Patient treating mattress

• US 4,472,847 A
• Filed: 06/25/1982
• Issued: 09/25/1984
• Est. Priority Date: 07/22/1980
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Allegiance Corporation (Cardinal Health, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: American Hospital Supply Corp. (Baxter International Inc.)
• Inventors: Gammons, Clifford E., Jackson, Barry N., Pagel, Kenneth L., Moore, Francis C.
• Primary Examiner(s): Grosz, Alexander
• Application Number:
  US06/392,209
• Time in Patent Office: 823 Days
• Field of Search: 5/455, 5/453, 5/454, 5/449, 5/456, 128/33
• US Class Current: 5/713
• CPC Class Codes: A61G 7/057 Arrangements for preventing bed-sores or for supporting patients with burns, e.g. mattresses specially adapted therefor ventilation openings in mattresses A47C21/042; pneumatic or hydraulic mattresses A47C27/08
• CPC Class Codes: A61G 7/05776 with at least two groups of alternately inflated chambers
• CPC Class Codes: A61G 7/05784 with ventilating means, e.g. mattress or cushion with ventilating holes or ventilators

Abstract

A disposable or reusable "crawl resistant" flexible mattress formed of panels sealed together to define alternately inflatable passages between the panels for sequentially supporting structure for a long term bed patient to reduce decubitus ulcers, bed sores, etc. The mattress has vent holes in its top for ventilating the patient with inflation gas and a crawl resistant layer bonded to a bottom of the mattress to prevent the mattress from "crawling" relative to the bed and patient during use. In one form of the mattress, crawling is reduced by a separation between the inflation passages so individual sections of the mattress can more readily conform to a patient'"'"'s body contour.

Claims

1. A "crawl resistant" flexible mattress with alternatingly inflatable passages on the mattress comprising:

a bottom panel;

a top panel sealed to the bottom panel to define at least two separate sets of passages in an area of the mattress that is to support the major weight of a patient;

at least two flexible manifolds formed by the top and bottom panels, each manifold being spaced apart from the other and connected at a different location in the mattress to a respective set of passages for inflatingly forming protruding structures in at least one panel; and

the mattress has a separation area between the passages, said area having a cut through the panels so that each protruding structure can move independently of the other.

2. A mattress as set forth in claim 1, wherein at least one of the panels has a flexible preformed protrusion.

3. A mattress as set forth in claim 2, wherein both panels have opposing flexible preformed protrusions.

4. A mattress as set forth in claim 1, 2, or 3 wherein at least one of said panels has vent openings extending into the passages for ventilating a patient during inflation of the passages.

5. A flexible patient support mattress having alternatingly inflatable passages for providing alternating support areas for a patient comprising:

a bottom panel;

a top panel sealed to the bottom panel to define a first and second flexible manifold extending longitudinally along opposed edge portions of the mattress, and at least two separate sets of inflatable passages extending transversely across the area of the mattress that is to support the major weight of a patient;

said first and second manifolds being connected at a different location in the mattress to a respective set of transverse passages for inflatingly forming protruding structures in at least one panel thereof; and

the mattress has a separation area between the transverse passages, said area having a cut through the panels so that each protruding structure can move independently of the other when inflated.