Patent Application
20150223613
This disclosure relates to the field of bedding and in particular a waterproof cover for a bed used in patient care facilities.
Patient in care facilities such as hospitals, nursing homes, convalescent homes, and the like often have serious mobility issues with little ability to move themselves, and many are incontinent as well. The beds used in such facilities typically include numerous different coverings serving to confine solid and liquid waste, as well as to facilitate moving the patient.
For example the coverings typically include a waterproof mattress cover, a cloth sheet over the mattress cover, a slider drape of slippery fabric material that allows the care staff to grasp the slider sheet to pull the patient across the cloth sheet and roll the patient to place the patient in different positions to reduce bed sores and the like. An incontinence pad of absorbent fabric is then laid on top of the slider sheet. Where mobility issues are serious and the patient is heavy, a sling may also be laid under the patient to allow a mobile crane to be attached to lift and reposition the patient into a wheel chair or the like.
The incontinence pad, slider drape, and cloth sheet require almost daily laundering. This laundering is costly both in terms of laundry costs themselves, and in labor costs for changing the bed coverings. Further, the various coverings often become wrinkled and bunched under the patient causing pressure points and resultant discomfort and sores.
Mattress systems to address incontinence are disclosed for example in U.S. Pat. No. 5,675,854 to Zibelin and U.S. Pat. No. 4,752,293 to Smith. Mattress slings are disclosed in U.S. Patent Application Number 2003/0192118 of Carbonneau et al. and in U.S. Pat. No. 8,566,977 to Davis.
The present disclosure provides a mattress cover assembly that overcomes problems in the prior art.
The present disclosure provides a mattress cover assembly for covering a mattress. The assembly comprises a waterproof sheet with a bottom surface that is configured to slide readily across a mattress surface on which same is spread, and the waterproof sheet is configured to cover the mattress surface and to extend downward along right and left sides of the mattress. An incontinence pad is fastened to a middle portion of a top surface of the waterproof sheet, and a plurality of loops are spaced about a perimeter of the waterproof sheet.
The mattress cover assembly prevents soiling of the mattress and allows for the patient to be maneuvered by sliding readily along the mattress. Ready hookup to a patient hoist is provided by the loops. Fastening the incontinence pad to the waterproof sheet reduces wrinkling and allows wrinkles to be readily pulled tight when they occur, enhancing patient comfort and reducing sores. The entire assembly can be easily and quickly removed as a single unit and replaced with a fresh one when laundering is required. Laundering costs are reduced as the assembly replaces the conventional sheet, slider drape, and incontinence pad such that fewer items must be laundered. Labor costs are reduced as well since it takes less time to remove and replace the assembly than to remove and replace the conventional numerous separate items. Patient comfort is further enhanced since each bed equipped with the assembly also conveniently includes a patient sling, such that necessary repositioning is accomplished easily by care personnel and with reduced discomfort to the patient, since it is not necessary to position a conventional sling under the patient to accomplish the task.
While the invention is claimed in the concluding portions hereof, preferred embodiments are provided in the accompanying detailed description which may be best understood in conjunction with the accompanying diagrams where like parts in each of the several diagrams are labeled with like numbers, and where:
The waterproof sheet 7 is conveniently provided by a polyurethane laminate fabric with a shiny laminate layer bonded to a knit layer. The shiny laminate layer provides the bottom surface 7A and the knit layer provides the top surface 7B. Such fabric is breathable allowing air to pass through the fabric, enhancing patient comfort.
An incontinence pad 11 is fastened to a middle portion of the top surface 7B of the waterproof sheet 7. The incontinence pad 11 is typically fastened to the top surface of the waterproof sheet by stitches 13 as schematically illustrated in
In the illustrated assembly 1 the waterproof sheet 7 has upper and lower edges 7C, 7D for arranging at corresponding upper and lower ends 3C, 3D of the mattress 3 and right and left side edges 7E, 7F. The incontinence pad 11 covers the middle portion of the waterproof sheet 7 from the upper edge 7C thereof to the lower edge 7D thereof, such that when placed on the mattress as shown in
A number of loops 15 are spaced about the perimeter of the waterproof sheet 7 to provide a convenient location for attachment of a hoist such as is commonly used to lift patients. In the illustrated assembly 1, a pair of loops 15 is provided adjacent to the upper and lower edges 7C, 7D on each of the right and left side edges 7E, 7F of the waterproof sheet 7, and each of the four straps from a patient hoist can be connected to each pair, providing substantial support for the patient along the sides of the waterproof sheet 7.
The mattress cover assembly 1 prevents soiling of the mattress, allows for the patient to be maneuvered by sliding along the mattress 3, and provides ready hookup to a patient hoist. The incontinence pad 11 fastened to the waterproof sheet 7 resists wrinkling and allows wrinkles to be readily pulled tight when they occur. The entire assembly 1 can be easily and quickly removed and replaced with a fresh assembly 1 when the assembly 1 requires laundering. Laundering costs are reduced as the assembly 1 replaces the conventional sheet, slider drape, and incontinence pad such that fewer items must be laundered. Labor costs are reduced as well since it takes less time to remove and replace the assembly 1 than to remove and replace the conventional numerous separate items.
Each bed equipped with the assembly 1 also conveniently includes a patient sling, such that necessary repositioning is accomplished easily by care personnel and with reduced discomfort to the patient, since it is not necessary to position a conventional sling under the patient to accomplish the task.
The foregoing is considered as illustrative only of the principles of the invention. Further, since numerous changes and modifications will readily occur to those skilled in the art, it is not desired to limit the invention to the exact construction and operation shown and described, and accordingly, all such suitable changes or modifications in structure or operation which may be resorted to are intended to fall within the scope of the claimed invention.
| Number | Date | Country | Kind |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2842422 | Feb 2014 | CA | national |
