Forté Sovereign S3 Lightweight 250kg High Care Medical Mattress

DUAL IMMERSION

Traditional medical mattresses such as multi-layered memory foam designs or profile designs can struggle to effectively provide Immersion together with Shear and Friction Mitigation without compromising on microclimate and ease of repositioning for offloading. This exposes vulnerable patients to greater risks of pressure injury incidence because of poor microclimate and difficulty in relation to repositioning leading to pain and suffering for the patient and considerable nursing costs and resources to manage. This is why dual immersion technology used on the Sovereign range was developed. This consists of an Airoform Immersion Foam interface and an engineered multi-zoned modulated 2nd layer of foam such as Ventraflow.

Both the Interface and modulated layers work together to create a dynamic region that absorbs harmful shear and friction forces, protecting vulnerable skin. Postural support of the mattress is increased, yet unparalleled immersion is created with the softness of the interface layer and deflection of the profiled region, particularly important for bony prominences.

ENGINEERED FOAM

With a marketing leading CNC machine, Forté has the in-house capacity to develop and produce engineered foams that can be used to offer unique features and functions within a mattress.

Each mattress within the Sovereign High Care range includes an engineered foam layer to provide deep immersion, tailored envelopment and enhanced micro-climate.

The engineered foam is often referred to as ‘castellated’ or ‘modulated’, whereby foam is cut into unique shapes – typically small cells in a grid-like pattern.

Forté engineered foams are zoned to provide optimal envelopment alongside stability where it is needed for critical body regions. i.e. larger cells in the sacrum, smaller cells in the Heel region, medium-sized cells for the scapular region.

FAVOURITE FOR FACILITIES

The Sovereign S3 mattress is the most popular mattress for use in facilities as has been carefully designed to meets the needs of every department. With the Sovereign S3, facilities are able to standardize on the one mattress to suit most department and patient profiles which makes life easier for everyone:

• Infection Control: Premiflex cover which has an extra-high resistance to a wide variety of cleaning agents (10,000ppm). The cover has all seams high frequency welded, so there are no exposed sewn seams that can absorb fluid. The foam core is also treated with anti-microbial treatment to restrict mould development.

• Pressure Injury Prevention: designed to be suitable for clients scoring 15-20 on the Waterlow scale, or at high risk of obtaining a pressure injury. Features include dual immersion (foam technology designed to provide deep immersion and envelopment without compromising on the ability to reposition) a heel slope (offloads pressure from the at-risk heel region further up the leg), and a 4-way stretch vapour permeable pressure care cover

• Falls Prevention: Firm strengthened sides make transfers, repositioning, and primary care easier and safer.

• Work Health & Safety: foam grades have been carefully selected to minimise the overall weight of the mattress, without compromising on the longevity and performance of the mattress. The highest density foams are localized to the sacral region where most stress and risk of bottoming out occurs. The Sovereign S3 mattress is often customised to have carry handles added to the mattress to make mattress handling even easier. The Sovereign S3 is has a wide therapeutic weight range – from 30 to 250kg which means it suits most patients entering a facility.

• Finance: With all the above benefits incorporated into the one mattress, The Sovereign S3 is a particularly good value for money. All materials used are high quality making the mattress have a high performing life. The Sovereign S3 has an expected life of eight years in the acute application, subject to relative treatment. Made in Australia for a safe, sustainable, and reliable supply chain.

• The Customer: comfortable, customisable, and suitable for a broad weight range.

SLOPED HEEL REGION

The heels are one of the most susceptible sites for pressure injuries, due to factors such as heel anatomy, disease burden, comorbid conditions, and the aging process. Heel Pressure Injuries (HPI) has been found to be one of the most prevalent sites for pressure injuries to occur, with a study in Europe identifying that 38.5% of stage IV pressure injuries were found at the heels. Pressure upon the Calcaneus can be reduced and redistributed by elevating the lower leg and calf 2. There are three primary designs of heel elevation discussed in this article: the Heel Slope (Surface Modification), Heel elevator (external device) and the elevated Heel slope (Hybrid Model).

Though essential in the clinical setting, and particularly with those that are medically complex, elevating the heel and redistributing the pressure towards the calf is a difficult task. There are several implementation considerations such as ensuring the knee is at a slight flexion (5-10°) while the heel is elevated can help avoid vein compression and increased risk of deep vein thrombosis (DVT), adapting a plan of care to the individuals’ needs and avoiding causing harm to other ‘at-risk’ areas of the body (such as the Achilles tendon).

With patients on a traditional support surface with a completely horizontal fascia (no heel slope) and no additional aid from an external heel device, pressure injuries upon the heel region are more common than with heels that have elevated heels, with differences being from an 8% to 54.2% incidence on heel injury respectively.

Forté has conducted studies to illustrate the basic principles of heel offloading using a Tekscan Pressure Measurement System which utilises a thin and flexible sensor. We use this system to measure the pressure distribution of a human body on the surface of our mattresses with minimal interference.

The image demonstrates the pressure distribution of the NPIAP/RESNA 50th Percentile male mannequin (81.2kg, 1775mm tall) over a 6-hour period, shown in a variety of heel positions. The Support surface used is a Single Sovereign S3 High-Care Mattress.

Such a decrease in pressure, therefore, signifies the importance of heel offloading, and indirectly the importance of utilising a support surface modified with a heel slope as a means of offloading such pressure and reducing risk of an HPI. Furthermore, the heel slope was identified to encourage a slight bend in the knee of approximately 8-10°, in comparison to a flat surface which evidence has suggested reduces popliteal vein compression.

Sizes and Availability

S3S1000 - Stocked - Single

S3SL1000 - Made to Order - Long Single

S3KS1000 - Stocked - King Single

S3KSL1000 - Made to Order - Long King Single

S3D1000 - Made to Order - Double

S3DL1000 - Made to Order - Long Double

S3Q1000 - Made to Order - Queen

S3QL1000 - Made to Order - Long Queen

S3SQ1000 - Made to Order - Split Queen

S3SQL1000 - Made to Order - Long Split Queen