Introduction

Mattresses are one of the items of any hospital bed in a hospital setting. The reason is that a hospital bed mattress is easy to sanitize, waterproof, and antimicrobial products. Accordingly, they give enough comfort and improved care to patients.  

Mattresses are essential for individuals requiring long-term care or for the ones recovering in hospitals. Regardless of the purpose, you should consider diverse factors to select the right bed or medical mattress for your hospital.   

Types of Mattresses for Hospital Bed

Before you consider the essential factors in choosing a hospital bed with a mattress, you must learn a few common types of it. These include the following-

Spring Mattress

As the name itself, a spring mattress consists of springs. These mattresses are almost like any traditional home mattress. Common benefits of these products are their lower price and easy adaptability than other categories of mattresses available in the market. Spring mattresses work well for patients, who stay in bed for a limited period and have their standard sleep schedule.

Foam Mattress

Foam mattresses consist of gel, latex, memory, polyurethane, and related foam materials. These products distribute the body weight of a patient uniformly and give a comfortable experience as compared to spring mattresses. Like spring mattresses, foam mattresses are also recommendable for patients, who do not have the risk or at a minimum risk of pressure ulcers.

Air Mattresses

Air mattresses are comprised of air cells, which may inflate and deflate based on certain therapy sessions. The main objective of an air mattress is to avoid pressure ulcers and bedsore problems. Indeed, air mattresses are perfect for bedridden people or patients who stay in bed for extended periods. Air mattresses are further available under the following categories-

Low Air-Loss Mattress

Low air-loss mattresses distribute the body weight of a patient on a broad surface area to prevent his skin breakdown. Air will flow continuously via tiny holes made of laser on the top surface of the mattress. In this way, the user may easily float on a soft air cushion.   

Alternating Pressure Mattress

An alternating pressure mattress or air-flow mattress redistributes and relieves pressure with the help of a dynamic lying surface. These mattresses assemble a row consisting of lateral air cells that alternates constantly. They help to treat developed pressure sores and prevent pressure ulcers. Another interesting aspect of this mattress is that it eliminates the need for manual repositioning of a patient by caretakers.  

Lateral Rotation Mattress

Lateral rotation mattresses are perfect to use for patients lying in a predominantly flat position. It precludes patients who often need to keep their heads elevated or raised. Furthermore, these mattresses may ease the movement of fluid in the lungs.  

Considerations to Choose the Perfect Bed Mattresses for Hospitals

Once you learn the types of hospital bed mattress systems, you should look for a few other considerations to select the right one as follows-

Pressure Relief

A good quality hospital bed with a mattress must distribute the patient’s weight evenly to reduce the risk related to pressure ulcers. Indeed, pressure relief is a crucial consideration for buying hospital mattresses, as constant pressure may cause severe skin and health problems.

Especially, you must go with air-filled mattresses, as they use air cells to adapt to the shape of a patient’s body seamlessly. On the other hand, memory foam products may mold as per the weight and heat of a patient’s body.  

Durability

Hospital beds go through multiple actions. You must look for medical mattress systems, that may withstand pressure, pass through the test of time, and deal with several infections. Here, durability is not limited to only the long-term survival of the mattress. Instead, your selected mattress should thrive under several cleaning sessions with harsh chemicals.

In other words, your selected product must withstand without losing comfort or integrity. Latex and foam products are perfect mattresses in terms of durability. They bounce back from any indentation and never give up while facing stains or spills.

Easy to Clean

No individual wants to degrade its hospital product’s performance from bacteria and germs. A mattress for a hospital bed that allows easy cleaning may work as a game-changer to maintain the necessary hygiene standard in every healthcare setting.

If you want an easy-cleaning mattress, you should look for a product that has waterproof, non-porous, and smooth surfaces. Such mattresses may wipe down the dust and dirt without any special tools.

Conclusion

A hospital bed mattress is vital to impart the best possible comfort by reducing several complications. When you treat and care for patients in a clinical setting or hospital, the right bed and mattress will give them a proper and safe space.

Moreover, bedridden patients remain at a relatively high risk of bedsores and pressure injuries. To avoid bedsores and pressure ulcer issues, your hospital and clinic must possess good quality hospital-grade mattresses to provide as fast relief as possible.