Abstract: A mattress unit for retarding the development of decubitus ulcers includes a fabric cover having therein a foam material, and includes an inflatable bladder and a control unit disposed within openings in the foam material. The inflatable bladder contains a foam material having spaced holes in it. The control unit includes a pump which can selectively supply pressurized air to the bladder, a valve which can selectively bleed air from the bladder, and a pressure sensor which can determine the current pressure in the bladder. The pressure sensor is coupled to an input of a control circuit which controls the pump and valve. The control circuit receives power from an AC/DC converter and is remotely controlled by a hand-held pendant, the converter and pendant each being physically separate from the mattress unit and being connected to the control circuit by respective cables.

Abstract: A hospital bed includes a support frame which is supported on the bed by four load cells and which in turn supports a mattress having a patient thereon. A method and apparatus of detecting patient exit from the bed involve extraction from the weight measured by each load cell of the portion of the measured weight corresponding to the weight of the patient, use of this extracted weight information to calculate a center of gravity of the patient with respect to the frame, a determination of whether the calculated center of gravity is within a predetermined region, and generation of an alarm if the center of gravity is outside the region.

Abstract: A hospital bed has a movably supported part, a selectively actuable drive arrangement for moving the part, a manually actuable control switch, and a control circuit coupled to the switch and drive arrangement. The control circuit includes a microprocessor having an input coupled to the control switch and having an output, and the program executed by the microprocessor selectively actuates the output of the microprocessor based on a function which takes into account the current state of a signal being applied to the microprocessor input. The control circuit also includes a further arrangement which actuates the drive arrangement when the signals from the control switch and microprocessor are both actuated, and which deactuates the drive arrangement when either of these two signals is deactuated.

Abstract: A mobile hospital stretcher includes a movably supported base, and two spaced hydraulic cylinders on the base which vertically movably support a support member having an upwardly facing support surface. Separate control systems are provided for the hydraulic cylinders, one of which is electrically powered and the other of which is mechanically powered. The electrically powered system includes an electrically actuable valve for selectively bleeding fluid from one of the cylinders, an electrically actuable pump for supplying fluid to the other cylinder, a limit arrangement which produces a signal when the first cylinder is fully retracted, a manually operable switch for electrically actuating the valve, and an arrangement responsive to the presence of the first signal during actuation of the switch for electrically actuating the pump.