New Progressa® Bed System from Hill-Rom Helps Treat and Prevent Complications for ICU Patients, Eases Caregiving for Critical Care Staff

BATESVILLE, Ind., March 14, 2014 /PRNewswire/ -- This week Hill-Rom (NYSE: HRC) is featuring the Progressa® bed system, the next generation of intensive care unit (ICU) bed systems, at the American Organization of Nurse Executives (AONE) annual meeting in Orlando, Fla. The Progressa bed system is a therapeutic system designed to treat and prevent complications of immobility. It features a state-of-the-art design that supports treatment goals and was engineered to help address patient migration via its StayInPlace™ technology.

To view the multimedia assets associated with this release, please click: http://www.multivu.com/mnr/66137-hill-rom-new-progressa-bed-system 

"Addressing mobility needs and protecting patients from adverse events, such as pressure ulcers, are major challenges for critical care nurses," says Melissa Fitzpatrick, RN, MSN, FAAN, Vice President and Chief Clinical Officer at Hill-Rom. "We've worked closely with nursing experts to pioneer clinical practices, programs and products like the Progressa bed system that leverage technology to enable therapy delivery while easing the lifting and repositioning burden that can cause harm to nurses."

Patients at Risk of Complications, Caregivers at Risk for Injuries

The Progressa bed system's exclusive StayInPlace technology is a major advance in addressing the needs of a patient's body when seated or partially seated. When moving from lying down to an upright position, a patient's body naturally elongates. In a traditional bed, the result is increased pressure on the lower back and a tendency to "migrate" toward the foot of the bed. The Progressa bed system is the first and only bed to actually extend along with the patient when moving from lying to sitting. As the patient sits up, the bed extends, providing continuous support and addressing migration.

"We've all seen patients who slide down to the foot of the bed, and then you have to get two or three staff members to help pull the patient up," says Bette Idemoto, PhD, RN, Clinical Nurse Specialist in the surgical intensive care unit at University Hospitals Case Medical Center in Cleveland, Ohio. "The StayInPlace technology is one of the features that is helpful both for the patient and particularly for the nursing staff because they don't constantly have to move the patient back up in the bed."

A nurse lifts an average of 1.8 tons over the course of a single shift, which creates a risk for career-limiting and debilitating injuries that are costly to treat. The injuries sustained by nurses contribute to billions in preventable costs for the health care system.

Addressing a Paradox: The Need for Mobility While Immobile

More than five million patients spend time in the ICU each year and virtually all are at risk for potentially life-threatening complications. These complications range from skin pressure ulcers, to ventilator-associated pneumonia, to muscle loss, with patients losing as much as five percent of their muscle mass every seven days. Research shows that early and progressive mobility helps mitigate these risks.

Using advanced technology and design, the Progressa bed system helps prevent and treat some of the most serious skin and lung complications. The system has features that help actively support evidence-based early mobility protocols.

• Therapeutic Surfaces: The Progressa bed system can be customized with different therapeutic surfaces. All surfaces help treat and protect skin breakdown. The Therapy Surface helps prevent pressure ulcers via weight-based pressure redistribution and Advanced Microclimate® technology eliminates excess heat and moisture. The Pulmonary Surface helps prevent ventilator-associated complications with continuous lateral rotation therapy (CLRT).
• Data Connectivity: The Progressa bed system gathers information on the patient and the bed and sends that information to a status board at the nurses' station, via the nurse call system, and also integrates with the patient's electronic medical records. This connectivity helps further integrate the bed into clinical workflow and maximize efficiency.
• Mobility Support: The Progressa bed system's frame allows for multiple configurations ranging from a flat bed to a full chair position. Patients have multiple ways to exit the bed, providing caregivers with a wide range of options for easily and safely moving patients through the stages of early mobility.

"The mobility features on the bed may help us improve the patient's outcome by moving them around in the bed," says Idemoto. "We can sit them up in a chair position. We can also actually put the chair position down to the floor. All we have to do is take the foot of the bed off and the patient can put their feet on the floor and maintain some balance and weight on their own and begin to strengthen their whole body. When they're ready, they can stand right up and walk out of the bed with some support and assistance."

The Progressa bed system is available worldwide. For more information on the Progressa bed system, please visit http://www.hill-rom.com/usa/Products/Category/Hospital-Beds/Progressa-bed-system/.

Nurse executives attending the AONE annual meeting in Orlando, Florida, can visit booth #701 to learn more about the Progressa bed system and other Hill-Rom products and services.

ABOUT HILL-ROM HOLDINGS, INC.
Hill-Rom is a leading worldwide manufacturer and provider of medical technologies and related services for the health care industry, including patient support systems, safe mobility and handling solutions, non-invasive therapeutic products for a variety of acute and chronic medical conditions, medical equipment rentals, surgical products and information technology solutions. Hill-Rom's comprehensive product and service offerings are used by health care providers across the health care continuum and around the world in hospitals, extended care facilities and home care settings to enhance the safety and quality of patient care.

Hill-Rom...enhancing outcomes for patients and their caregivers.

www.hill-rom.com

To view the multimedia assets associated with this release, please click: http://www.multivu.com/mnr/66137-hill-rom-new-progressa-bed-system

SOURCE Hill-Rom