The present invention relates generally to limb supports for medical and surgical procedures, and more particularly, relates to a simple, mobile, height-adjustable support suitable for use for various different limbs over a range of limb positions, and in hospital rooms or in other compact environments in which space is limited.
Various supports are known in the prior art for holding in place the limb of a person. Some of these devices are not height and/or position adjustable, limiting their usability. Others are large and bulky, and unsuitable for use in compact environments in which space is limited. Some of these devices are permanently attached to an operating table or bed, and thus are not mobile, and are positioned for dedicated use to support an arm, or a leg, but not both. Some of these devices have structure limiting how the device can support the limb. Some of these devices are mechanically complex, and expensive.
What is needed is a simple, mobile, height-adjustable support suitable for use for various different limbs over a range of limb positions, and in hospital rooms or other compact environments in which space is limited.
The present invention provides a simple, mobile, height-adjustable support suitable for use for various different limbs over a range of limb positions, and in hospital rooms, doctors' offices, or other compact environments in which space is limited. Such a device requires only a single person to operate it, and it permits an associated medical procedure to be performed by a single person, thereby eliminating the need for a second person for holding and supporting the limb during a medical procedure, as is commonplace. Further, the device provides several advantages relative to various prior art devices, including that the device is mobile and easily transported/moved to a position alongside the patient, and that the device can be used while the patient is in a wheelchair, chair or bed. Further, use of the device ensures that there is less strain on the patient, and helps the patient to feel more secure and comfortable with the patient's limb in the device, which affords the caregiver ample time to evaluate the limb/wound and/or to perform the medical procedure properly while providing comfort to the patient.
An understanding of the following description will be facilitated by reference to the attached drawings, in which:
The present invention provides a simple, mobile, height-adjustable support suitable for use for various different limbs over a range of limb positions, and in hospital rooms, doctors' offices, or other compact environments in which space is limited. Such a device requires only a single person to operate it, and it permits an associated medical procedure to be performed by a single person, thereby eliminating the need for a second person for holding and supporting the limb during a medical procedure, as is commonplace. Further, the device provides several advantages relative to various prior art devices, including that the device is mobile and easily transported/moved to a position alongside the patient, and that the device can be used while the patient is in a wheelchair, chair or bed. Further, use of the device ensures that there is less strain on the patient, and helps the patient to feel more secure and comfortable with the patient's limb in the device, which affords the caregiver ample time to evaluate the limb/wound and/or to perform the medical procedure properly while providing comfort to the patient.
Referring now to
As will be appreciated from
The adjustable supports 20 may have any suitable form permitting vertical adjustment of the length of the supports 20, so that the cradle may be selectively positioned upwardly and downwardly, and then be secured in place to fix its position vertically. By way of example, the adjustable supports 20 may include pressurized hydraulic or pneumatic cylinders that may be used to drive movement of the cradle 30 relative to the base 10, and that are selectively lockable/unlockable by way of a release lever 24, as known in the art. Various suitable mechanisms for providing such height adjustability are known in the art, and any suitable mechanism may be used. Preferably, the adjustable support(s) 20 provide(s) for adjustment of a base portion of the cradle 30 from about 12ā³ above the floor (e.g., for supporting the foot of a patient seated in a wheelchair) to about 48ā³ above the floor (e.g., a comfortable height for a standing nurse and a patient in an elevated bed), or within any sub-range thereof, to allow for accommodation of a limb at a range of heights likely to be encountered as the patients sits in a chair or lies in a hospital bed.
The cradle 30 is preferably generally concave in shape (open upwardly), and may be U-shaped, and oriented with the open end of the āUā facing upwardly, to facilitate receipt and support of a patient's limb, as best shown in
Optionally, an interior surface of the cradle 30 may be lined with a cushioning liner 38. The liner may be made of a cushioning material, such as lambswool, foam rubber or the like, to increase the comfort of the patient. Additionally, the cradle/liner may be intended to be used in conjunction with a disposable cover 39, as shown in
If desired, wheels or casters 40 may be secured to the base to assist in moving the device 100 to various positions adjacent a bed, etc., as may be desired. One or more, and preferable at least two, of the wheels/casters 40 may be selectively lockable to prevent theft rotation via a lock lever 44. Such wheels/casters 40 are well-known in the art.
Accordingly, a single instance of the device 100 is movable/mobile, and positionable as desired relative to a hospital bed (or chair), and separately from a hospital bed (or chair) for use to support various different limbs of a person/patient, such as a left arm, right arm, left leg or right leg, as desired.
In use, the limb support device 100 may be positioned adjacent a bed or chair in which the patient is resting. This may involve unlocking the wheels/casters 40 using the lock lever 44 and rolling the device 100 into position adjacent the bed/chair, and operating the lock lever 44 to lock the wheels in place. The adjustable supports 20 may then be operated to raise or lower the cradle 30 to a desired height for comfortably receiving and supporting a limb of the patient as the patient remains in the bed/chair. This may involve manual operation of the release lever 24. The angular orientation of the cradle may be similarly adjusted. This may involve manual operation of the lever 36. A disposable cover 39 may be applied on the cradle/over the cushioning liner 38, by mating fasteners 37b, 37a of the cover 39 and liner 38, to provide a sanitized/clean/fresh surface. After the wheels and/or adjustable supports 20 are suitably adjusted, and a cover 39 provided, if desired, the patient's limb may be placed in the cradle 30, and may be reliably supported by the limb support device 100 in a handsfree fashion, freeing the hands of a healthcare provider to perform a medical/surgical procedure, and without requiring assistance of another healthcare provider to support the limb during the medical/surgical procedure. After the procedure has been completed, the fasteners 37a, 37b may be decoupled, and the cover 39 may be discarded, to ready the limb support device 100 for subsequent use with another patient.
While there have been described herein the principles of the invention, it is to be understood by those skilled in the art that this description is made only by way of example and not as a limitation to the scope of the invention.
Accordingly, it is intended by the appended claims, to cover all modifications of the invention which fall within the true spirit and scope of the invention.
This application claims the benefit of priority, under 35 U.S.C. § 119(e), of U.S. provisional patent application No. 62/958,125, filed Jan. 7, 2020, the entire disclosure of which is hereby incorporated herein by reference.
Number | Date | Country | |
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62958125 | Jan 2020 | US |
Number | Date | Country | |
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Parent | PCT/US21/12505 | Jan 2021 | US |
Child | 17832198 | US |