Tissue harm can happen quickly but is not immediately seen

One of the major reasons why there has traditionally been more investment in the treatment of soft tissue harm rather than its prevention, is that it can happen deep under the skin in the soft tissues and very quickly. This, however can mean that damage does not become apparent for up to approximately ten days after the event. 

Role of a patient’s fascia

From Macro to Nano scale, Fascia invaginates and surrounds and holds every muscle, nerve, blood vessel organ and cell in our bodies. It’s a sticky/ slidey connective system layers that allows under normal circumstances all the tissues in the body to move freely without transferring any damaging movements to surrounding structures.

It works through this biotensegrity structure to maintain the body's safe internal tensional homeostatic environment to prevent the tissues from reaching or exceeded their threshold of resistance at which they might be harmed. It’s our own internal cellular and tissue harm prevention system.

Synergetic layers

Tissue harm can happen when harmful forces are generated and enter the client/patient’s soft tissues. Whilst providing inbed care, the resting surface interface of the bed mattress cover and bed sheet can be a major contributing factor of this during any client/patient movements.

The use of any resting surface interfaces (bed mattress cover and bed sheet) that contain a high stiction and friction factor, will during any initial, accumulative or repetitive client/patient movements on this surface cause soft tissue loading, shear and distortion and resulting soft tissue harm. That’s why, when a patient is moving (be it by themselves or by a carer), it is important that the interface between the UNDERSIDE of the bedsheet and the UPPER surface of the bed mattress cover (the sliding interface) are of a low stiction and friction factor as to prevent harmful forces being generated. 

The Biotechsis^® inbed care systems synergetic layers provide low stiction and friction and enable the patient’s body to work with (inertia), rather than against gravity (energy using) so that tissue harm is prevented when repositioning a patient’s body mass on a resting surface. The Biotechsis^® inbed care system is designed to replace the high stiction and friction constructed conventional cotton bed sheets.    

Ideal environment

The ideal inbed care environment for simulating and protecting the client/ patient's own innate homeostatic environment uses the following items: 

• Biotechsis^® Mattress Cover, Biotechsis^® Bed Sheets and Biotechsis^® Pillows plus (where needed) the Biotechsis^® Incontinence Slide and Biotechsis^® Patient Turning Aid.

And used in conjunction and synchronisation with the following:

• Bed of a type that has Multi-plane Tilt Bed Frame.
• A Hybrid Mattress (with Step-Up, Step-Down Facility) that is made up of individual open cells foam which are encased in air.
• An overhead Patient Hoist (preferable Ceiling Track or Gantry or Mobile), with Standard Spreader Bar with hook attachment. 

Using Inertia, together with the Biotechsis^® inbed care system in a synchronised and coordinated way enables the client/ patient's body mass to move, be repositioned and be stabilised inbed by gravity in a safe way on the correct synergetic resting surface interface laters. Therefore avoiding tissue harm whilst also protecting the client/ patients internal cellular and tissue harm prevention system. 

Please see the safety dance video to learn more about a philesynergetic approach.

Advantages of the Safety Dance approach

All the products in the Biotechsis^® inbed system are designed to work together to provide optimal interface synergy. It means that

• A patient can be rested, repositioned and stabilised by using Inertia and gravity without the need for manual handling.
• The risk of biomechanical compromise is significantly reduced and avoids any resultant soft tissue or musculoskeletal harm to the carer(s). 
• The approach reduces the effect of “force focal points” transcending through the skin and the resulting distortion on soft tissue and cells.
• It enables patients to be supported, repositioned and stabilised in a controlled rate and in a uniformed manner.
• Allows repositioning and stabilising to be at a sufficiently slow rate and allow the soft tissues and cells internal homeostatic and biotensegrity processes to safely dissipate potentially damaging forces (tensional homeostasis).
• The Synergistic layers are intrinsic to the Biotechsis^® inbed care system products and are designed to be intuitive.