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Warnings about Bed Rails and Patients Suffocating
There have been some Government reports from England and the USA about patients suffocating next to Bed Rails. It is difficult for a patient to press their nose against the Bed Rail or even a Bed Rail Protector long enough to suffocate. Possibly they die from asphyxiating, due to their position, normally called ‘Positional Asphyxiation’ and they have not suffocated. This is only a slight difference, but the reason for the difference is important to know. The main reason why patients ‘suffocate’ next to side rails is because the mattress becomes very soft on the side where they sit when getting in and out of bed. One night they may roll to the soft side and they are not strong enough to move back to the middle of the mattress. As they are trapped next to the Bed Rail this may cause positional asphyxiation and they can die. This is different to them having their face buried in the blankets or a pillow and suffocating. Another reason for positional asphyxiation may be that the old mattress is replaced and the new mattress that is a little narrower is put on the bed frame. The patient moves to the side and the mattress slips to the other side, so they get stuck next to the rails and cannot move back to the middle of the mattress. Once again positional asphyxiation could be the cause of death. Then perhaps the patient is given an Air-Flow Pressure Mattress. They roll to the side and the mattress squashes down on this side and rises up next to them, so once again they cannot move back into the middle of the mattress. This death could also be due to positional asphyxiation. Some facilities have removed Bed Rails due to possible patient asphyxiation. As a patient can easily fall out of bed without using Bed Rails, they use the Pelican Bed Fall Mat next to the bed to help protect them and hopefully reduce any injuries if they fall. In many cases no injury is reported.
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