A comfortable sleep surface minimizes patient complaints. That is why, the mattress plays an important part as a hospital bed accessory. Almost all hospital beds have perforated sheet top as bed surface which needs to be covered by a mattress. The market offers a wide variety of mattress types like wool, spring, latex, polyurethane and many others. Each type has its own characteristics that must be evaluated when making a choice.

The common types of mattresses used in hospital beds are as follows:

• Coir Mattress: Some beds have mattresses fixed on the bed. These fixed mattress are made of coir and covered by a rubber sheet which can be of various colours.
  
  
• Foam Bed Mattress: Constant pressure from lying in a bed can cause pressure sores. The use of special foam bed mattresses or air bed mattress pads improves comfort and aid in the prevention of pressure sores. A dense foam overlay is a good product for low risk patients. It has been proved effective in clinical trials and studies as an aid in the prevention and treatment of pressure ulcers.
  
  
• Air Dry Flotation Mattress: There are no greater defenses against wounds and disease than those contained in the human body. But often these defenses need a partner in the healing process. An air dry flotation mattress is excellent. This mattress is soft, flexible and adjustable to provide a customized fit to a patient's sitting or lying shape. As an individual's body shape changes, the cushion adjusts to facilitate blood flow.
  
  
• Alternating Pressure Mattress: These are designed to aid in the prevention and treatment of pressure ulcers (also called bed sores) by alternately inflating and deflating air cells in the mattress replacement or electric bed pad in a regular pattern that offers pressure relief and improved circulation.
  
  
• Spring Mattress: These are the most widely used matresses in the hospitals today. Layers of stuffing and insulation are laid between springs and the outer covering to ensure a restful and comfortable position. A spring mattress's structure facilitates internal aeration and provides effective support for the body. A spring mattress's response to weight covers large areas, and not only separate points of pressure.
  
  
• Latex Mattress: This support the body by responding to single points of pressure, this makes it more accommodating. It is a very elastic material (withstands severe deformation without breaking), resilient (it quickly returns to its original size) and is a good insulator. Given its elastic properties, latex mattresses are particularly suitable for use with adjustable bed bases.
  
  

All mattresses come in variety of colors and can be printed or plain. The choice entirely depends on the hospital authorities.