PRESSURE CONTROL FOR A HOSPITAL BED

• US 20090144909A1
• Filed: 07/07/2006
• Published: 06/11/2009
• Est. Priority Date: 07/08/2005
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Hill-Rom Services Incorporated (Baxter International Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Hill-Rom Services Incorporated (Baxter International Inc.)
• Inventors: Douglas, Stephan L., Lockhorst, David, Skinner, Andrew F., Stacy, Richard B., Bobey, John A., Stevens, Daniel K.
• Granted Patent: US 8,844,079 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 5/713
• CPC Class Codes: A61G 2203/34 for pressure
• CPC Class Codes: A61G 2203/42 for inclination
• CPC Class Codes: A61G 7/05776 with at least two groups of alternately inflated chambers

Abstract

A patient support including a pressure adjustable mattress system. The pressure adjustable mattress system includes a support surface and a controller to control the pressure of the support surface.

Claims

1. A pressure adjustable mattress system to support a patient, comprising:

a pressure adjustable mattress;

a controller coupled to the pressure adjustable mattress to control the mattress in an automatic pressure relief mode and in a user adjustable mode; and

a user interface, coupled to the controller, the user interface including a selectable input to enable a user to control the pressure adjustable mattress in at least one of the automatic pressure relief mode and the user adjustable mode.

2. The pressure adjustable the system of claim 1, wherein the pressure adjustable mattress includes a sensor, the sensor generating a pressure signal responsive to a pressure applied thereto, the sensor being operatively coupled to the controller.

3. The pressure adjustable mattress system of claim 2, wherein the pressure adjustable mattress includes a first portion including a plurality of upright cylindrical bladders.

4. The pressure adjustable mattress system of claim 3, further comprising a plurality of sensors wherein each of the plurality of sensors subtends at least one of the plurality of upright cylindrical bladders.

5. The pressure adjustable mattress system of claim 4, wherein each of the plurality of sensors comprises a light responsive sensor disposed in a compressible medium.

6. The pressure adjustable mattress system of claim 4, wherein the pressure adjustable mattress includes a second portion having a plurality of upright cylindrical bladders, the second portion located adjacent the first portion to support an upper portion of the patient, and the second portion to support a middle portion of the patient.

7. The pressure adjustable mattress system of claim 6, wherein each of the plurality of upright cylindrical bladders of the second portion include a height greater than the width.

8. The pressure adjustable mattress system of claim 6, wherein the controller includes a processing device, operatively coupled to the plurality of sensors, the processing device including first executable instructions responsive to each of the sensors generating a pressure signal and generating a control signal to adjust the pressure of the pressure adjustable mattress.

9. The pressure adjustable mattress system of claim 8, wherein the user interface includes a first input coupled to the controller and a second input coupled to the controller, the first input and second input to enable a user to adjust the pressure within the first portion and the second portion respectively.

10. The pressure adjustable mattress system of claim 9, wherein the pressure adjustable mattress includes a third portion to support a lower portion of the patient.

11. The pressure adjustable mattress system of claim 10, wherein the user interface includes a third input to adjust the pressure within the third portion.

12. The pressure adjustable mattress system of claim 11, wherein the plurality of sensors subtends the first portion and the second portion.

13. The pressure adjustable mattress system of claim 12, wherein the pressure of the third portion is selected to be a percentage of the pressure of the second portion.

14. The pressure adjustable mattress system of claim 13, wherein the user interface includes a warning screen, the warning screen to provide a notice to the user indicating a change to the automatic pressure mode if an OK button is selected by the user.

15. The pressure adjustable mattress system of claim 14, wherein the user interface includes a current setting screen to display information, to indicate the selected pressures in each of the first portion, the second portion and the third portion.

16. A method for adjusting the pressure in a pressure adjustable mattress system including a controller, a user interface to receive a user input, and a mattress to support a person, comprising the steps of:

automatically determining a first pressure for the pressure adjustable mattress when the mattress is supporting the person; and

adjusting the first pressure to second pressure, different than the first pressure, in response to the controller receiving the user input.

17. The method of claim 16, wherein the first pressure is an optimized pressure determined according to a bottoming-out condition.

18. The method of claim 16, wherein the second pressure is a pressure greater than the first pressure.

19. The method of claim 16, wherein the second pressure is a pressure less than the first pressure.

20. The method of claim 16, further comprising the step of maintaining the second pressure until the occurrence of an event.

21. The method of claim 20, wherein the occurrence of an event includes movement of the person on the mattress.

22. The method of claim 21, wherein the occurrence of an event includes an elapsed period of time.

23. The method of claim 20, further comprising the step of automatically determining a third pressure upon the occurrence of the event, the third pressure being an optimized pressure determined according to a bottoming-out condition.

24. The method of claim 23, further comprising adjusting the third pressure to fourth pressure, different than the third pressure, in response to the controller receiving the user input.

25. A method of providing interface pressure support to a patient in a health care facility, comprising the steps of:

providing a pressurizable mattress to the health care facility, the mattress including a sensor;

providing a controller to the health care facility, the controller including at least one algorithm to adjust pressure in the pressurizable mattress, the at least one algorithm including automatic pressure adjustment and manual pressure adjustment; and

coupling the provided pressurizable mattress to the controller.

26. The method of claim 25, wherein the controller includes a user interface including an input to turn off the automatic pressure adjustment algorithm and to allow selection of the manual pressure adjustment algorithm.

27. The method of claim 26, wherein the user interface includes an input to provide for the input of the patient'"'"'s weight.

28. The method of claim 27, wherein the pressure sensor includes a plurality of light responsive sensors disposed in a compressible medium.

30. The method of claim 28, wherein the first zone is a foot zone.

29. A method for adjusting the pressure in a pressure adjustable mattress system including a controller having a memory device and a mattress having a first zone bladder having pressure, comprising the steps of:

storing pressures of the first zone bladder in the memory;

detecting whether motion has occurred based on changes to the stored pressures of the first zone bladder;

adjusting the pressure of the first zone bladder if motion has occurred.