BRIEF RESEARCH REPORT article
Front. Public Health
Sec. Injury Prevention and Control
Comparative analysis of sitting pressures in individuals with spinal cord injury: static vs. dynamic air cushions
Provisionally accepted
Irene Corral-López1
Adrià Marco-Ahulló2César Rubio-Belmonte3Xurxo Segura-Navarro1Juan Manuel Pozo-Alegre1Lluïsa Montesinos-Magraner1*- 1Hospital Universitari Vall d'Hebron, Barcelona, Spain
- 2Catholic University of Valencia San Vicente Mártir, Valencia, Spain
- 3Hospital Universitari i Politecnic La Fe, Valencia, Spain
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Background: Pressure injuries (PIs) significantly affect the health and social participation of individuals with spinal cord injury (SCI). Anti-decubitus cushions help prevent these injuries by distributing weight and reducing peak pressures. Evidence supports air cushions as the most effective solution for pressure relief during sitting. In recent years, in order to enhance their effectiveness, these cushions have incorporated dynamic and intelligent systems. Objective: To analyse and compare sitting pressure values while using a commercially available dynamic intelligent air cushion—specifically the Nubolo®|Med—versus other high-end air cushions. Methods: The sample comprised 41 individuals with chronic, complete traumatic SCI, presenting various risk factors for pressure injuries. Measurements were conducted using the Nubolo®|Med cushion, participants' usual high-end air cushions, and a CONFORMatSYSTEM mat for pressure recording. Outcome variables were peak pressure (PP), normalized peak pressure (PP/CA), average pressure (AP), and contact area (CA), measured on the Nubolo®|Med and on participants' usual cushion. A comparative analysis was subsequently carried out between the two conditions. Results: No significant differences were found between the two conditions in the AP and CA variables. However, statistically significant differences were observed in the PP [static cushion: 38.04(12.46) mmHg vs. Nubolo®|Med: 31.81(9.57) mmHg; z=4.38, p<0.001, r=-0.73]and PP/CA [static cushion: 0.080(0.024) mmHg/mm² vs. Nubolo®|Med: 0.065(0.016) mmHg/mm²; z=-3.99, p<0.001, r=0.67] variables. Conclusions: The findings indicate that the Nubolo®|Med cushion showed lower peak sitting pressures compared to high-end static air cushions in individuals with complete SCI.
Keywords: spinal cord injury, pressure injuries, anti-decubitus cushion, Nubolo®|Med, prevention
Received: 28 May 2025; Accepted: 28 Nov 2025.
Copyright: © 2025 Corral-López, Marco-Ahulló, Rubio-Belmonte, Segura-Navarro, Pozo-Alegre and Montesinos-Magraner. This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (CC BY). The use, distribution or reproduction in other forums is permitted, provided the original author(s) or licensor are credited and that the original publication in this journal is cited, in accordance with accepted academic practice. No use, distribution or reproduction is permitted which does not comply with these terms.
* Correspondence: Lluïsa Montesinos-Magraner
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