure ulcers. These didn't work for us at all.So, we were trapped in this painful, costly, frustrating cycle of pressure ulcers. As soon as one healed, two new ones would seem to pop up. Whatever solutions we were offered seemed to aggravate the situation as much as treat it.It was in this exhausted state that I discovered this PURAP product. I was wary. I read the reviews with skepticism. I'd purchased other products after reading glowing reviews only to have those products fail us. I believed the testimonials; I just didn't know whether we would get similar good results. The PURAP "felt" so expensive. I was tired of hoping for good solutions and feared being disappointed again. I waited a week. Re-read reviews, and scoured the Internet for information on pressure relief. Then, I bit the bullet and ordered the PURAP.It arrived Saturday. We've used the PURAP for five nights, and the improvement in my father's sacral area has been dramatic. On Saturday, he had five areas of skin breakage. Today - Thursday - he has only two. Three areas have healed completely. And the two remaining open areas are less than 1/4 the size they were a few days ago. The remaining wounds are much shallower and not seeping at all. And - for the first time in almost three months - as these wounds have healed/improved, no new wounds have emerged. That, alone, feels miraculous to me.The first day we used it, I was still skeptical. The product seemed too narrow. The first few hours we used it, I placed it a little bit too low on his body and there were two red indents on his upper buttocks. I have to focus on placing my father on it just so - so that all his hip/pelvic bones are cushioned by this device. I also had to experiment with his pillow arrangement to make sure there were no new inadvertent pressure points on his back. My father has to sleep on an incline, and he would slip down an inch or two on the PURAP. Would this create new problems? (No, it didn't create new problems.) But - that first night - I felt anxious about this unfamiliar product and steeled myself for the possibility of buyer's remorse. Would the extra "work" of managing my father's placement on the PURAP be worth it, I wondered.Well, turns out - for us - it is mostly definitely worth it. The first benefit I noticed was that the dressings on my father's wounds stayed in place. Even though my father's body still shifts/slides/moves on the bed - and the PURAP - the PURAP significantly reduces (maybe even eliminates) the friction against my father's sacral area. The dressings stay in place, allowing them to do the work of healing these wounds and saving us the expense and time of having to replace the dressings too frequently.Two days later, three of his wounds had improved to the point where they no longer needed dressings and could be simply covered with barrier cream. Five days later, those three wounds have completed healed: as if they'd never been there. His remaining wounds continue to shrink and heal. And his overall skin condition is much improved. It's such a relief to see smooth, healthy, unbroken skin on my father's bottom where previously the skin had been scraped off or broken by pressure/friction.tl;dr This product exceeded my expectations for helping to heal and prevent pressure ulcers/skin tears. The user/caretaker should still be mindful of how the product impacts the entire body and watch out for the creation of different pressure points while the buttocks "float" on this device. But it's so so worth it to learn, adjust and work with this product.

When my mom came from the hospital she had some pretty serious pressure sores on her sacrum. We tried adhesive lower back pads, but they only slightly improved the situation. After purchasing this pad, the pressure sores disappeared for good. It's pricey, but well worth the money if pressure sores or skin breakdown is a problem. It's one of the best purchases we made for mom's home care.

I was very happy that this greatly helped my mom's lower back bed sores BUT after only 5 months of use one of the velcro tabs has ripped out of the stitching. This is a necessary component for the gel pad to work. For the cost of this item the velcro should be strongly reinforced with stitching!

This is super expensive, a pain to clean (takes forever to dry and had to use a hair dryer because it won't last in a regular dryer), and can be torn from constant use; however, this was the best thing to prevent sores and I truly believe would of saved lives at the nursing facility I used to work at. It works best in bed but also used in a the recliner.My dad was use the wedges in bed but had to go without them to be able to sit in the reclinerMy Dad would use every day between bed and recliner before he was bed bound for the last months. That man passed without a single sore on his body and I'm so proud of that and couldn't have done it without this.Update: 3 years later and now used for my mother in law. It brought her immediate relief! It also hasn't raised in price. I love this thing!

It helped to get her on her side, but pillows did the same thing for way less money. Even with us rolling her ever hour, She still got huge horrible bedsores. This product did not help at all. I would not recommend buying.

My mom has gone through 5 of these. And the only time she came close to getting a bed sore is when her air mattress pooped out . I use 2 of these back to back.So her whole back end upper thighs and lower back are on the pads. She and the 2 pads are on top of a constant air pressure mattress . Purchased on Amazon for under 100.00Our first lasted 3yrs.I understand that a xxl size person might be uncomfortable. But mom was an xl when she first started using them. You can leave them in such a way that the velcro strap is very tight or loose to accommodate larger person.Now that being said it took a long time to get a custom to the features. Now I could teach a class. I truly believe in them. But they should be made available to all at a more affordable price.

Been bedridden for 6 years and have had occasional problems with pressure sores on hips legs and feet. Most recent problem started 6 weeks ago, couldn't lay in any position without a lot of pain and was unable to sleep. Bought this product 2 weeks ago out of desperation and it works extremely well. Provided immediate relief to hip sores, which are much better at this time.I'm 6'3" tall and weigh 220 lbs. and I have to remove 1 side support to use it - otherwise it is very restrictive and uncomfortable to lie on. Also elevates my hips about 2" which requires a pad under my legs and back to offset the difference in height. I tried it without the pad and it caused pain in my back & legs.My home healthcare nurse also said she had never seen it before and it was an excellent product. We both wish it was a little bigger for larger people. Also would be great it they made a less expensive version for the heels/feet. Its only been 2 weeks so I hope it holds up under daily use.