WALL-MOUNTED PATIENT EGRESS AND PATIENT ASSIST BAR

• US 20110084578A1
• Filed: 09/29/2010
• Published: 04/14/2011
• Est. Priority Date: 10/02/2009
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Wittrock Enterprise, LLC
• Original Assignee: Hill-Rom Services Incorporated (Baxter International Inc.)
• Inventors: Newkirk, David C., Gallant, Dennis J.
• Granted Patent: US 8,474,921 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 312/209
• CPC Class Codes: A47K 17/024 pivotally mounted on the wall
• CPC Class Codes: A61G 12/005 mounted on the wall
• CPC Class Codes: A61G 2203/36 for motion
• CPC Class Codes: A61G 7/1038 Manual lifting aids, e.g. frames or racks

Abstract

A support apparatus includes a patient assist bar that is coupled to a wall or to some other structure in a room of a healthcare facility, such as a headwall that is configured to be coupled to the room wall. The patient assist bar is pivotable a first axis that is substantially vertical and parallel to the headwall and a second axis that is substantially horizontal. The patient assist bar provides the patient with a stable support and guidance in moving about the room.

Claims

1. A support apparatus comprising a patient assist bar coupled to a headwall configured to be coupled to a wall of a room of a healthcare facility, wherein the patient assist bar is (i) pivotable about a first axis that is substantially vertical and parallel to the headwall and (ii) pivotable about a second axis that is substantially horizontal.

2. The support apparatus of claim 1, wherein the patient assist bar includes a base having a first body component that is pivotable about the first axis and a second body component coupled to the headwall, and a rail extending from a proximal end to a distal end, the proximal end of the rail being coupled to the first body component of the base.

3. The support apparatus of claim 2, wherein the first body component of the base includes a slot, the rail is received in the slot, and a pin extends along the second axis through the first body component of the base and the proximal end of the rail.

4. The support apparatus of claim 1, wherein the patient assist bar is pivotable about the second axis downwardly from an upward stored position to an outward deployed position, a long axis of the patient assist bar being oriented generally vertical and parallel to the wall of the room when the patient assist bar is in an upward stored position and being oriented generally horizontal and perpendicular to the wall of the room when in the deployed position.

5. The support apparatus of claim 4, wherein the headwall comprises a cabinet having a storage chamber and a door secured to the cabinet, wherein the door is movable between a closed position in which access to the storage chamber is blocked and an open position in which the storage chamber is accessible, and wherein the patient assist bar is situated in the storage chamber when the rail is in the stored position and the patient assist bar extends outwardly from the storage chamber when the rail is in the deployed position.

6. The support apparatus of claim 4, further comprising a locking mechanism configured to fix the patient assist bar at a plurality of predefined positions about the first axis.

7. The support apparatus of claim 6, wherein the locking mechanism comprises a locking member coupled to the patient assist bar and a lock receiver fixed in position relative to the headwall, the lock receiver has a plurality of holes which are located in a circular pattern about the first axis, and the locking member is receivable in each of the plurality of holes when the rail is in the deployed position to fix the position of the patient assist bar about the first axis in respective ones of the plurality of predefined positions.

8. The support apparatus of claim 7, wherein the patient assist bar includes a user input member that is movable to withdraw the locking member from each of the plurality of holes to unlock the patient assist bar for pivoting movement about the first axis.

9. The support apparatus of claim 1, further comprising a support leg having a first end pivotably coupled to the patient assist bar and a second end spaced from the first end, the second end being situated adjacent the patient assist bar when the patient assist bar is in a stored position, and the second end of the support leg being moved away from the patient assist bar into contact with a floor of the patient room as when the patient assist bar is in a deployed position.

10. The support apparatus of claim 9, wherein the support leg includes a caster at its second end.

11. The support apparatus of claim 10, further comprising a braking device coupled to the caster and a user input member that is coupled to the patient assist bar and movable to control the braking device.

12. The support apparatus of claim 1, further comprising a sensor that detects pivoting movement of the patient assist bar about one of the first axis and the second axis and an indicator that provides an indication that pivoting movement of the patient assist bar has been detected.

13. A support apparatus for use in a patient room having a hospital bed spaced from an entrance to a bathroom associated with the patient room, the support apparatus comprising a patient assist bar coupled to a wall of the patient room and pivotable about a generally vertical axis, the patient assist bar being sized and arranged to provide support and guidance for a patient moving between the patient bed and the entrance to the bathroom.

14. The support apparatus of claim 13, wherein the patient assist bar includes a first rail coupled to the wall and a second rail telescopically coupled to the first rail and extending horizontally therefrom.

15. The support apparatus of claim 13, wherein the patient assist bar is also pivotable about a generally horizontal axis between stored position and a deployed position, the patient assist bar providing support and guidance for the patient when in the deployed position.

16. The support apparatus of claim 13, wherein the patient assist bar includes a locking mechanism that locks the patient assist bar in at least one fixed position about the generally vertical axis.

17. The support apparatus of claim 13, further comprising a support leg extending downwardly from the patient assist bar into contact with a floor of the patient room.

18. A support apparatus for use in a patient room having a hospital bed spaced from an entrance to a bathroom associated with the patient room, the support apparatus comprising a patient assist bar and a four bar linkage having a pair of links coupled at a first end to the patient assist bar for pivoting movement about a first pair of generally vertical axes and coupled at a second end to a wall of the patient room for pivoting movement about a second pair of generally vertical axes, and the four-bar linkage being movable between a first position in which a first end of the patient assist bar is located adjacent a patient sitting on an edge of the hospital bed and a second position in which a second end of the patient assist bar is situated adjacent the entrance to the bathroom.

19. The support apparatus of claim 18, wherein the pair of links of the four-bar linkage are of unequal length.

20. The support apparatus of claim 19, wherein the pair of links support the patient assist bar in an orientation that is neither parallel with nor perpendicular to the wall of the patient room when the four-bar linkage is in the first position and the pair of links support the patient assist bar in an orientation parallel with the wall of the patient room when the four-bar linkage is in the second position.