Personalized Medicine for Pressure Ulcer Prevention: Clinical Measures of Buttocks Deformation

In collaboration with the Rehabilitation Engineering and Applied Research Laboratory (REAR Lab) at Georgia Tech, this research project’s  at the BIRD lab goal is to reduce the occurrence of pressure sores as a result of sitting in a wheelchair, also known as biomechanical pressure ulcers (PrU), through personalized evaluations and solutions. Each individual using a wheelchair has a unique use-case that requires identifying clinical, measurable, and quantitative biomechanical characteristics that contribute to their personalized PrU risk. This study intends to better identify these risk factors Tthrough use of seated magnetic resonance imaging (MRI), pressure-mapping, and in-clinic measurements at collaborative sites across the nation, this collaborative effort address the questions posed by this study..