F.A.Q.

The Air-Matt has no weight limit. There is a physical size limit for each mattress. We find that the large mattress is the most commonly used and have successfully transferred people weighing as much as 500lbs. Once the patient is wider than the normal mattress, a bariatric size mattress should be used.

The surface such as the bed or gurney does have a weight limit and those should not be exceeded. The Air-Matt itself has no weight limit.

In general you use the same procedure already in place for cleaning hospital mattresses but in addition, you can put the Air-Matt mattress and right into the laundry and follow the CDC compliant guidelines in our cleaning instructions.

In both Disposable and Reusable mattresses we offer OR table, regular, large and bariatric mattresses. The OR table is 28×78 inches, the regular is 34×78 inches, the standard bariatric is 39×78 inches and the large bariatric is 50×78 inches.

We also offer shorter disposable mattresses for gynecological and special procedures. These are 34×48 inches and 39X48 inches.

To the best of our knowledge, none of the systems on the market are sterile devices and they can not be sterilized.

The Air-Matt system is priced differently than others on the market. It is not necessary to purchase expensive system components from us. Our mattresses are designed to work with any manufacturers system components. This includes Hovermatt, Arjo-huntleigh, Stryker, EZ Way, Air Movement Technologies and Airpal. Other manufacturer’s equipment may also be compatible. The mattress price depends on which size you order but your local distributor would be happy to provide you a quote.

Ideally, the patient is already on the mattress because it was on their hospital bed or gurney when they were first admitted to the hospital. If however, you need to place it under a patient, just use the standard log roll technique used for changing bed sheets to roll them onto their side as you place the Air-Matt mattress on the bed. The log roll technique is described in detail in the Air-Matt user manual.

It is optional that the patient be left on the mattress rather than continually log rolling to place the Air-Matt under for the transfer and then have to log roll the patient to remove the Air-Matt. The Air-Matt should be placed right on the bed mattress and covered with hospital bed linen so that the patient is not in direct contact with the Air-Matt. This provides a breathable comfortable surface in contact with the patient and keeps the Air-Matt mattress concealed until it is inflated for a transfer. If someone has skin ulcers, injury or potential for skin tearing, this is the only comfortable way to transfer a patient.

It depends on several factors but generally facilities start with one for every gurney in the facility so that every transport employs safe patient handling. Each department should also be interviewed to assess their need for systems within their unit. The overall objective is to have enough product available so that it is easy for staff to practice safe patient handling and the result will be a reduction in worker injury.

All products on the market use the same technology and therefore all operate the same when it comes to actually transferring a patient. All are very good products and proven to be reliable. We just made some improvements in the areas where most complaints came from.

We use too many disposables – Our disposables do not use water soluble thread therefore they can be cleaned, even laundered and reused with the same patient. This substantially reduces usage and cost.

Seam failures – Our Reusable Mattresses have sewn seams because they are strong. This costs us more but results in a more reliable product.

Odors and air drying – Our mattresses can be laundered and machine dried. This eliminates cumbersome air drying and eliminates odors from moisture trapped inside mattresses. It also means laundry turn-around is faster, reducing the number of mattresses you need to own.

Price is too high – We reduced the prices and can generally save money for the hospitals. This allows the hospital to purchase enough product to actually help reduce back injuries rather than having to settle for fewer systems that are never around when you need one.

The Air-Matt is used throughout the hospital. Whenever a patient needs to be moved from bed to gurney, gurney to x-ray, gurney to MRI, gurney to operating table and back to their bed, the Air-Matt can do so safely and comfortably without having to do any lifting. If a patient was to be admitted and you know that they will have to undergo some X-Ray procedures and likely be operated on, it takes 8-10 lateral transfers to accomplish this. A single Air-Matt can eliminate the need for any lifting during all of these transfers.

No, it is very comfortable and you feel cradled by the mattress as it inflates. Once it is fully inflated, it remains in a cradle shape so that the patient feels secure. Two patient safety straps are also permanently attached to the mattress and they buckle together to provide additional peace of mind for the patient.

The Air-Matt is designed for short time operation and generally is powered on for just long enough to fully inflate and then make the transfer before being shut down. Leaving it on for an extended period will not damage the unit, but there would not be any reason to do so. A patient should never be left alone on an inflated mattress.

The air warms up as it passes through the air supply and into the mattress. The air will become just slightly warmer than room temperature. It will not continue to increase in temperature but it will remain warm. This actually has been regarded as a nice feature by some who have been on the Air-Matt because many times patients feel cold. All systems will have this same feel as a result of the air supply.

The patient safety straps should be loose so that when the mattress inflates, they will not become restrictive.

Yes, the patient can remain on the Air-Matt during the procedure.

Some hospitals perform surgery on the mattress and others elect to remove it during procedures. It will be the choice of the facility when deciding their policy and procedure.

A transfer only takes a few seconds, so if power is lost in the middle of a transfer, you should have enough air to complete the transfer. If power is lost prior to the transfer, simply let the mattress come to rest on the bed or gurney. If you have access to an outlet that is on emergency power, you can resume your transfer without interruption.

There are two inlets so that you can select whichever side of the mattress is more convenient for you to connect the hose. The only time you may need both air inlets and two air supplies could be for patients who are bottoming out due to their body shape and or size.

The standard Air-Matt is a stitched construction and not heat sealed. For infection control purposes, we sell a disposable cover sheet that is used to prevent any fluids from contacting the mattress. If however, fluids do come in contact with the Air-Matt mattress, just simply follow our CDC compliant cleaning instructions.

The only velcro that exists is on the hose connection located on the outer edge of the very bottom of the disposable mattress.

Yes, it can be used effectively as a repositioning aid. Once inflated, with the bed in a supine position, the patient can be moved around in the bed to a proper position. It is the only comfortable way to move someone with skin ulcers or the potential for skin tearing. It is also the most comfortable way to reposition or transfer someone with injury.

In general, the surface should be firm and not so porous that the air being blown out under the Air-Matt is lost into the surface. If the surface is porous to air, a slip sheet can be placed on the surface to create a non porous and slippery surface for the Air-Matt to slide on. The Air-Matt will have to be tried out on any specialty beds that the hospital may have in order to say for certain how it might work.

Yes. If you do perform a clinical trial, never let someone who has not been properly trained operate the Air-Matt and whenever it is used, have staff fill out the short Air-Matt evaluation form for both our records.

Inadvertent loss is still the largest risk for your reusable transfer mattress. There are ways to label or tag the mattresses to help keep track of them. Laminated luggage tags or color coded tags can be attached to the mattress handle or RF tags for asset tracking can be attached to prevent it from leaving a certain area in the hospital. Educating staff to recognize your Air-Matt as an item not to be disposed of is probably your most effective procedure.

Every back injury prevented saves thousands of dollars in worker’s compensation claims, insurance and lost time related costs. Patient skin tears, discomfort and injury are also reduced as Air-Matt provides a safe and comfortable patient experience.