PATIENT SUPPORT DEVICE WITH LOWER EXTREMITY RAISER
A patient support device includes a mattress including an inflatable plenum, an inflatable torso support chamber located on one end portion of the mattress to elevate the upper torso of a patient with respect to the lower torso and legs, the torso support chamber being isolated from the plenum so as to be separately inflatable, and an inflatable lower extremity support chamber located on an opposite end portion of the mattress to elevate one or more lower extremities of a patient with respect to the upper torso and lower torso, the lower extremity support chamber being isolated from the plenum and the torso support chamber so as to be separately inflatable.
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This application claims priority of U.S. Provisional Application No. 61/365,618, filed Jul. 19, 2011, entitled “Patient Positioning Device with Leg Raiser”, which is incorporated herein by reference in its entirety.
FIELD OF THE INVENTIONThe present invention relates to a patient support device. More particularly, the present invention relates to a patient support mattress with a lower extremity raiser, which may be useful for raising and supporting the buttocks, upper legs, knees, and/or lower legs of obese patients for the purpose of providing medical treatment to the hips, legs, and feet.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTIONPatient support devices, including patient transfer mattresses, have an inflatable plenum that provides an air cushion to lifts and support a patient laying on a bed or other support surface. Some contemporary examples of patient transfer mattresses are disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 7,210,176 (Weedling).
Patients, particularly those that are morbidly obese, often have coexisting physical conditions, including chronic lesions or wounds on portions of the hips, buttocks, legs, and feet on which the patient's weight is normally supported. Treating these wounds, including activities such as changing wound dressings, typically requires lifting the hips, buttocks, legs or feet of a patient, and sometimes necessitates rolling a patient on his or her side. For morbidly obese patients, these actions can be particularly problematic. First, the sheer weight of the patient's hip, buttock, or leg (perhaps in excess of 200 pounds) may be difficult for a caregiver to manipulate and support. Second, rolling a patient can cause damage to the area under treatment, as well as to adjacent areas of the skin and underlying tissue.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTIONIn one embodiment, a patient support device is disclosed having a mattress including an inflatable plenum. An inflatable torso support chamber is located on one end portion of the mattress to elevate the upper torso of a patient with respect to the lower torso and legs, the torso support chamber being isolated from the plenum so as to be separately inflatable. An inflatable lower extremity support chamber is located on an opposite end portion of the mattress to elevate one or more lower extremities of a patient with respect to the upper torso and lower torso, the lower extremity support chamber being isolated from the plenum and the torso support chamber so as to be separately inflatable.
The inflatable mattress 10 may include longitudinally extending side air chambers 22 and transverse chambers 24 extending between the side chambers 22. The mattress 10 includes a head portion 26 at one end, a foot portion 28 at an opposite end, and an intermediate portion 30 located between the head and foot portions 26, 28.
The head portion 26 of the transfer mattress 10 includes an upper torso support chamber 40 bounded on its top surface by the top sheet 12 and on its sides by side panels 32. The torso support chamber 40 is preferably separately inflatable and deflatable from the main plenum of the mattress 10. The side panels 32 have a triangular shape that results in a sloped elevation of the top sheet 12 in the head portion 26 of the mattress 10 above the rest of the top sheet 12 when the upper torso support chamber 40 is inflated. In the depicted embodiment, the side panels 32 are dimensioned such that the top sheet 12 is inclined at a substantially uniform rate throughout a majority of the head portion 26. The angle of inclination, 0, of top sheet 12 in the head portion 26 with respect to portion of the top sheet 12 between the intermediate portion 30 and the foot portion 28 may be between approximately 30 degrees and approximately 40 degrees when fully inflated and not loaded by a patient. The invention, however, is not limited to any particular angle of inclination. The inclination elevates the head and upper torso of a supported patient above the patient's lower torso and legs. Supporting an obese patient in a more upright position facilitates circulation and respiration, both at rest and lateral transfer.
The mattress 10 includes an air inlet hose 31 for supplying air to the plenum to inflate the mattress 10. The torso support chamber 40 may communicate with the plenum of the mattress 10 so that the torso support chamber 40 and the plenum of the mattress 10 can be inflated and deflated together. Constructed in this manner, the entire mattress 10, including the inclined head portion 26 defined by the torso support chamber 40, would be inflated in common from the same source of air via the air inlet hose 31. Alternatively, the torso support chamber 40 may be is isolated from the remainder of the mattress 10. Arranged in this manner, the torso support chamber 40 could receive a separate supply of air through an inlet valve or air inlet hose 41 for optional inflation of the torso support chamber 40 when desired. Such an arrangement provides the option of supporting a patient in a substantially flat position, or in a more upright position.
Also shown in
Systems for independently inflating air chambers, such as the torso support chamber 40, the lower extremity support chamber 90, and the hip region support chamber 80, are known. For example, U.S. Pat. No. 7,210,176 discloses an exemplary system in FIG. 8 and col. 7, line 55—col. 8, line 33, which are incorporated by reference herein.
Further, any of the lower extremity support chambers 90, 190, 290, 390, 490, 590, 690, 790, 890, 990 described herein can be used separately on a mattress 10, or two or more of the support chambers lower extremity support chambers 90, 190, 290, 390, 490, 590, 690, 790, 890, 990 can be used in combination at the same time, as necessary, space permitting.
Additionally, any of the lower extremity support chambers 90, 190, 290, 390, 490, 590, 690, 790, 890, 990 can be integrally incorporated into the top sheet 12 of the mattress 10 or can be removably attached to the top sheet 12 of the mattress by way of any fastening mechanism known or that may be envisioned by a person of ordinary skill in the art. For example, one or more of the lower extremity support chambers 90, 190, 290, 390, 490, 590, 690, 790, 890, 990 may be removably attached to the top sheet 12 using hook and look type fasteners, snaps, straps, clips, zippers, or any other mechanical means that can enable repeated fastening and unfastening. In this way, any of the lower extremity support chambers 90, 190, 290, 390, 490, 590, 690, 790, 890, 990 can be precisely positioned under a particular patient, as desired, to enable a caregiver to elevate specific portions of a patient's lower anatomy to provide comfort or access to certain regions for treatment. By making the lower extremity support chambers 90, 190, 290, 390, 490, 590, 690, 790, 890, 990 removable, the patient support device described herein can be adjusted without limit depending on the particular patient and the specific needs of that patient.
The foregoing describes the invention in terms of embodiments preferred by the inventor for which an enabling description was available, notwithstanding that insubstantial modifications of the invention, including those not presently foreseen, may nonetheless represent equivalents thereto.
Claims
1. A patient support device comprising:
- a mattress including an inflatable plenum;
- an inflatable torso support chamber located on one end portion of the mattress to elevate the upper torso of a patient with respect to the lower torso and legs; and
- an inflatable lower extremity support chamber located on an opposite end portion of the mattress to elevate one or more lower extremities of a patient with respect to the upper torso and lower torso, the lower extremity support chamber being isolated from the plenum and the torso support chamber so as to be separately inflatable.
2. The patient support device of claim 1, wherein the mattress is a transfer mattress having a perforated bottom sheet to provide a cushion of air for moving the mattress across a surface when the plenum is inflated.
3. The patient support device of claim 1, wherein the leg support chamber includes a right side chamber and a left side chamber that are selectively and separately inflatable.
4. The patient support device of claim 1, wherein the lower extremity support chamber includes a lower leg raiser positioned so as to support one or both legs of a patient below the knee.
5. The patient support device of claim 4, wherein the lower extremity support chamber further includes a hip raiser centrally located between the hips.
6. The patient support device of claim 5, wherein the lower extremity support chamber further includes a central buttocks raiser connecting the lower leg raiser and the hip raiser.
7. The patient support device of claim 1, wherein the lower extremity support chamber further includes a hip raiser centrally located between the hips.
8. The patient support device of claim 1, wherein the lower extremity support chamber includes a leg raiser positioned so as to support one or both legs of a patient above the knee so that the lower portion of the one or both legs below the knee can be freely pivoted about the knee.
9. The patient support device of claim 1, wherein the lower extremity support chamber has a wedge shape.
10. The patient support device of claim 1, wherein the lower extremity support chamber has a concave upper surface.
11. The patient support device of claim 1, wherein the lower extremity support chamber has a convex upper surface.
12. The patient support device of claim 1, wherein the lower extremity support chamber includes a leg raiser, a pair of hip raisers separated by a lower spinal gap, and a central buttocks raiser connecting the leg raiser to the pair of hip raisers.
13. The patient support device of claim 1, wherein the lower extremity support chamber is integrally formed with the mattress.
14. The patient support device of claim 1, wherein the lower extremity support chamber is removably fastened to the mattress.
15. The patient support device of claim 14, wherein two or more of the lower extremity support chambers can be fastened to the mattress, in combination, to selectively lift portions of a patient's anatomy.
16. The patient support device of claim 1, wherein the torso support chamber is isolated from the plenum so as to be separately inflatable
Type: Application
Filed: Aug 15, 2011
Publication Date: Jan 19, 2012
Applicant: PATIENT TRANSFER SYSTEMS, INC. (Center Valley, PA)
Inventors: James E. Weedling (Center Valley, PA), Robert E. Weedling (Delray Beach, FL)
Application Number: 13/186,010
International Classification: A47C 27/10 (20060101);