A single-use infant occipital positioner. An open-cell silicone core spreads load across a continuous concave contact face, lowering peak interface pressure over the occiput during procedures and monitored care.
Designed by Scott J. Rapp, MD, FACS, a practising paediatric craniofacial surgeon.
Seven padding materials in clinical use at Cincinnati Children's and Dayton Children's were tested on a universal testing machine across four conditions, with scanning electron microscopy on each substrate. These are the results for the silicone foam used in PediPillow™ against the polyurethane foams it would replace.
| Measure | Open-cell silicone | Polyurethane foams | Significance |
|---|---|---|---|
| Structure retained at 100 lb load | 20% retained | Near-complete collapse | P < 0.001 |
| Force to deform when saturated | No significant change | 13.2% ± 20.8 less force needed | P = 0.023 |
| Recovery after 2-hour compression | Full recovery, wet and dry | Delayed; donuts and eggcrate did not fully recover | P < 0.001 |
| Structure on electron microscopy | Weakened cells, lattice intact | Fractured fibres, breaks in continuity | — |
Rapp SJ, Pierzchajlo N, Gordon CB, Anderson SR. Prevention of pressure-induced soft tissue injuries in acute and chronic hospital settings: a biomechanical comparison of current methods and materials. Plast Reconstr Surg Glob Open 2025;13:e7291. Dr. Rapp holds equity in Fiomet Ventures, Inc.; the test fixture was purchased by the company. Both disclosures are published with the article. Testing was in vitro and does not establish a clinical outcome.
The common workaround across hospital and ambulatory settings is to stack cut foam under the head. Stacked blocks meet the skull at their edges and leave voids between them, so the contact area is small and pressure at each edge is high. A single concave face carries the same weight across a much larger area, which is the whole mechanism of the device.
Schematic. Illustrates the load path, not measured interface pressure. Structural behaviour of the two materials under load is reported in the biomechanical study above.
Dimensions are nominal and uncompressed. The contact face is a continuous concave surface, so it has no measurable rim edge. The dish is shallow by design: the occiput settles close to the support surface rather than being raised above it.
Cases of 10 are the standard order unit; single units are for evaluation. Card orders ship from stock. Facilities on purchase orders or net terms should use the invoice request instead — we will return a Stripe invoice against your PO.
Order total $749.90 — 10 units
Taxes and shipping are calculated at checkout. Tax-exempt facilities should use the invoice request.
For purchase orders, net terms, and tax-exempt accounts.
PediPillow was designed by a surgeon who positions these patients. The geometry came out of the operating room, not a catalogue.
Pressure injury is a complication of position, and position is something the surgical team controls. In long procedures the padding under a patient’s head is often assembled at the table from cut foam blocks. It is quick, it is what is on the shelf, and it leaves gaps.
Prolonged operations carry a documented pressure injury risk, and neonatal skin has very little margin. The design question was narrow: give the occiput one continuous surface at a fixed geometry, so the offload does not depend on who assembled the padding or how long the case ran.
The material came first. A published comparison of seven padding products in clinical use at Cincinnati Children’s and Dayton Children’s found that polyurethane foams lose structure under sustained load and degrade further when wet, while the open-cell silicone retained structure and recovered fully. PediPillow applies that material in a form specific to the infant occiput.
Rapp SJ, Pierzchajlo N, Gordon CB, Anderson SR. Plast Reconstr Surg Glob Open 2025;13:e7291.
Dr. Rapp is the founder and chief executive of Fiomet Ventures, Inc. and holds equity in the company. He is an author of the biomechanical study cited on this site; that study’s test fixture was purchased by Fiomet, and both facts were disclosed in the published article.
Clinical appointments are listed to describe professional background. They do not constitute an endorsement of this device by Cincinnati Children’s Hospital Medical Center, Dayton Children’s Hospital, Shriners Children’s Ohio, or the University of Cincinnati.
PediPillow™ is intended to reduce pressure on the skin over bony prominences, to reduce the likelihood of pressure injury, in infants under direct clinical observation in a healthcare facility.
Sleep or any unobserved period. Use in a car seat, carrier, rocker, swing, or other sitting device. Home use. Changing head shape or symmetry, or preventing or treating any medical condition, including positional plagiocephaly. Reuse between patients.
Prescription device. Federal law restricts this device to sale by or on the order of a physician.