Get to Know Your Support Surfaces

		Support Surface	Type of Support*	Description
		Solid foam	Static	Porous polymer material that conforms according to applied weight
		Gel-infused foam	Static	Provides the support and conformity of foam with the addition of gel that allows for rapid heat dissipation and better breathability
		Convoluted foam (i.e., channel-cut or "egg crate" foam)	Static	Cuts in the supportive foam create a pressure-reducing, anti-shear surface
		Gel	Static	Semisolid (can range from soft to hard) with elastic, pressure-redistributing properties
		Alternating pressure mattresses and overlays	Dynamic	Provides pressure redistribution by cycling through loading and unloading via inflation and deflation
		Low air loss	Dynamic	Provides a flow of air to assist in managing the skin’s heat and moisture

Gel and foam and air, oh my! There are a lot of support surfaces on the market and it can be tricky to match your residents with the product that best fits their needs. We created the chart above to help you weigh your options.¹ Keep in mind that these components can bused alone or in combination. 

* Static pressure redistribution devices are non-powered devices that may be indicated when a resident is at risk for pressure ulcer development or delayed healing. Dynamic pressure reduction surfaces are powered devices that are indicated if a resident can't move into a variety of positions without placing weight on a pressure ulcer, if their weight completely compresses a static device that otherwise maintains its original integrity or if they have a pressure ulcer that is not healing as expected and it is determined that the pressure could be contributing to the delay.


Reference
1 National Pressure Ulcer Advisory Panel. Terms and Definitions Related to Support Surfaces. Available at: http://www.npuap.org/wp-content/uploads/2012/03/NPUAP_S3I_TD.pdf. Accessed October 3, 2012.

Norovirus Mortality, Hospitalizations Linked to Low Staffing Levels

A new report has linked low staffing levels and negative outcomes related to norovirus outbreaks in long-term care facilities.

Researchers at the University of Chicago studied 308 nursing homes that reported a total of 407 norovirus outbreaks to the National Outbreak Reporting System (NORS) between January of 2009 and December of 2010. They found that facilities with lower nurse-hour-to-bed ratios were most at risk for increased mortality and hospitalizations during norovirus outbreaks. An increase in mortality during outbreak periods was limited to homes with less than 0.75 daily registered nurse (RN) hours per bed.

Residents older than 90 experienced the greatest increase in hospitalization and mortality during the norovirus outbreaks.

to learn more, click here.

FDA Encourages Healthcare Providers to Contact Patients Who Received Injectables from NECC in Wake of Fungal Meningitis Outbreak

The FDA is recommending that medical professionals reach out to any patient who was administered an injectable product distributed by the New England Compound Center (NECC). This comes on the heels of a fungal meningitis outbreak being tied to steroids distributed by the NECC.

At this point, the fungal meningitis has been traced to injections of  methylprednisolone acetate as well as triamcinolone acetonide. NECC has issued a recall of all of its products (to view the list of affected products, click here).

Since the outbreak began, the FDA has has been conducting an ongoing investigation into contamination at  NECC, which is located in Framingham, Massachusetts. As a result of this investigation, they have recommended that healthcare professionals retain NECC products, secure them and withhold them from use. They are also advising them to follow up with any patient who received an injectable drug from NECC and asking them to be on the lookout for symptoms of possible infection, including fever, swelling, increasing pain, redness, warmth at the injection site, chest pain, drainage from the surgical site, visual changes and redness or discharge from the eyes. If patients notice any of these symptoms, they should contact a healthcare provider immediately.

At this time, the FDA is not urging patient follow-up for those who received non-injected NECC drugs, such as lotions, creams, suppositories and eye drops not used in conjunction with surgery.

To learn more and stay up to date on any new developments, click here.

Breast Cancer Myths Debunked

In honor of October being National Breast Cancer Month, we're taking a look at some breast cancer myths that were debunked in an article on Health.com.  Some of them might surprise you!

Myth: Family history is the biggest risk factor for breast cancer.
Fact: The vast majority of women who have breast cancer have no family history.

Myth: Most breast lumps are cancerous.
Fact: About 80% of lumps found in breasts are benign.

Myth: All women have a one-in-eight chance of getting breast cancer.
Fact: Risk of developing breast cancer actually rises as we age. A woman who is in her 30s has about a one-in-233 chance. This rises to one-in-eight by the time she reaches 85.

Myth: Small-breasted women have a lower risk of breast cancer.
Fact: There's no connection between breast size and developing breast cancer.

Myth: Breast cancer presents in the form of a lump.
Fact: You should be alert for other signs of breast cancer, including swelling, skin irritation or dimpling, breast or nipple pain, nipples turning inward, discharge and redness, scaliness or thickening of the nipple or breast skin.

The article addresses 25 common myths and we've only addressed a few of them. Click here to read the article in its entirety.

Generic Version of Wellbutrin Pulled Off the Market

The FDA has asked Teva Pharmaceuticals to pull its generic version of the popular antidepressant Wellbutrin  XL 300 mg off the market after discovering that the generic version releases its key ingredient faster than the original drug.

The generic version, Budeprion XL 300 mg, was pulled after hundreds of reports that the drug did not work or caused side effects including headaches, anxiety and insomnia.

There are four other generic versions of Wellbutrin XL 300 mg that have been approved by the FDA.

To learn more, click here.

FDA Approves Actemera for Earlier Stages of RA

The FDA has widened the approved use of rheumatoid arthritis drug Actemera to include patients who are in earlier stages of treatment for the disease. Previously, Actemera was approved for patients who were not helped by use of TNF inhibitors (such as Humira and Embrel).

To learn more, click here.

Healthcare Sector Adds 43.5K Jobs in September

According to new data from the Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS), the healthcare sector added 43,500 jobs in September 2012. Of those jobs, 5,700 were at skilled nursing facilities.

In the past year (ending in September 2012), healthcare has added a total of 294,000 jobs, up 2.1 percent over the previous year.

To view the full report from the BLS, click here.