Patent Application
20070215658
The present invention relates generally to components, systems, and methods for transporting a medical device. More particularly, the present invention relates to such components, systems, methods that may conveniently be disconnected from a medical device.
Medical devices are often too fragile, sensitive, bulky, and/or heavy to be conveniently transported without the use of wheels, rollers, or other attachments. However, some medical devices are sufficiently robust, small, and lightweight to be conveniently picked up by, for example, a medical staff member of a healthcare facility. In fact, some medical devices are sufficiently portable that they may be attached or connected to and carried by a patient being monitored and/or cared for by the medical device. For example, some currently available medical devices are connected to shoulder straps that form a loop beginning at the medical device, extending across a patient's chest, shoulder, and back, and ending back at the medical device.
Once attached to a patient, a medical device having the above-mentioned shoulder strap connected thereto is often difficult to remove from the patient. For example, when a patient is lying down in a hospital bed, a portion of the strap will be wedged between the patient's back and the hospital bed. Thus, the medical device may not be removed without forcing the patient's back off of the bed, which may cause the patient discomfort or which may wake a sleeping patient.
At least in view of the above, it would be desirable to provide mechanisms for conveniently removing a medical device from a patient, medical staff member or other person to which the medical device is attached. It would also be desirable to provide methods for conveniently removing a medical device from a patient, medical staff member or other person to which the medical device is attached.
The foregoing needs are met, to a great extent, by the present invention wherein, in a first embodiment thereof, a mechanism for transporting a medical device is provided. The mechanism includes a receiving portion connected to a medical device. The mechanism also includes a releasable engaging portion including a rigid component and configured to releasably engage the receiving portion. In addition, the mechanism further includes an accommodating portion connected to the engaging portion and configured to accommodate a user transporting the medical device when the engaging portion is engaged with the receiving portion.
In accordance with a second embodiment of the present invention, a method of transporting a medical device is provided. The method includes connecting a receiving portion to a medical device. The method also includes releasably engaging the receiving portion with an engaging portion including a rigid component and having an accommodating portion connected thereto. In addition, the method further includes transporting the medical device using the accommodating portion when the engaging portion is engaged with the receiving portion.
In accordance with a third embodiment of the present invention, another mechanism for transporting a medical device is provided. This other mechanism includes connecting means for connecting to a medical device. This other mechanism also includes engaging means for releasably engaging the connecting means, wherein the engaging means includes a rigid component. In addition, this other mechanism also includes accommodating means for accommodating a user transporting the medical device when the engaging means is engaged with the connecting means, wherein the accommodating means is connected to the engaging means.
There has thus been outlined, rather broadly, certain embodiments of the invention in order that the detailed description thereof herein may be better understood, and in order that the present contribution to the art may be better appreciated. There are, of course, additional embodiments of the invention that will be described below and which will form the subject matter of the claims appended hereto.
In this respect, before explaining at least one embodiment of the invention in detail, it is to be understood that the invention is not limited in its application to the details of construction and to the arrangements of the components set forth in the following description or illustrated in the drawings. The invention is capable of embodiments in addition to those described and of being practiced and carried out in various ways. Also, it is to be understood that the phraseology and terminology employed herein, as well as the abstract, are for the purpose of description and should not be regarded as limiting.
As such, those skilled in the art will appreciate that the conception upon which this disclosure is based may readily be utilized as a basis for the designing of other structures, methods and systems for carrying out the several purposes of the present invention. It is important, therefore, that the claims be regarded as including such equivalent constructions insofar as they do not depart from the spirit and scope of the present invention.
The invention will now be described with reference to the drawing figures, in which like reference numerals refer to like parts throughout.
In
The mechanism 10 illustrated in
As will be appreciated by one of skill in the art upon practicing one or more embodiments of the present invention, the releasable engaging portion 18 illustrated in
The mechanism 10 for transporting the medical device 12 illustrated in
In the embodiment of the present invention illustrated in
The strap used in the accommodating portion 24 illustrated in
According to certain embodiments of the present invention, the size of the loop formed in the accommodating portion 24 is adjustable. In order to accommodate such adjustability, according to certain embodiments of the present invention, the accommodating portion 24 includes a strap whose ends pass through a buckle 28 that is also included as a part of the accommodating portion 24. According to some of these embodiments, in order to adjust the size of the loop formed in the accommodating portion 24, longer or shorter portions of the strap are allowed to pass through the buckle 28. As will be appreciated by one of skill in the art upon practicing embodiments of the present invention, devices other than a buckle may be used to adjust the loop illustrated in
The mechanism 30 illustrated in
The mechanism 30 illustrated in
As illustrated in
The male portion of the buckle 36 illustrated in
One of skill in the art will appreciate, upon practicing one or more embodiments of the present invention, that the male portion 36 releasably engages the female portion 34 and thus allows the accommodating portion 46 of the mechanism 30 to be quickly disconnected from the medical device 38. More specifically, a user may disengage the male portion 36 from the female portion 34 by pushing the sides 31, 33 of the male portion 36 together while pulling on the male portion 36. As such, the medical device 38 may be detached from, for example, a patient, without necessitating the mechanism 30 also being detached from the patient.
According to another embodiment of the present invention, a method of transporting a medical device is provided. This method typically includes connecting a receiving portion (e.g., the receiving portion 14 illustrated in
According to certain embodiments of the present invention, the above-discussed connecting step includes connecting a substantially closed loop to a surface of the medical device. Typically, this substantially closed loop is formed of metals, metal alloys, and/or hard plastics. However, non-rigid, substantially closed loops may also be used.
According to certain embodiments of the present invention, the above-discussed connecting step includes connecting the receiving portion to a chest drainage unit. However, according to other embodiments, this method may also be implemented using either other medical devices or using non-medical devices.
The above-discussed method also typically includes releasably engaging the above-mentioned receiving portion with an engaging portion having an accommodating portion connected thereto. When implemented using the mechanism 10 illustrated in FIGS. I and 2, this releasably engaging step may include choosing the engaging portion 18 to include a clip. When implemented using the mechanism 30 illustrated in
The above-discussed method also typically includes transporting the medical device using the accommodating portion when the engaging portion is engaged with the receiving portion. This transporting step may be implemented, for example, by choosing the accommodating portion to include a flexible portion that forms a substantially closed loop. Then, the loop may be placed, for example, around a patient's or medical staffer's shoulder or torso. According to certain embodiments of the present invention, the above-discussed method also includes adjusting a dimension (e.g., the sized) of the loop. This may be done, for example, using the buckle 28 illustrated in
The many features and advantages of the invention are apparent from the detailed specification, and thus, it is intended by the appended claims to cover all such features and advantages of the invention which fall within the true spirit and scope of the invention. Further, since numerous modifications and variations will readily occur to those skilled in the art, it is not desired to limit the invention to the exact construction and operation illustrated and described, and accordingly, all suitable modifications and equivalents maybe resorted to, falling within the scope of the invention.
