New mattress ''doubles the effectiveness of CPR''
13/07/2009
By Elizabeth Mewes
A number of issues raised about the practicality of cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) on regular mattresses have been responded to by scientists from the US.
Students at Michigan Technological University have designed and produced a more effective mattress so that any force applied to the recipient of potential life-saving treatment will get the full extent of it.
Usually, hospital mattresses are based around six or more inches of foam, which is pliable and cushioned enough to help patients with rest yet does not help when force is applied to the chest, in turn receiving the downward force like a sponge and undermining potential life-saving treatment.
However, Michigan Tech''s invention harnesses tubing, a motor and a vacuum pump to remove the air from the bed to make the mattress more firm in the space of ten minutes, making CPR much more effective.
Mattresses continue to be a major force in many people''s lives, with More Than revealing recently that one in ten savers is still using their mattresses as a place to keep cash.
