PERSON SUPPORT APPARATUSES WITH PATIENT MOBILITY MONITORING

• US 20160140827A1
• Filed: 10/30/2015
• Published: 05/19/2016
• Est. Priority Date: 11/19/2014
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Stryker Corporation
• Original Assignee: Stryker Corporation
• Inventors: Kirkwood, Sean M., Derenne, Richard A., Wright, Ammon K., Furman, Aaron Douglas
• Granted Patent: US 9,940,810 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 2560/045 with a separable interface unit, e.g. for communication
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 2562/0252 Load cells
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/1117 Fall detection
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/6892 Mats
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/747 in case of emergency, i.e. alerting emergency services
• CPC Class Codes: G08B 21/043 detecting an emergency event, e.g. a fall
• CPC Class Codes: G08B 21/0446 worn on the body to detect changes of posture, e.g. a fall, inclination, acceleration, gait
• 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
• CPC Class Codes: G16H 80/00 ICT specially adapted for facilitating communication between medical practitioners or patients, e.g. for collaborative diagnosis, therapy or health monitoring

Abstract

A person support apparatus, such as a bed, stretcher, cot, or the like, includes a fall detector. The fall detector is adapted to detect when a person associated with the person support apparatus has fallen and to issue a fall alarm. In some embodiments, the person support apparatus also includes an exit detection system that issues an exit alarm when the person exits from the person support apparatus. The fall alarm is given a higher priority than the exit alarm. The fall detector may include a camera, a thermal image sensor, a device worn by the person, or another sensor. The person support apparatus may also, or alternatively, include a timer for measuring how long an occupant remains out of the person support apparatus.

Claims

1. A person support apparatus comprising:

a support surface adapted to support a person thereon;

an exit detector adapted to issue an alarm if the person exits the support surface;

a fall detection sensor adapted to detect if the person falls; and

a controller in communication with the exit detector and the fall detection sensor, the controller adapted to issue a first alarm if the person exits the support surface and to issue a second alarm if the person falls, the second alarm having a higher priority than the first alarm.

2. The person support apparatus of claim 1 wherein the exit detector comprises a plurality of load cells positioned to support the support surface.

3. The person support apparatus of claim 1 wherein the first alarm includes both a visual and an audio component.

4. The person support apparatus of claim 1 wherein the fall detection sensor comprises a receiver coupled to the person support apparatus and a portable unit worn by the person, the portable unit being in wireless communication with the receiver.

5. The person support apparatus of claim 1 wherein the fall detection sensor comprises an image sensor adapted to detect images of the person after he or she exits from the person support apparatus.

6. The person support apparatus of claim 5 wherein the image sensor is a thermal image sensor.

7. The person support apparatus of claim 1 further comprising a cable interface adapted to releasably couple to a cable of a nurse call system, the cable interface including a plurality of electrical connectors, and wherein the controller is adapted to open or close a first switch in communication with a first one of the electrical connectors when issuing the first alarm and to open or close a second switch in electrical communication with a second one of the electrical connectors when issuing the second alarm.

8. The person support apparatus of claim 1 further comprising a wireless interface adapted to wirelessly communicate with a local area network, and the controller is further adapted to send a first message to the local area network via the wireless interface when issuing the first alarm, and to send a second message to the local area network via the wireless interface when issuing the second alarm.

9. The person support apparatus of claim 1 wherein the person support apparatus is one of a bed, stretcher, and chair.

10. A person support apparatus system comprising:

a first person support apparatus comprising a first support surface, a first exit detector, and a first controller;

a second person support apparatus having a second support surface, a second fall detection sensor, and a second controller; and

wherein the first person support apparatus is in communication with the second person support apparatus and the first controller is adapted to issue a first alarm if a person exits the first person support apparatus, and the first controller is further adapted to issue a second alarm if the second fall detection sensor detects a fall of the person.

11. The person support apparatus system of claim 10 wherein the first person support apparatus further comprises a first fall detection sensor and the first controller is further adapted to issue the second alarm if the first fall detection sensor detects the fall of the person.

12. The person support apparatus system of claim 10 wherein the first person support apparatus is a bed and the second person support apparatus is a chair.

13. The person support apparatus system of claim 10 wherein the second controller is adapted to issue the second alarm if the second fall detection sensor detects the fall of the person.

14. The person support apparatus system of claim 13 wherein the second controller is further adapted to issue the first alarm if the first exit detector detects the person exiting the first person support apparatus.

15. The person support apparatus system of claim 10 wherein the second person support apparatus further comprises a second exit detector, the second exit detector adapted to detect if the person exits the second person support apparatus.

16. The persons support apparatus system of claim 15 wherein the first controller is further adapted to issue the first alarm if the second exit detector detects the person exiting the second person support apparatus.

17. The person support apparatus system of claim 10 further comprising a cable interface adapted to releasably couple to a cable of a nurse call system, the cable interface including a plurality of electrical connectors, and wherein the first controller is adapted to open or close a first switch in communication with a first one of the electrical connectors when issuing the first alarm and to open or close a second switch in electrical communication with a second one of the electrical connectors when issuing the second alarm.

18. The person support apparatus system of claim 10 wherein the first person support apparatus further includes a first ID and the second person support apparatus further includes a second ID, wherein the first person support apparatus is configured to transmit the first ID to the second person support apparatus and the second person support apparatus is configured to transmit the second ID to the first person support apparatus.

19. A person support apparatus comprising:

a support surface adapted to support a person thereon;

an exit detector adapted to be armed and disarmed, the exit detector adapted to issue an alarm if the person exits the support surface while the exit detector is armed, and to not issue the alarm if the person exits the support surface while the exit detector is disarmed; and

a timer in communication with the exit detector, the timer adapted to record how long the person remains off the support surface when the exit detector is disarmed.

20. The person support apparatus of claim 19 further comprising a communication interface adapted to communicate with a portable device worn by the person.

21. The person support apparatus of claim 20 wherein the portable device monitors at least one of the following data items:

how many steps the person takes;

how far the person travels;

the person'"'"'s heart rate;

how many calories the person burns; and

how much time the person is non-stationary.

22. The person support apparatus of claim 21 wherein the portable device communicates at least one of the data items to the person support apparatus.

23. The person support apparatus of claim 19 further comprising a communication interface adapted to communicate with a portable IV stand.

24. The person support apparatus of claim 23 wherein the portable IV stand includes at least one sensor for monitoring at least one of the following data items:

how many steps the person takes;

how far the person travels;

how many calories the person burns; and

how much time the person is non-stationary.