PATIENT SUPPORT APPARATUS

• US 20160078740A1
• Filed: 09/08/2015
• Published: 03/17/2016
• Est. Priority Date: 09/11/2014
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Hill-Rom Incorporated (Baxter International Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Hill-Rom Incorporated (Baxter International Inc.)
• Inventors: Pirio, Clementine, Duvert, Jean-Bernard, Tarsaud, Jean-Francois, Kaikenger, Philippe
• Granted Patent: US 9,875,633 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 2562/0247 Pressure sensors
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 2562/0252 Load cells
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/1115 Monitoring leaving of a patient support, e.g. a bed or a wheelchair
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/6892 Mats
• CPC Class Codes: A61G 2203/32 for force
• CPC Class Codes: A61G 2203/34 for pressure
• CPC Class Codes: A61G 7/005 tiltable around transverse horizontal axis, e.g. for Trendelenburg position rocking beds for physical therapy A61H1/003; hanging patient inclined downwardly for drawing him out A61H2203/0493
• CPC Class Codes: A61G 7/015 divided into different adjustable sections, e.g. for Gatch position
• CPC Class Codes: A61G 7/0527 Weighing devices
• CPC Class Codes: G08B 21/0461 integrated or attached to an item closely associated with the person but not worn by the person, e.g. chair, walking stick, bed sensor
• CPC Class Codes: G08B 21/22 responsive to presence or absence of persons

Abstract

A patient support apparatus comprises a substantially rigid support deck for supporting a patient support element, a first sensing element and a second sensing element arranged on the support deck and separated from one another in a direction along the width of the patient support apparatus. Each sensing element is configured to determine, in use, the force or pressure applied to it by the patient support element and a patient on the patient support element. One or more processors, coupled to the sensing elements, are configured to determine the location of the center of gravity of a patient on the patient support element, along the width of the patient support apparatus, based upon outputs of the first and second sensing elements. An alarm may be activated when the location of the center of gravity along the width of the patient support apparatus is outside a predetermined range of values.

Claims

1. A patient support apparatus comprising

a substantially rigid support deck for supporting a patient support element, and

a plurality of sensing elements arranged on the support deck, wherein each sensing element determines the force or pressure applied to it by the patient support element and a patient on the patient support element,

wherein the sensing elements are located on the support deck so that, in use, one or more of the sensing elements are located underneath a seat of a patient in a normal supine position on the patient support element, and one or more sensing elements are located underneath thighs of the patient in the normal supine position on the patient support element,

the apparatus including one or more processors coupled to the sensing elements for determining a location for the center of gravity of the patient on the patient support element, along a width of the apparatus, and a load variation along the length of the apparatus, from outputs of the sensing elements.

2. The patient support apparatus according to claim 1 wherein the patient support element is a mattress.

3. The patient support apparatus according to any preceding claim comprising at least three sensing elements.

4. The patient support apparatus according to claim 3 wherein at least two of the at least three sensing elements are supported on a sensing pad or board.

5. The patient support apparatus according to claim 4 wherein the sensing pad or board is a substantially rigid board and the sensing elements are attached to the underside of the board.

6. The patient support apparatus according to claim 4 or claim 5, including two sensing boards or pads and wherein each sensing board or pad includes at least two sensing elements.

7. The patient support apparatus according to claim 6 wherein one sensing board or pad is located on the support deck so that, in use, it is underneath the seat of a patient in a normal prone position on the patient support element, and a second sensing board or pad is located on the support deck so that, in use, it is underneath the thighs of a patient in a normal prone position on the patient support element.

8. The patient support apparatus according to any of claims 4 to 7 wherein the sensing board or pad is substantially rectangular and includes four sensing elements, each of the four sensing elements being at or near each of the four corners of the sensing board or pad.

9. The patient support apparatus according to any of claims 1 to 3, wherein the sensing elements are thin flexible sensing elements.

10. The patient support apparatus according to claims 2 and 9 wherein the thin flexible sensing elements are integral with or attached to the lower surface of the mattress.

11. The patient support apparatus according to any preceding claim wherein the sensing elements are selected from the group comprising the following types of load cell sensing elements:

strain gauge sensors, extensometers, bending beam sensors, hall-effect sensors and/or capacitive sensors.

12. The patient support apparatus according to claim 9 or claim 10 wherein the sensing elements are capacitive sensors.

13. The patient support apparatus according to any preceding claim further comprising an adjustable back rest, wherein the one or more processors are further configured to receive an input indicative of the angle of the back rest and to adjust the location of the center of gravity as a function of the angle of the backrest and/or to adjust the load variation by an amount dependent upon the change in angle of the back rest.

14. A patient support apparatus comprising:

a substantially rigid support deck for supporting a patient support element;

a first sensing element and a second sensing element arranged on the support deck and separated from one another in a direction along the width of the patient support apparatus, wherein each sensing element is configured to determine, in use, the force or pressure applied to it by the patient support element and a patient on the patient support element; and

one or more processors, coupled to the sensing elements, the one or more processors being configured to;

determine the location of the center of gravity of a patient on the patient support element, along the width of the patient support apparatus, based upon outputs of the first and second sensing elements;

determine a load variation, being a variation in the total force applied to the sensing elements by the patient support element and a patient on the patient support element;

receive user input selecting one of two or more presets, each preset corresponding to a patient movement sensitivity level and comprising a predetermined range of values for the location of the center of gravity and/or a predetermined load variation value stored on a memory;

access the memory to receive the parameters associated with the selected preset; and

provide an output to activate an alarm when the location of the center of gravity along the width of the patient support apparatus is outside the predetermined range of values and/or the load variation exceeds the predetermined value.

15. The patient support apparatus according to claim 14 further comprising an adjustable back rest, wherein the one or more processors are further configured to receive an input indicative of the angle of the back rest and to adjust the location of the center of gravity as a function of the angle of the backrest.

16. The patient support apparatus according to claim 15 further comprising an accelerometer, the one or more processors being configured to receive an output from the accelerometer and to determine the angle of the back rest based on said output.

17. The patient support apparatus according to claim 14 further comprising an adjustable back rest, wherein the one or more processors are further configured to receive an input indicative of the angle of the back rest and to adjust the load variation by an amount dependent upon the change in angle of the back rest.

18. The patient support apparatus according to claim 16 further comprising an accelerometer, the one or more processors being configured to receive an output from the accelerometer and to determine the angle of the back rest based on said output.

19. The patient support apparatus according to claim 14 wherein the one or more processors are further configured to receive an input indicative of the type of patient support element and to adjust the location for the center of gravity, or the predetermined range of values for the center of gravity, based upon the input.

20. The patient support apparatus according to claim 19 wherein the patient support element is a mattress and the input indicates whether the mattress is a foam mattress or an air mattress.

21. The patient support apparatus according to claim 14 further comprising a third sensing element and a fourth sensing element separated from one another in a direction along the width of the patient support apparatus, the third sensing element and the fourth sensing element being separated from the first sensing element and the second sensing element in a direction along the length of the patient support apparatus, the one or more processors being configured to determine the location for the center of gravity of a patient on the patient support element, along the width of the patient support apparatus, based upon outputs of the first, second, third and fourth sensing elements.

22. A computer program which when executed on the one or more processors of the patient support apparatus according to claim 14 causes it to:

determine the location for the center of gravity of a patient on the patient support element, along the width of the patient support apparatus, based upon outputs of the first and second sensing elements;

determine a load variation, being a variation in the total force applied to the sensing elements by the patient support element and a patient on the patient support element;

receive user input selecting one of two or more presets, each preset corresponding to a patient movement sensitivity level and comprising a predetermined range of values for the location of the center of gravity and/or a predetermined load variation value stored on a memory;

access the memory to receive the parameters associated with the selected preset; and

provide an output to activate an alarm when the location of the center of gravity along the width of the patient support apparatus is outside the predetermined range of values and/or the load variation exceeds the predetermined value.