Repositioning, or moving a patient to redistribute weight on an area of the body, is done to reduce or relieve pressure between the patient and the support surface. Most health care providers recommend changing the position of a bedridden patient every two hours.
In the past, due to a lack of better support devices, nurses had to make use of pillows or rolled blankets, to offload the area of the body at risk. Those methods didn’t always stay in place. Think Medical specialty wedges are designed to be much more comfortable and effective at off-loading. These wedges truly help to reduce the incidence of pressure injuries.
“When we first started looking at wedges, we saw the market was primarily pillows, which always go flat or migrate, and ultimately fail at offloading, followed by a disposable wedge market, with single-patient use, lots of supply time for delivery and the design wasn’t optimal,” said Hack Sells, co-founder of Think Medical. “We decided to make covered, cleanable, and reusable foam wedges that were superior to what was being offered before to health care workers.”
Think Medical wedges offer optimal care for all sized patients
Think Medical wedges maintain their shape, position a person without migrating, and also allow the caregiver to more easily monitor the patient’s status.
The high-quality wedges come in four sizes. The 17-inch, 24-inch and 36-inch wedges support patients up to 300 pounds while the 24-inch bariatric wedge can support patients up to 500 pounds.
“We have different sizes for different needs,” explained Hack. “We covered them with nylon tops and vinyl non-slip bottoms. All of our positioners are also latex-free.”
Think Medical uses a denser foam which supports more weight.
“Our angle of support is generally 30 degrees, which is considered optimal for most patients. 45 degrees is also available,” Hack added. “Our longer wedges are used for off-loading and body alignment and our shorter wedges are used for standard off-loading.”
Cleaning any of the wedges is simple. Cavi-wipes, Sani-wipes or similar wipes can be used to clean these wedges. Also, it is appropriate to use warm water and neutral soap, or a bleach solution no stronger than 10%, for most soil and stains.
Think Medical’s co-founder brought these wedges to comfort his own mother in the hospital after surgery
Hack Sells’ mother had her right knee replaced. When he went to visit her after her surgery, she was complaining that she couldn’t get comfortable.
“There were nine pillows around her and they kept moving. She could not get settled into a restful, constant position,” said Hack. “I brought in two wedges and one went behind her back while the other one was placed behind her legs.” “She told me how much better she felt and was able to rest and sleep because her position was constant,” Hack said. “Think of it as lying on your couch at home and taking a nap, that’s how good our wedges are!”
You can count on our support!
“Our positioning wedges can be used anywhere your patients need firm support,” he added. “Greater comfort is one of the goals of our wedges in addition to effective offloading.”
At Think Medical, we not only care about the special needs of our customers, we also care about making the lives of their patients better. We offer unique, USA-made products for: off-loading to help prevent HAPUs; special positioning needs; odor control; and painless adhesive removal.