Vital Base of Hareid, Norway, has designed a cushioning product, including a seat and backrest, especially for wheelchairs using a temperature-regulating material that claims to significantly improve sitting comfort. Part of the Vital Base Sitting Systems range, Vital Base Royal is a seat cushion for wheelchairs in which the outer cover is made of ClimaTherm from Outlast Technologies. Incorporating Outlast phase-change materials (PCMs) within a three-dimensional textile structure, ClimaTherm is designed to maintain a constant temperature of 28 deg C when exposed to the heat of a human body, which is normally 30-34 deg C on the outside. The material also enables better ventilation of the contact surface, and the microclimate is improved by drier skin. This is said to reduce the risk of creating pressure ulcers when sitting on a cushion. Vital Base Royal offers improved pressure distribution properties together with side support and pelvis stabilisation. Further, an energy absorber inside the cushion reduces shocks to the spine. The seat cushion is currently being used in one of the best-selling products of Norwegian wheelchair manufacturer Alu Rehab, which supplies to the European Union japan, South Africa and the Middle East, among other markets. Vital Base Managing Director John Rune Furnes explained that the Vital Base Royal seat cushion, which is complemented by the Vital Base Smart and Vital Base Stabile backrest cushion, is also used in customized wheelchairs as used,for instance, by wheelchair sportspeople to improve their performance. Meanwhile, medical products suppliers Medema of Norway and Mini-Crosser of Denmark have chosen the seating concept created by Vital Base as their future cushions solution. Medema's Jazzy electric wheelchair and the MiniCrosser electrical wheelchair both have the new cushions containing ClimaTherm.


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    Title :

    Wheelchair cushion offers improved sitting comfort


    Published in:

    Medical Textiles ; Oct ; 1-2


    Publication date :

    2008


    Size :

    2 Seiten, 1 Bild



    Type of media :

    Article (Journal)


    Type of material :

    Print


    Language :

    English




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