Patient transfer apparatus

• US 20040143902A1
• Filed: 01/15/2004
• Published: 07/29/2004
• Est. Priority Date: 06/14/1999
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Richard H. Heimbrock
• Original Assignee: Richard H. Heimbrock
• Inventors: Heimbrock, Richard H.
• Granted Patent: US 6,820,292 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 5/81.1R
• CPC Class Codes: A61G 2200/32 lying
• CPC Class Codes: A61G 7/1021 Inflatable cushions
• CPC Class Codes: A61G 7/1026 Sliding sheets or mats
• CPC Class Codes: A61G 7/1028 by a support moving on air cushion
• CPC Class Codes: A61G 7/103 Transfer boards
• CPC Class Codes: A61G 7/1034 Rollers, rails or other means
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 5/926 Low friction, e.g. slippery material

Abstract

According to the present invention, a patient transfer device includes an elongated foam pad having a fluid impervious enclosure. The foam pad is configured to be placed under the patient on a first support surface, and extends along at least a portion of the patient'"'"'s body. The foam pad defines a fluid chamber to receive fluid under pressure. The fluid chamber has a bottom wall facing the first support surface, and including perforations for expelling fluid against the first support surface to provide a fluid bearing to facilitate moving the foam pad and the patient supported thereon from the first support surface to an adjacent second support surface.

Claims

1. A transfer device for moving a patient from a first support surface to an adjacent second support surface, the device comprising an elongated foam pad having a fluid impervious enclosure, the pad being configured to be placed under the patient on the first support surface and extending along at least a portion of the patient'"'"'s body, the pad including a fluid chamber to receive fluid under pressure, the fluid chamber having a bottom wall facing the first support surface, the bottom wall being provided with perforations for releasing fluid from the chamber against the first support surface to provide a fluid bearing to facilitate moving the pad and the patient supported thereon from the first support surface to the second support surface.

2. The transfer device of claim 1, wherein the fluid chamber is an air chamber, the bottom wall of which is provided with perforations for releasing air from the chamber against the first support surface to provide an air bearing.

3. The transfer device of claim 2, further including a blower for pumping a relatively high volume of relatively low pressure air into the foam pad.

4. The transfer device of claim 3, further including a sealable fabric hose coupled to the blower and configured to be coupled to the foam pad on either side thereof.

5. The transfer device of claim 1, wherein the perforations comprise pinhole-type perforations.

6. The transfer device of claim 1, where the foam pad enclosure comprises a lamination.

7. The transfer device of claim 1, further including a protective cover for enclosing the foam pad.

8. The transfer device of claim 7, wherein the protective cover is stain resistant.

9. The transfer device of claim 7, wherein the protective cover is fluid impervious.

10. The transfer device of claim 7, wherein the protective cover has a low friction bottom surface.

11. The transfer device of claim 7, wherein the foam pad, the enclosure and the protective cover are all made from radiolucent material.

12. The transfer device of claim 1, wherein the foam pad and the enclosure are both made from radiolucent material.

13. The transfer device of claim 1, wherein the perforations in the bottom wall of the enclosure have a higher density in the area of the foam pad that corresponds to a patient'"'"'s torso.

14. The transfer device of claim 1, wherein the foam pad is made from a light density foam material.

15. The transfer device of claim 1, further including a flap coupled to the perimeter of the foam pad enclosure, wherein a rim portion of the flap is configured to hang down over side surfaces of the first support surface.

16. The transfer device of claim 15, wherein the flap is coupled to the perimeter of the foam pad enclosure by thermal bonding

17. The transfer device of claim 15, further including a fastener configured to releasably couple the rim portion of the flap to the side surfaces of the first support surface.

18. The transfer device of claim 15, wherein the rim portion of the flap is configured to hang down over side surfaces of a mattress supported on the first support surface.

19. The transfer device of claim 18, further including a fastener configured to releasably couple the rim portion of the flap to the side surfaces of the mattress.

20. The transfer device of claim 15, further including a handle strap coupled to the rim portion of the flap.

21. A transfer device for moving a patient from a first support surface to an adjacent second support surface, the device comprising an elongated foam pad having a fluid impervious enclosure, the pad being configured to be disposed between the patient on the first support surface and extending along at least a portion of the patient'"'"'s body, the pad including a fluid chamber to receive fluid under pressure, the fluid chamber having perforations disposed to expel fluid against the first support surface to provide a fluid bearing between the pad and the first support surface.

22. The transfer device of claim 21, wherein the fluid chamber is an air chamber, and wherein air is released through the perforations in the enclosure against the first support surface to provide an air bearing.

23. A transfer device for transferring a patient from a first support surface to a second support surface placed alongside the first support surface, the device comprising a pair of elongated, laterally spaced apart tubes of material coupled to each other, each tube being configured to be placed longitudinally under the patient on the first support surface and extending along at least a portion of the patient'"'"'s body, each tube being made of sheet of material having an inside surface of relatively low friction and an outside surface of relatively high friction, each tube being flattened when placed under a patient to have an upper run of the relatively low friction surface facing downwardly to engage a lower run of the relatively low friction surface facing upwardly such that the upper and lower runs can slide smoothly transversely as the patient is moved from the first support surface to the second support surface, the tubes being configured to be positioned on opposite sides of the first support surface such that one of the tubes provides movement of the patient to and from one side of the first support surface and such that other of the tubes provides movement of the patient to and from the other side of the first support surface.

24. The transfer device of claim 23, further including an intermediate portion coupled to the tubes, the intermediate portion being configured to be positioned under a mattress disposed on the first support surface such that one of the tubes extends on one side of the first support surface and such that the other of the tubes extends on the other side of the first support surface.

25. The transfer device of claim 24, further including a fastener coupled to the intermediate portion for releasably securing the intermediate portion to the first support surface.

26. The transfer device of claim 24, further including a fastener coupled to the intermediate portion for releasably securing the intermediate portion to the mattress supported on the first support surface.

27. The transfer device of claim 24 formed from a piece of fabric including an intermediate portion and opposite side portions, the opposite side portions being folded over and joined along their longitudinal edges to the intermediate portion to form a pair of tubes on the opposite sides of the intermediate portion.

28. The transfer device of claim 27, wherein the upwardly facing surface of the fabric is coated with low friction material so that the two oppositely disposed tubes include an inside surface of relatively low friction material.

29. The transfer device of claim 27, wherein the downwardly facing surface of the fabric is coated with high friction material so that the two oppositely disposed tubes include an outside surface of relatively high friction material.

30. The transfer device of claim 27, wherein each tube comprises a sheet of material formed as a continuous loop having an inner surface configured to slide over itself as the sheet of material is rotated and an outer surface configured to abut the patient when the sheet of material is located between the patient and the first and second support surfaces.

31. The transfer device of claim 23, wherein each tube includes a plurality of spaced apart handles coupled thereto and located on the outer surface thereof to facilitate a caregiver with moving the sheet of material over itself in a direction toward the second support surface to transfer the patient from the first support surface to the second support surface.

32. A transfer device for moving a patient from a first support surface to a second support surface placed alongside the first support surface, the device comprising, at each side of the first support surface, an upper run of material having a downwardly facing low friction surface in engagement with a lower run of material having an upwardly facing low friction surface, the low friction surfaces of the upper and lower runs in engagement with each other supporting the patient on the first support surface for movement toward the second support surface, the transfer device including an intermediate portion coupling the upper and lower runs of material on the opposite sides of the first support surface.

34. The transfer device of claim 32, further including a plurality of spaced apart handles coupled to each tube and located on the outer surface thereof to facilitate a caregiver with moving the sheet of material over itself in a direction toward the second support surface to transfer the patient from the first support surface to the second support surface.

33. A transfer device for transferring a patient from a first support surface to a second support surface placed alongside the first support surface, the device comprising:

an intermediate member, and

a pair of elongated tubes coupled to the intermediate member on opposite sides thereof, each tube including a sheet of material formed as a continuous loop having an inner surface configured to slide over itself as the continuous loop sheet of material is rotated and an outer surface configured to abut the patient when the sheet of material is located between the patient and the support surfaces.

35. A transfer device for transferring a patient from a first support surface to an adjacent second support surface, the device comprising a plurality of elongated laterally spaced apart bladders arranged to be placed under the patient on the first support surface and a rolling sheet to be disposed between the patient and the bladders, the bladders being separately and sequentially inflatable to tilt and move the patient transversely.

36. The transfer device of claim 36, wherein the rolling sheet is in the form of a tube of material having an inside surface of relatively low friction and an outside surface of relatively high friction, the tube being flattened when placed under the patient to have an upper run of the relatively low friction surface facing downwardly to engage a lower run of the relatively low friction surface facing upwardly such that the upper and lower runs can slide smoothly transversely as the patient is moved from the first support surface to the second support surface.

37. The transfer device of claim 36, further including a second plurality of longitudinally extending, laterally spaced apart bladders arranged to be placed under the first plurality of bladders on the first support surface to provide cushioning when the first plurality of bladders are deflated.

38. The transfer device of claim 36, wherein the first plurality of bladders have relatively large diameter and the second plurality of bladders have relatively small diameter, the relatively large diameter of the first plurality of bladders facilitating tilting and movement of the patient to the second support surface when the bladders are sequentially inflated.

39. The transfer device of claim 36, further including a blower for pumping a relatively high volume of relatively low pressure air into the first plurality of bladders.

40. The transfer device of claim 40, further including a check valve for evacuating the air from the first plurality of bladders.

41. A patient transfer device for moving a patient from a first support surface to an adjacent second support surface, the device including a pad having a fluid chamber to receive fluid under pressure, the fluid chamber including a bottom wall facing the first support surface, the bottom wall having a plurality of perforations for releasing pressurized fluid from the chamber against the first support surface to provide a fluid bearing to facilitate moving the pad and the patient supported thereon from the first support surface to the second support surface, the device further including a blower configured to be coupled to the pad for pumping pressurized fluid into the fluid chamber and a pouch for supporting the blower, the pouch having a first side coupled to the pad and a second side coupled to the blower to allow the blower to be moved from one side of the pad to the other side of the pad.