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Reducing pressure is one of the most important factors in preventing decubitus. One way to reduce pressure is to redistribute pressure over as large an area as possible. Soft polyurethane mattresses are good for redistributing pressure, however this type of mattress does not provide sufficient back support. So in order to reduce pressure and provide sufficient support, we have developed a silicone gel layered mattress.Silicone gel is frequently used as a shock absorber in various types of machines and our tests showed that silicone gel was superior to standard polyurethane mattress materials in reducing interface pressure. The silicone gel layered mattress was also preferred by volunteers over a standard hard mattress and a standard soft mattress.

In this study we examined the proper pressure of air boots for a person in a sitting position. Air boots can improve calf congestion by pulsatile calf compression. Higher pressure may improve calf congestion more, though it might decrease arterial blood flow. A photo-electric plethysmometer was put on the second toe of a foot to measure the amplitude of the pulse which represent arterial blood flow. A sensor of a near infrared oxygen monitor was put on the calf just above an air boot. A near infrared oxygen monitor can detect tissue reduced hemoglobin which exists almost only in venous blood. So, the concentration of tissue reduced hemoglobin could represent tissue venous blood concentration.When the air boots pressure was more than 140mmHg, the amplitude of the arterial pulse decreased to half of that without massage. Pressure less than 70mmHg didn't affect arterial blood flow. Meanwhile pressures of more than 70mmHg didn't show any difference in the improvement of calf congestion. So, we concluded that the proper pressure for air boots massage for calf congestion in a sitting position is less than 70mmHg.