PURAP Bedsore Prevention Mattress Pad

For the past three months, my father - who is incontinent and spends most of the day reclining in bed - has suffered from on-going pressure ulcers and skin tears on his sacral area. His skin first broke after sitting in a chair for a few hours on the advice of his visiting nurse: that this would help him recover after a stay in the hospital. Before this, his skin was pristine and we were ignorant and innocent about how insidious and persistent pressure ulcers could be. When we discovered the initial wound - a small, shallow tear - the medical advice we received was to turn him every two hours. We did this scrupulously as was demonstrated to us. The result: after two days of turning, his initial wound grew and deepened and new skin breakage spots emerged on both sides of his buttocks. Lying at a tilt for even a couple of hours at a time created new pressure points that his skin couldn't tolerate. We covered his wounds with hydrocolloidal dressings, "secured" in place with transparent dressings on top. The wounds would heal somewhat, but the dressings inevitably and frequently slipped off his skin from friction against the bed, and there would be a multitude of new skin tears as the dressing was rubbed off his fragile skin. The dressing being pulled off the wounds by friction required frequent dressing changes - which further aggravated the situation. It was so frustrating, because these dressings helped to an extent, but could not adhere properly and seemed to create new wounds at the same time, and they were so expensive. Over ten weeks, I spent a few hundred dollars out-of-pocket for these dressings. I also tried expensive ointments. I bought an alternating air mattress overlay, which - even on the lowest soft setting - created new pressure red spots all over his back and legs. I also tried another gel mattress overlay: the lumpy surface disoriented my father and did nothing to help the pressure ulcers. These didn't work for us at all. So, we were trapped in this painful, costly, frustrating cycle of pressure ulcers. As soon as one healed, two new ones would seem to pop up. Whatever solutions we were offered seemed to aggravate the situation as much as treat it. It was in this exhausted state that I discovered this PURAP product. I was wary. I read the reviews with skepticism. I'd purchased other products after reading glowing reviews only to have those products fail us. I believed the testimonials; I just didn't know whether we would get similar good results. The PURAP "felt" so expensive. I was tired of hoping for good solutions and feared being disappointed again. I waited a week. Re-read reviews, and scoured the Internet for information on pressure relief. Then, I bit the bullet and ordered the PURAP. It arrived Saturday. We've used the PURAP for five nights, and the improvement in my father's sacral area has been dramatic. On Saturday, he had five areas of skin breakage. Today - Thursday - he has only two. Three areas have healed completely. And the two remaining open areas are less than 1/4 the size they were a few days ago. The remaining wounds are much shallower and not seeping at all. And - for the first time in almost three months - as these wounds have healed/improved, no new wounds have emerged. That, alone, feels miraculous to me. The first day we used it, I was still skeptical. The product seemed too narrow. The first few hours we used it, I placed it a little bit too low on his body and there were two red indents on his upper buttocks. I have to focus on placing my father on it just so - so that all his hip/pelvic bones are cushioned by this device. I also had to experiment with his pillow arrangement to make sure there were no new inadvertent pressure points on his back. My father has to sleep on an incline, and he would slip down an inch or two on the PURAP. Would this create new problems? (No, it didn't create new problems.) But - that first night - I felt anxious about this unfamiliar product and steeled myself for the possibility of buyer's remorse. Would the extra "work" of managing my father's placement on the PURAP be worth it, I wondered. Well, turns out - for us - it is mostly definitely worth it. The first benefit I noticed was that the dressings on my father's wounds stayed in place. Even though my father's body still shifts/slides/moves on the bed - and the PURAP - the PURAP significantly reduces (maybe even eliminates) the friction against my father's sacral area. The dressings stay in place, allowing them to do the work of healing these wounds and saving us the expense and time of having to replace the dressings too frequently. Two days later, three of his wounds had improved to the point where they no longer needed dressings and could be simply covered with barrier cream. Five days later, those three wounds have completed healed: as if they'd never been there. His remaining wounds continue to shrink and heal. And his overall skin condition is much improved. It's such a relief to see smooth, healthy, unbroken skin on my father's bottom where previously the skin had been scraped off or broken by pressure/friction. tl;dr This product exceeded my expectations for helping to heal and prevent pressure ulcers/skin tears. The user/caretaker should still be mindful of how the product impacts the entire body and watch out for the creation of different pressure points while the buttocks "float" on this device. But it's so so worth it to learn, adjust and work with this product.

This product is well designed and seems durable. Having struggled with pressure sores for several years almost nothing has helped. I was hospitalized for a week or so and the 15,000 mattress is the one exception. My sores were better for a month or two after that but soon came back. Desperate, I decided to give this VERY expensive product a try. It is backed by a 30 day money back gurantee, but I never had the chance to give it a try since I ended up keeping it. Some companies are not good about that kind of thing, others are. Although I am very appreciative of this product, it is very expensive for what you get. I suppose that might be for insurance purposes, literally every medical supply company is ripping off the system by keeping prices very high. I do not know if this is covered by insurance though, my insurance certainly wouldn't. Lastly, I combined this with "Bed Sore and Pressure Ulcer Protection Undershorts" by GlideWear. I tried to include the link but it kept pulling up some kids book. It is available from Amazon though, and is a kind of padded underwear that helps a lot. It is also very expensive and likely only used by the desperate like myself. I also had to cut foam out and place it above and below the pad so that my body is laying flat on the pad. This is because the pad raises your butt off of the bed but your shoulders and legs are still below. This places a lot of pressure on your back. This is a HUGE downside to this product. Make sure to use it properly, with the sides pushed up against your hips. Not tight, but near enough that there is liquid underneath you.

Eight months ago we made a $380 bet that this mattress overlay would work. My bed-bound, paraplegic hubs had chronic tailbone pressure sores that wouldn't heal even with wedges and turning. As his arthritic shoulders got worse, turning became much too painful. So we tried this product. At first his sores continued their cycle - deep tissue injuries opened up - but after a few weeks the sores healed and nary a one since! Hubs spends at least every night in bed on the Purap overlay plus three or more entire days in bed sitting on it. No turning! No wedges! No sores! The only complaint is the 180-day warranty. After 8 months the gel cover seemed to stretch a bit or maybe the gel changed, but it became harder to position him correctly (we use a lift.) Still no pressure sores, but we're disappointed Purap wouldn't replace the slightly-degraded product, which we are keeping for a backup. But at least the price has come down! Bottom line (no pun intended!) is that this overlay works great as long as the patient is correctly positioned. Just expect to replace it from time to time, depending on how much you use it. Even so, the total cost (and trouble and noise) is less than for other solutions such as air mattresses. Disability products are so expensive! Overall, we think this is a miracle product!

I was very happy that this greatly helped my mom's lower back bed sores BUT after only 5 months of use one of the velcro tabs has ripped out of the stitching. This is a necessary component for the gel pad to work. For the cost of this item the velcro should be strongly reinforced with stitching!

I have mixed feelings about this item. I feel like the design is good for the most part and the structure was certainly good for displacing weight and helping to prevent bedsores. My complaint is that while the upper surface was easy to clean, the under parts were absorbent and there was no real way of washing it. With an incontinent adult, this was a serious drawback. It was an expensive pad and I ended up throwing it out.

Amazing product!!! Zero sacrum wounds and quite durable for a bed bound patient.

I know right off it is tough to look at a 400 dollar item and see it as a value for money, but listen to our story and decide for yourself-- My little brother has Down's related Alzheimers and has been bedbound for three years. We used frequent repositioning to keep his skin relatively healthy, but with greater weight loss related to swallowing issues and his mis-shapened spine, we were recently fighting a losing battle. Monday the tenth of February his condition frightened me, and by Wednesday night I had found and ordered this bedsore elimination system. We first used it on the evening of February 15th in combination with a one hour session twice a day of his being fully on his side, not just raised on pillows. This one two punch has resulted in near total elimination of his sores--ALREADY, just a week after beginning to use it! Where his bottom was PURPLY RED and ready to go to a stage 2 sore, he is now only lightly pink. There is one small area where sloughing is occurring, but it seems far more related to fresh skin formation than a sore opening. Another customer said this system at first seemed expensive , but actually was and is PRICELESS. I TOTALLY agree! I am so very grateful I made the choice to spend the money, If you or your loved one has the funds, do not hesitate to give this product a try. If you need to do a Go Fund Me or ask your church or friends to pitch in, even--do it! I cannot believe the improvement in my Little Man's skin. The product does make you tweek your care system, but in less than a week , we had it smooth and running like clock work. Only this time, all our efforts are paying off. Thank you, PURAP!

I have MS And can only sleep on my back. I’ve been suffering from severe tailbone pain. Have tried many things and have been at wor and can only sleep on my back. I’ve been suffering from severe tailbone pain. Have tried many things that have not worked. I would rate this item average. Two out of three nights I was comfortable using this product. Sometimes it’s very difficult to get the sides or just dead just right to keep the pressure off of my tailbone . I’ve had that item 28 days and just noticed that the material is ripping at the Velcro on both sides. I’m very disappointed of the quality based on the price. I am contemplating whether or not to re-order it. There are a number of reviews they talked about the material repping. I’m afraid if I buy it again and it happens after 31 days I will not be able to return it, which will be ridiculous based on the price. The more the material rips The less the sides will remain in please illuminating it’s effectiveness. The product is only guaranteed for six months which I believe indicates The manufacturers own confidence in the durability of the product. I can’t afford $380 every six months to replace this product. It helps more often than not, but I have to pursue other options due to the price and lack of warranty

This product quickly improved mum's bedsores and stopped them from reappearing.