‘Long Lie’ Falls: Dolphin Therapy Case Studies

When a person has been unable to get up off the floor following a fall for an hour or more, it is referred to as a ‘long lie’.¹

For highly complex patients admitted to hospital following a fall and ‘long lie’, early adoption of the Dolphin Therapy support surface can be beneficial for treatment and/or prevention of skin damage. In order to evidence this, Medstrom’s Clinical Advisors have worked closely with Trusts and Health Boards to capture the journeys of some of these patients. Click on the pictures below to read the anonymised case studies of *Judith, Albert, Trevor and Caroline:

*These are not the patients’ real names.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Patient Backgrounds

Judith was admitted to hospital following a five-day ‘long lie’. As a result, she had developed sepsis, two DTIs and one Category IV pressure ulcer.

Albert lay on the floor at home for six days before being discovered. He had two DTIs and was diagnosed with urosepsis.

Trevor was admitted to ICU with diabetic ketoacidosis. He also had five DTIs and one Category II pressure ulcer as a result of a two-day ‘long lie’.

Caroline was admitted to ICU following a five-day ‘long lie’ with alcohol withdrawal, pneumonia, malnutrition and a large, unstageable pressure ulcer to her sacrum.

About Dolphin Therapy

Dolphin Therapy is a unique reactive support surface that simulates a fluid environment. Research has demonstrated that it:

• Maintains tissue symmetry²
• Mimimises vascular occlusion³
• Prevents tissue ischaemia, even when the patient is nursed directly on a wound.⁴

This research is backed up by outcome data collected from over 3,000 patients, which has demonstrated that it is extremely effective at both treatment and prevention of skin damage. In addition, it showed outstanding outcomes for other key objectives including improved comfort, pain management, sleep, compliance with care and reduced turning frequency.⁵

More About ‘Long Lie’ Falls 

Click here for more information on ‘long lie’ falls complications, causes and solutions.

References

1. Blackburn J et al (2022). Exploring the impact of experiencing a long lie fall on physical and clinical outcomes in older people requiring an ambulance: A systematic review. Int Emerg Nurs. 62:101148.

2. CT scans from St Joseph’s Hospital, Tampa, Florida.

3. Worsley PR et al (2015). The effects of a fluid immersion mattresses; an evaluation of fluid immersion therapy for the prevention of pressure ulcers. 18th Annual Meeting of the European Pressure Ulcer Advisory Panel, 17th September 2015. Faculty of Health Sciences, University of Southampton.

4. Mayes KL et al (2012). Cost effective care without clinical compromise: Incorporating the Dolphin Fluid Immersion Simulation Mattress System into the postoperative care of patients undergoing myocutaneous flaps. Poster presented at Wild on Wounds National Conference, September 12 – 15, 2012, Las Vegas, NV.

5. The effectiveness of Dolphin Therapy fluid immersion simulation support surface. Outcomes for over 3,000 highly complex patients. Medstrom (2023). SM1153-Dolphin-Therapy-3000-Patient-Outcomes-Report-Rev1-Mar-2023-1.pdf (medstrom.com)