Method and apparatus for supporting and for supplying therapy to a patient

• US 5,983,429 A
• Filed: 09/23/1998
• Issued: 11/16/1999
• Est. Priority Date: 02/15/1994
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Hill-Rom Services Incorporated (Baxter International Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Hil-Rom Company Incorporated
• Inventors: Stacy, Richard B., Chambers, Kenith W., Sutton, William T., Ellis, Craig D., Glover, Stephen E., Thomas, James M. C., Hand, Barry D., Barnett, Richard I., Ozarowski, Ryszard S., King, Paul B.
• Primary Examiner(s): TRETTEL, MICHAEL
• Application Number:
  US09/160,963
• Time in Patent Office: 419 Days
• Field of Search: 5/615, 5/915, 5/710, 5/711, 5/712, 5/713, 5/714, 5/715, 5/911
• US Class Current: 5/713
• CPC Class Codes: A61G 2203/34 for pressure
• CPC Class Codes: A61G 2203/40 for distance
• CPC Class Codes: A61G 2210/50 for radiography
• CPC Class Codes: A61G 7/05769 with inflatable chambers
• CPC Class Codes: A61G 7/05776 with at least two groups of alternately inflated chambers
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 5/915 with vibrating means

Abstract

An apparatus is provided which supports a patient on an inflatable structure. The inflatable structure preferably has two components: a) lower inflatable layer which is selectively operable to provide basic support for the patient and which includes a plurality of laterally offset zone which may be independently inflatable to control rotation of the patient. Further, a second inflatable layer includes a plurality of zones for establishing optimal patient interface pressures and patient comfort levels, and may also include sufficiently independent inner chambers to facilitate the providing of specific therapies such as alternation of primary pressure contact areas, or percussion or vibration of the patient through inner cell inflation.

Claims

1. A bed comprising:

a bed frame;

a support plate assembly mounted to said bed frame, said support plate assembly includes a plurality of plate sections wherein at least three sections are connected such that two generally transverse articulation points are formed to facilitate articulation of said plates;

a first pair of longitudinally extending, controllably inflatable air bags coupled to said plate assembly, said first longitudinal pair of bags laterally offset from one another and extending generally parallel along a first portion of the longitudinal length of said support plate assembly, one of said longitudinally extending bags is controllably inflatable generally independently of the other longitudinally extending bag of said first pair;

a second pair of longitudinally extending, controllably inflatable air bags coupled to said support plate assembly, said second longitudinal pair of bags laterally offset from one another and extending generally parallel and longitudinally offset from said first pair of longitudinal bags along a second portion of the longitudinal length of said support plate assembly, one of said second pair of longitudinally extending bags is controllably inflatable generally independently of the other longitudinally extending bag of said second pair;

a support layer positioned generally above said first and second pairs of longitudinal bags, said support layer including a plurality of controllably inflatable, transverse air bags, said transverse bags being grouped into a plurality of independently controllable pressure zones; and

a control assembly attached to the bed frame and operable to supply air selectively to said longitudinally extending bags and transverse bags to provide the patient at least one of a plurality of modes, said modes including a laterally rotating mode and a percussive mode.

2. The bed of claim 1, wherein said support layer includes:

a head zone for supporting the head of the patient; and

at least one bolster zone extending along at least a portion of a side edge of the support layer, said bolster zone for maintaining the patient generally centered on the bed and substantially preventing patient contact with a portion of the bed frame.

3. The bed of claim 1 further including:

a percussion cell extending generally transversely across at least a portion of the width of the frame and aligned beneath the torso area of the patient, and

said control assembly selectively operable to inflate and deflate said percussion cell whereby the percussion mode is provided to the patient.

4. The bed of claim 1 wherein at least a portion of the transverse air bags of the support layer are low air loss air bags.

5. A therapeutic bed for supporting a patient, comprising:

a bed frame assembly;

a support surface assembly mounted to said bed frame assembly, said support surface assembly includes a plurality of plate sections, wherein at least three sections are connected such that two generally transverse articulation points are formed to facilitate articulation of said plates;

a first pair of longitudinally extending inflatable air bags coupled to said support surface assembly, said longitudinal air bags of the first pair laterally offset from one another and extending generally parallel along a first portion of the longitudinal length of said support surface assembly, each longitudinally extending air bag being alternatively inflated of the other longitudinally extending air bag to lift a portion of the patient to laterally rotate the patient;

a second pair of longitudinally extending inflatable air bags coupled to said support surface assembly, said second pair of longitudinal air bags laterally offset from one another and extending generally parallel and longitudinally offset from said first pair of longitudinal air bags along a second portion of the longitudinal length of said support surface assembly, each longitudinally extending air bag of said second pair of air bags being alternatively inflated of the other longitudinally extending air bag of the second pair to lift a portion of the patient to laterally rotate the patient;

an inflatable upper layer positioned above at least a portion of said first and second pairs of longitudinal air bags, said upper layer including a plurality of generally transversely extending air bags, at least some of said transverse bags are inflatable independently of others of said transverse air bags of said inflatable upper layer, said upper layer further including a plurality of separately inflatable zones formed from at least a portion of the air bags of the upper layer;

a percussion cell assembly extending generally transversely across at least a portion of the width of the bed and aligned beneath the torso area of the patient, said percussion cell assembly being adapted to be selectively inflated and deflated to provide a percussion mode; and

a programmable electronic controller assembly mounted to said bed frame assembly and selectively operable to control the pressure in said longitudinal air bags, said zones of the upper layer and said percussion cell assembly whereby the patient may be provided a plurality of operating modes.