'Life-saving' inflatable cushion created by Bath academics to help move critically ill patients 

A team of academics in Bath have created a device to help move critically ill patients. 

The ‘BathMat’ is an inflatable device created to help doctors and nurses safely move patients.

The device is set to enter clinical trials at the Royal United Hospitals Bath NHS Foundation Trust (RUH). 

It was designed by engineers at the University of Bath in collaboration with doctors at the RUH. 

The ’BathMat’ is a flat balloon-like cushion made to assist healthcare staff move the most critically ill patients. 

Dr Andy Georgiou has been the consultant lead for the project since the outset. 

He said: “Turning some patients who are sedated and on a ventilator onto their front is life-saving.

"Caring for these patients whilst on their front is challenging but vital to avoid causing the patient serious injury. 

“This device has three main benefits: improving safety for our sickest patients, releasing staff to care for other critically ill patients and reducing the risk of injury to our specialist teams of staff.

"I look forward to the trial which will help us to better quantify these benefits”. 

Critically ill patients on the intensive care unit who are sedated and on a ventilator with severe lung injury, can benefit from being placed on their front.

This can increase the oxygen levels in their blood and reduces their risk of death by up to 17%.

To avoid painful bed sores and injuries to other parts of the body, national guidelines require these patients to be repositioned every two to four hours.

Currently, this is done using sliding sheets or hoists, with repositioning accounting for over half a million staff hours per year in the NHS.

The researchers behind the device say they hope it will make it possible for just two staff to complete the process, and cut the time needed from over half an hour per position adjustment to less than 10 minutes. 

Whilst substantially improving the safety of the procedure for patients, and releasing staff to perform other care duties, it also has the potential to reduce the risk of manual handling injuries for staff.

Currently, 16,500 patients are cared for in this way in the NHS each year. A device like this could reduce the likelihood of pressure sores and organ injury, potentially allowing for more frequent repositioning. 

The device could bring knock-on benefits such as freeing up staff to perform other duties and protecting staff-to-patient ratios.

Dr Alexander Lunt, leading the project from the University of Bath, said: “Our goal is that the device will be proven to maintain or improve safety standards and enhance patient outcomes in the most unwell patients.

"We aim to achieve this while saving time and reducing the number of clinicians required needed to reposition prone patients.

“The device has been carefully developed as a close collaboration over the past two years.

"We have received regular feedback from clinicians and patients alike, being described as a game changer and no-brainer by independent reviewers.”

After receiving Research Capability funding from the RUH, as well as funding from the University’s Impact Acceleration Account, the project has now received £357,000 from the National Institute of Health and Care Research (NIHR) to determine the effectiveness of the device and to explore its commercial potential.

The clinical trial will begin in late 2024 and run for 14 months, taking place at the RUH as well as other NHS trusts in the UK.