Dual purpose patient pad with digital eyelets

• US 5,638,558 A
• Filed: 12/20/1994
• Issued: 06/17/1997
• Est. Priority Date: 12/20/1994
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Smooth Moves, Inc.
• Original Assignee: Smooth Moves, Inc.
• Inventors: Moore, Florence J.
• Primary Examiner(s): Grosz, Alexander
• Application Number:
  US08/359,433
• Time in Patent Office: 910 Days
• Field of Search: 5/81.1, 5/500, 5/502, 5/925, 5/482, 5/468, 5/625-629
• US Class Current: 5/81.10T
• CPC Class Codes: A61G 2200/32 lying
• CPC Class Codes: A61G 7/001 with means for turning-over the patient
• CPC Class Codes: A61G 7/1026 Sliding sheets or mats

Abstract

A pad is located on a bed between a human patient and the bed sheet. The pad has a slick, smooth bottom wall, such as satin. The bottom wall reduces the friction between the pad and the bed sheet, whereby the patient together with the pad can be smoothly moved on the bed or off of the bed and onto a waiting gurney. The pad has a top wall and padding interposed between the top and bottom walls, the layers joined together with channels of quilting stitches and digital eyelets which prevent caregivers accidentally dropping a patient when the patient is being moved to or from a bed/gurney, or turned, the pad is made of materials which are permeable to air and dissipate body perspiration and bodily fluids, thus promoting sanitation and can be position under the patient for indefinite periods of time to reduce the incidence of bed sores.

Claims

1. A pad for use by a human lying in bed for an extended length of time, comprising:

a) a first wall made of a fabric that is permeable to air, said first wall being adapted to be placed in contact with said bed, said first wall fabric being slick and smooth to permit a caregiver to move or turn said human lying on said bed by sliding the pad between the human and a sheet on the bed such that the sliding is in a smooth manner;

b) a second wall made of a soft, air permeable fabric, said second wall laying substantially parallel to said first wall, said second wall being adapted to be placed in contact with said human, said material being composed of an air permeable material that rapidly dissipates bodily fluids and reduces friction when contact the skin of said human when said human is lying on said pad;

c) a middle layer of padding material being located between said first and second walls, said padding being permeable to air, the padding material to provide sufficient cushioning effect while allowing airflow between the first wall and second wall materials to dissipate bodily fluids away from said human when said human is lying on the pad;

d) said first wall, said second wall and said padding being coupled together, wherein said human can lay on said pad while in bed and said pad will reduce the pressure on said human and allow air circulation through said pad, and said top wall will reduce friction burns on said human so as to reduce the incidence of bedsores, pressure ulcers or skin ulcerations, and the edge area of the pad having at least one set of digital eyelets comprised of spaced holes adapted to accommodate four fingers of a caregiver, whereby at least one caregiver can grasp the pad to move the pad.

2. The pad of claim 1 wherein said first wall is made of satin material.

3. The pad of claim 1 wherein said second wall is made of tricote material.

4. The pad of claim 1 wherein said padding is made of high loft hollowfill batting.

5. The pad of claim 1 wherein said first wall is made of satin material, said second wall is made of tricote material, and said padding is made of high loft hollowfill batting.

6. The pad of claim 1 wherein said second wall has a plurality of small openings to further facilitate circulation of air through the pad.

7. The pad of claim 1 wherein opposed sides of the pad has plural sets of digital eyelets in order for more than one person to grasp the pad.

8. A system comprising:

a) a mattress and a bed sheet on top of said mattress;

b) a pad comprising a first wall, a second wall and a middle layer;

c) said first wall being made of a fabric that is permeable to air, said first wall being in contact with said bed sheet, said first wall fabric being so slick and smooth to permit a caregiver to move or turn a human patient lying on the bed by sliding the pad between the human patient and the sheet such that the sliding is in such a smooth manner as to minimize pain to the human patient;

d) said second wall being made of a soft, air-permeable fabric, said second wall laying substantially parallel to said first wall, said second wall being adapted to be placed in contact with said human;

e) said middle layer of padding and being located between said first and second walls, said padding material begin sufficiently permeable to allow airflow to the skin of said patient and sufficient to rapidly dissipate moisture to such an extent that skin irritation and bacterial growth is reduced;

f) said first wall, said second wall and said middle layer being coupled together;

g) said pad being oriented on said bed so that a human can lay on said second wall when said human lays on said bed;

h) the edge of the pad having at least one set of digital eyelets comprised of spaced holes adapted to accommodate four fingers of a caregiver, whereby at least one caregiver on grasp the pad to move the pad.

9. The system of claim 8 wherein said pad has ends that are tucked under the mattress to prevent said pad from moving relative to the bed.

10. The system of claim 8 wherein said first wall is made of a satin material.

11. The system of claim 8 wherein said second wall is made tricote material.

12. The system of claim 8 wherein said padding is made of high loft polyester batting.

13. The system of claim 8 wherein said first wall is made of satin material and second wall is made of tricote material and said padding is made of high loft hollowfill polyester batting.

14. The system of claim 8 wherein the pad has plural sets of digital eyelets for more than one person to grasp the pad.

15. A method of moving a human on a bed, comprising the steps of;

a) prepositioning a pad beneath said human lying on said bed, said pad comprising;

i) a first wall made of a fabric that is permeable to air, said first wall being placed in contact with a sheet on said bed, said first wall fabric being so slick and smooth to permit a caregiver move or turn said human lying on said sheet;

ii) a second wall made of a soft, air permeable fabric, said second wall laying substantially parallel to said first wall, said second wall placed in contact with said human;

iii) a middle layer of padding material being located between first and second walls and said padding being permeable to allow air flow to the skin of said human, said padding material being composed of an air permeable material that rapidly dissipates bodily fluids and reduces friction when contacting the skin of said human lying on said pad;

iv) said first wall, said second wall and said padding being coupled together, wherein said top wall aids in reducing friction burns and the incidence of bed sores, pressure ulcer, or skin ulceration when using the pad to move or turn said human, the edge area of the pad having at least one set of digital eyelets comprised of spaced holes adapted to accommodate four fingers of a caregiver, whereby at least one caregiver can grasp the pad to move the pad;

b) allowing said human to lay on said pad for an extended length of time, wherein said pad reduces the incidence of bed sores on said human;

c) when the need of moving or turning said human on said bed arises, sliding said pad with said human thereon on said bed to a desired position, wherein said bottom surface reduces the friction between said human and said bed and eases the effort required to move said human;

d) the step of moving or turning said human being accomplished by a caregiver grasping digital eyelets of the pad and moving said pad while grasping said digital eyelets.