Which low air loss mattress should I get

[jeft]

Hello all! I need some advice regarding which low air loss mattress I should get. I am a C5/6 complete. I had a flap surgery about 20 years ago to help cure a bad pressure sore on my tailbone. I have slept on a low air loss mattress ever sense. Several months ago, the motor died. The insurance allowed me to replace it with a different lower loss mattress but it's a very basic one that's not working well. I feel like I'm bottoming out when I sit up in bed. I Am barely keeping a pressure sore at bay. So, any advice would be greatly appreciated.

Thank you in advance for any guidance.

[Scott C4/5]

I have an Invacare MA80 microAIR True Low Air Loss Mattress with Pulsation. It works pretty good but occasionally gets a little loud. Make sure you clean the filter.

[nmireles]

I also recommend invacare low air loss. I am a dme supplier and have had to do very few repair or service calls on their products.

[jeft]

Thank you very much for the feedback. It's great to hear. My original mattress was an Invacare. I used it for over 20 years with no issues at all. It just doesn't do the alternating pressure or turning. Since I'm having trouble with breakdown again in the tailbone area, I think that those things would be very helpful. It looks like maybe the MA900 or MA1000 would do the trick. Any feedback on those models?

[SCI-Nurse]

There is little evidence that alternating pressure in a LAL mattress does anything effective to prevent pressure injuries. If you get one with a turning feature, you should be sure to set the turning at full turn and no longer than every 30 minutes.

(KLD)

[alan]

I have a Drive Medical LAL/LR mattress. It gets the job done.

[Tim C.]

RECOMMENDATION;
The most you can afford, and you can spend a lot.
I ended up with a double bedsore from a 5 day stay at local hospital. they quickly escalated to stage 4 just 2 weeks following discharge. all just because the lazy overnight staff procrastinated shifting me until the AM workers arrived despite my very verbal objections.
When I finally got discharged from rehab/nursing home month's later I switched up to a DRIVE ls9500. it's got that lateral rotation feature. COMFORT= NO WAY. the mattress itself belongs in a swimming pool. the motor is exceptionally loud if hooked onto footboard. most caregivers struggle with simply programming it. still, Drive gets $2,500 for it. I'm already my 2nd motor, more than half cost of bed. Medicare gives you trash. I use it as back up only.

[Gearhead]

I put compressor on floor at foot board, sitting on top of folded towel to dampen vibration/noise. This made mine almost silent.
Hanging from foot board was too noisy.

[jeft]

Thanks for the feedback everyone! These pressure sores are no joke and scare the crap out of me. The one bad one I had was more than enough to get my attention. My experience with Drive medical has not been the best. So, I'll avoid their products if at all possible. I'll definitely sent the rotation on maximum. Great tip Gearhead regarding putting the motor on the floor. I'll get that shot.