The apparatus and methods disclosed herein relate to a barrier for a mattress and bed deck. More particularly, the apparatus and methods relate to a mattress and bed deck barrier for an adjustable bed that reduces the exposure of the mattress and bed deck to unsanitary conditions.
Healthcare mattresses have integrated covers that enclose the mattress components and are designed to protect the internal mattress components from staining, soiling, bodily fluids, and infectious microorganisms. Mattress covers must be cleaned and disinfected between each patient use to maintain a sanitary environment for the patient. Most integrated covers are inherently difficult to clean and disinfect. They may not be removable, or if so, are not designed for regular removal. Thus, they are intended for cleaning by manual wiping, which requires a substantial amount of time, effort, and consistency to achieve adequate disinfection. Many integrated covers have exposed woven fabric, which further diminishes the potential for effective disinfection. Zippers are usually used to attach integrated mattress covers and if the flap covering the zipper is displaced by bed linens, the zippers will permit bodily fluids to enter the mattress. These covers may also have sewn seams where each stitch hole is a location for bodily fluids to enter the mattress. Finally, integrated covers are prone to failure and fluid leakage due to use of strong chemicals required to achieve disinfection. Failures are difficult to detect before fluid leakage occurs and require time consuming inspection between each patient use. A barrier between the mattress and patient that eliminates all aforementioned issues and provides a highly disinfected and intact resting surface for the patient is desirable.
Mattresses are supported by bed decks. Bed decks come into contact with the same unsanitary conditions as mattresses. For example, waste produced by a patient may flow off the mattress or mattress barrier and accumulate on the supporting bed deck. Under current techniques, the mattress must be manually raised from the bed deck, the bed deck cleaned by hand using a germicidal solution, and the mattress replaced atop the bed deck which can be cumbersome and time consuming. However, hospital workers may neglect to clean the bed deck, or may not fully clean the entire surface of the bed deck. Furthermore, manual cleaning may not be sufficient to eliminate bacteria embedded in the bed deck or to kill fungal spores. Any remaining contamination may be passed from the bed deck to the mattress or bed sheets, from which the contaminants may contact a patient.
Various embodiments will become better understood with regard to the following description, appended claims and accompanying drawings wherein:
Embodiments are hereinafter described in detail in connection with the views and examples of
The mattress 22 can include a top 32, a plurality of sides 34, and a bottom 36. The barrier 24 can include a mattress cover portion 38 and a skirt 40 that extends beneath the mattress cover portion 38. The skirt 40 can include an upper panel 42 and a lower panel 44. The lower panel 44 can include a lower edge 46. The upper panel 42 can be coupled with the mattress cover portion 38 along a perimeter P1 of the barrier 24 and the lower panel 44 can be coupled with the upper panel 42 along a perimeter P2 of the barrier 24. In one embodiment, the mattress cover portion 38 and the upper panel 42 can be attached together (e.g., sewn, bonded or welded) along a longitudinal seam 48 that defines the perimeter P1, and the upper panel 42 and the lower panel 44 can be attached together (e.g., sewn, bonded or welded) along a longitudinal seam 50 that defines the perimeter P2. In another embodiment, the mattress cover portion 38, the upper panel 42, and the lower panel 44 can be formed together as a one-piece construction such that the perimeter P1 is defined by the transition between the mattress cover portion 38 and the upper panel 42 and the perimeter P2 is defined by the transition between the upper panel 42 and the lower panel 44.
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When the barrier 24 is installed over the mattress 22 and attached to the bed deck 26 (e.g., via the buttons 52), as illustrated in
It is to be appreciated that when the barrier 24 needs to be replaced (e.g., when it is dirty), the skirt 40 can first be detached from the bed deck 26 by manually disengaging the buttons 52 from the apertures 54 and the mattress cover portion 38 can then be slid off of the mattress 22 to completely remove the barrier 24 from the mattress 22. A clean barrier (e.g., 24) can then be installed by simply slipping the mattress cover portion 38 over the mattress 22 and attaching the skirt 40 to the buttons 52. The construction of the barrier 24 and the buttons 52 cooperate to enable easier and less cumbersome removal and installation than conventional mattress covers.
The barrier 24 can be formed of an impermeable material (e.g., the barrier material) that withstands hydrostatic pressure, can prevent penetration by microorganisms in accordance with medical device barrier standards, and meets biocompatibility requirements for limited contact with human skin. When the barrier 24 is installed on the mattress 22 and attached to the bed deck 26, as illustrated in
In one embodiment, the barrier material can comprise a multi-directional stretch polyester fabric with welded or sealed seams and/or corners. The barrier material can be coated with a film coating that enhances the disinfecting properties of the barrier 24. In one embodiment, the film coating can be a polyurethane and can incorporate an antimicrobial and/or antifungal agent such as, for example, antimicrobial metal or borophosphosilicate glass carriers containing silver ions. In some embodiments, the film coating can have non-leaching properties. The barrier material can also include flame retardants and thus can be resistant to burning. The barrier material can also be configured to define various multi-directional stretch characteristics that permit the mattress 22 to distribute the patient load as intended without causing the barrier 24 to tear or fail. The barrier material can be configured to provide some level of moisture vapor transfer such that microclimate management features incorporated in some healthcare mattresses are still able to reach the patient.
The barrier material can be configured to withstand conventional healthcare laundering techniques, such as, for example, a process with chemicals and temperatures that provide a 99.9999% reduction (log 6) in common pathogenic microorganisms. As such, the barrier 24 can be repeatedly washed and reused which can be more cost effective and less wasteful than certain conventional mattress covers.
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The lower panel 44 can be coupled with the front panel portion 62 along a lateral seam 68 that extends laterally from the longitudinal seam 50 (e.g., from the perimeter P2) to the lower edge 46. The lateral seams 66, 68 can be laterally offset from each other along the longitudinal seam 50 (e.g., spaced from each other) such that a portion of the longitudinal seam 50 extends between the lateral seams 66, 68 (e.g., the lateral seams 66, 68 are not collinear). This arrangement of the seams 50, 66, 68 can be stronger and less prone to failure than the conventional X-shaped or T-shaped seams that are commonly found in conventional bed barrier arrangements. The barrier 24 can also include an inlet port 71 that allows for routing of a mattress component or accessory through the barrier 24 (e.g., an air hose when the mattress 22 is inflatable or a strap used to activate a CPR function within the mattress 22).
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The foregoing description of embodiments and examples has been presented for purposes of illustration and description. It is not intended to be exhaustive or limiting to the forms described. Numerous modifications are possible in light of the above teachings. Some of those modifications have been discussed and others will be understood by those skilled in the art. The embodiments were chosen and described for illustration of various embodiments. The scope is, of course, not limited to the examples or embodiments set forth herein, but can be employed in any number of applications and equivalent devices by those of ordinary skill in the art. Rather, it is hereby intended that the scope be defined by the claims appended hereto. Also, for any methods claimed and/or described, regardless of whether the method is described in conjunction with a flow diagram, it should be understood that unless otherwise specified or required by context, any explicit or implicit ordering of steps performed in the execution of a method does not imply that those steps must be performed in the order presented and may be performed in a different order or in parallel.
This application is a continuation of U.S. patent application Ser. No. 16/811,095, filed Mar. 6, 2020, entitled Barrier for Mattress and Bed Deck which claims priority of U.S. provisional Patent App. Ser. No. 62/815,662, entitled Barrier for Mattress and Bed Deck, filed Mar. 8, 2019, and hereby incorporates each of these patent applications by reference herein in their respective entireties.
Number | Date | Country | |
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Parent | 16811095 | Mar 2020 | US |
Child | 17705281 | US |