Need recommendations for disposable underwear

[txcaregiver]

I'm a caregiver for my adult spina bifida sister. We've found that many of the makers of disposable briefs have redesigned them to be "more like real underwear!" Great, thanks a lot -- those high-cut leg openings tend to leak when the wearer is lying on her side in bed (to avoid pressure wounds), and let's not get started on monthly issues.

Any recomendations for reclosable (in other words, fastener tabs so they don't have to be pulled up and down) briefs that fit around the upper thigh like "boy leg" underwear?

[triumph]

Sorry, can't help with suitable disposable product. If sister can turn to her back briefly, she may find less, if any leakage, then turn to side again. Also handy to have a few sturdy mattress pads - about 36" x 36" the kind with blue waterproof on one side, white cotton fabric on other side. They can be tossed in the wash, daily if necessary. You can see them on amazon.

[SCI-Nurse]

Check out this company. They can put together a sample kit for you to try different products in any classification of incontinence management, and they you can purchase the ones that best meet her needs.

http://www.hdis.com/

(KLD)

[txcaregiver]

Thanks for the info! We do use a washable bed pad, topped with a disposable one. I will check that link -- so far, we have tried various brands that are available in-store, and it seems that they all went to the "new design!" at the same time. I suspect they all use the same manufacturer, so maybe the HDIS folks will have something new.

[SCI-Nurse]

Keep in mind that the more layers of padding you use between the person and any pressure reducing mattress, the less the mattress can be effective in reducing that pressure. If using a low air loss mattress (LAL) you should only use air permeable Chux.

(KLD)

[txcaregiver]

Thanks, SCI-Nurse -- my sister has a gel mattress topper. She tried one of the LAL's back when she had a pressure wound, but it didn't work well enough to justify it. The doctor ended up recommending the gel topper.

Incidentally, if you aren't familiar with Procellera, you might want to look into it for your patients. My sister was the first patient in our town to use it and it did the trick when everything was at a standstill.

[SCI-Nurse]

Mattress overlays are rarely good enough to reduce pressure which causes pressure ulcers. Gel overlays are notorious for bottoming out and giving a false sense of security in true pressure reduction.

My patients tried out some full gel mattresses, and we did computerized interface pressure studies on one. It had higher pressures than both a good quality LAL mattress and our standard foam pressure reduction mattresses. Patients found it uncomfortable and like it sucked the heat out of their bodies...complained of the cold constantly. In addition, I had very serious concerns about the weight of the mattress when staff needed to move it from bed frame to bed frame.

The claims for the Procellera "electrical field" mattress overlays for pressure ulcer prevention are really not based on sound scientific principles. The Procellera dressings used for pressure ulcer healing have a little stronger basis, but not enough to justify this as the only legitimate dressing for pressure ulcer healing.

(KLD)

[txcaregiver]

I'm sorry, I think I wasn't clear -- the Procellera I mentioned was the wound dressing fabric with the little metallic dots. I never heard of a Procellera mattress.

When my sister used the Procellera dressing, it was after trying more than a dozen treatments, including a wound vac (don't get me started on that!). The Procellera did jump start the healing when all else had failed.

[bubbagump]

Before I had my bladder removed in August 2015, I was using Attends protective underwear. These ones were really good and didn't come up high in the legs like Depend's do.