'Wonderpants' which Give Wearer Electric Shock could Stop Bedsores
Underwear which gives off electric shocks could spare half a million hospital patients from developing painful and potentally life-threatening bedsores every year, scientists claim.
Underwear which gives off electric shocks could spare half a million hospital patients from developing painful and potentally life-threatening bedsores every year, scientists claim.
The special pants are wired to electrodes which release tiny electric currents every ten minutes to stimulate the muscles and stop sores from developing.
A month-long trial on 33 patients by researchers from the University of Calgary found that none developed bedsores despite all being considered at high risk of the condition.Researchers said the product, dubbed "Smart-e-Pants", could be available to market within just three years and save thousands of lives annually.
Bedsores, or pressure ulcers, affect bedridden patients who are unable to move freely and can cause severe and deep wounds which take months or even years to heal.
Serious cases can even cause death, as in the case of Christopher Reeve, the Superman actor, who died in 2004 after developing a bedsore which became infected.
Half a million British patients develop bedsores every year, including 20 per cent of patients in acute care, 30 per cent of people in the community and 20 per cent of people in nursing and residential homes.
The condition costs the NHS an estimated £4 billion per year, with over-70s, diabetics and people who are paralysed at particularly high risk, but treatments have not advanced beyond turning patients over in bed to relieve pressure.
Bedsores develop when the pressure on certain bones in the bottom, heels and shoulders builds up and prevents blood from reaching the muscles after spending a long time sitting or lying in the same position.
Healthy people automatically fidget and shift position in order to relieve the pressure, but many patients who are paralysed or frail are unable to do so, while diabetics are more severely affected because of poor circulation.
The build-up of pressure, and the lack of blood carrying oxygen and vital nutrients, can eventually cause the muscle to die. While many bedsores are only minor, some reach as deep as the bone and consume most of the muscle underneath.
The new underwear looks like an ordinary pair of boxer shorts but includes panels on the seat where four electrodes can be attached.
Every ten minutes the electrodes release small currents similar to the static shocks we feel when walking across a carpet in rubber-soled shoes, which cause the muscles to spasm for up to ten seconds.
Researchers found that the regular shocks decrease pressure on the coccyx - the bone most at risk of causing bedsores - and increase oxygen and nutrient supply to muscles.
The underwear was designed for people with spinal injuries but was tested on a wide range of patients including those with diabetes, hip fractures and multiple sclerosis.
If larger trials establish that the equipment is effective, it could be available for less than £200, with an additional £10 a month needed to replace used electrodes, experts said.
Presenting the research at the Society for Neuroscience annual conference in New Orleans on Monday Prof Sean Dukelow said: "I think awareness of pressure ulcers over the last five or 10 years has increased dramatically, people realise what damage it can do to them.
"Some of our patients would say, 'I am a sitting duck for this, if there is any chance that this will prevent it, I'll do it'. They are often very scared about the fact that this could happen to them."
Robyn Warwaruk Rogers, a nurse who helped conduct the trial, added: "Pressure ulcers can be terribly debilitating. Their incidence has not changed since the 1940s, indicating that current methods of prevention simply are not working. Our hope is that this innovative, clinically friendly system will eventually make a difference in the lives of millions of people."
Nick Collins - telegraph.co.uk
