Shear stress control in body support pads
First Claim
1. A body support pad for a bed ridden patient, the pad being of a resilient synthetic foam or the like, said pad having a generally rectangular top surface with two sides and two ends, at least one vertical cavity open at said top surface and extending completely through said pad, and a plurality of cuts generally parallel to the edge of the cavity opening at said top surface in said top surface but extending only partially through said pad, said cuts surrounding and spaced from said cavity to offer additional flexibility to the wall of said cavity, whereby with a patient'"'"'s body resting thereon said wall at said top surface will tend to roll into said cavity thereby to reduce shear stress and damage to body tissue lying against said top surface in the area of said cavity.
19 Assignments
0 Petitions
Accused Products
Abstract
A modular body support system that includes a foam support frame with foam inserts within the frame to provide optimal body support configuration regardless of where it is used. The inserts include slits through at least a part of the insert as well as at least one vertical cavity passing therethrough. The slits extend only partially through the pad and are surrounding and spaced from the cavity to offer additional flexibility to the wall of the cavity.
55 Citations
15 Claims
- 1. A body support pad for a bed ridden patient, the pad being of a resilient synthetic foam or the like, said pad having a generally rectangular top surface with two sides and two ends, at least one vertical cavity open at said top surface and extending completely through said pad, and a plurality of cuts generally parallel to the edge of the cavity opening at said top surface in said top surface but extending only partially through said pad, said cuts surrounding and spaced from said cavity to offer additional flexibility to the wall of said cavity, whereby with a patient'"'"'s body resting thereon said wall at said top surface will tend to roll into said cavity thereby to reduce shear stress and damage to body tissue lying against said top surface in the area of said cavity.
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7. A body support pad comprising a rectangular frame of flexible synthetic foam defining two parallel side walls and two parallel end walls, said frame having a frame top surface, and insert means of synthetic foam contained in said frame and defining an insert top surface, said insert means characterized in that the synthetic foam thereof is of greater resiliency than the synthetic foam of said frame;
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at least one vertical cavity in said insert means with a circular opening at said insert top surface and extending completely through said pad, and one or more generally arcuate cuts in said insert top surface but extending only partially through said pad, said cuts being generally concentric with and surrounding said cavity to offer additional flexibility to the wall of said cavity, whereby with a patient'"'"'s body resting thereon said wall at said top surface will tend to roll into said cavity thereby to reduce shear stress and damage to body tissue lying against said top surface in the area of said cavity. - View Dependent Claims (8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 15)
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Specification