From left: Michael and Alan Sullivan, co-founders of Meditec Medical. Image: Meditec Medical
Dublin-based Meditec Medical will be providing its mattress technology to Boston Children’s Hospital and Tallaght University Hospital.
An Irish company that has developed mattress technology to reduce incidents of pressure ulcers will see its product installed in hospitals in Ireland and the US.
Meditec Medical confirmed that Boston Children’s Hospital – the primary paediatric teaching hospital for Harvard Medical School in the US – is to install the Nest mattress technology following a successful trial earlier this year.
The trial was conducted on 34 patients between the ages of 30 and 90 who were at higher risk of developing pressure ulcers. The Dublin-headquartered company said the trial found that the use of Nest reduced the risk of patients developing pressure ulcers, lowered the risk of healthcare-associated infections and offered environmental benefits and cost savings to the hospital.
The technology is also set to be installed at Tallaght University Hospital, which recently saw its first successful surgery using a robot nicknamed ‘Leona’ to help surgeons perform complex minimally invasive surgical procedures with greater precision and accuracy.
Commenting on the installation of the mattress technology, Tallaght University Hospital’s chief executive, Lucy Nugent, said it is already having a “significant impact” on patient outcomes.
‘Very exciting’ development
Michael Sullivan, co-founder and director at Meditec Medical, added: “The fact that these two prestigious hospitals in different parts of the world have agreed to enter into an ongoing supply agreement of the Nest at such an early stage is very exciting.
“Healthcare needs this 21st-century technology to tackle the ongoing and ever increasing issues of pressure ulcers, healthcare-acquired infections and clinical waste.”
The company, which is also based in Tallaght, currently employs 30 people with support from Enterprise Ireland.
Its Nest mattress is made of polyester-based thermoplastic elastomer, rather than the standard polyurethane foam in regular mattresses. The company said its core function is to provide pressure relief through pressure distribution. It does this by dispersing the load away from the patient through the interlocking 3D spring structure of the material.
