The present invention is generally directed to a device for, and method of, transferring a person on a bed from a lying position to a seated position, and vice versa.
Many members of the community are self-sufficient when sitting, standing or walking, but require assistance transitioning from a lying position to a seated position, and vice versa. For example, a woman recovering from Caesarean section surgery may be fully capable of sitting, standing and walking, but may risk rupture of internal sutures should she attempt to lie down, or sit up, without assistance. Others who cannot without assistance lie down, or sit up without risk of pain or serious injury, or due to physical incapacity, may include: those who recovering from bowel surgery, an appendectomy, a hysterectomy, or spinal surgery, the elderly, those suffering from back pain or injury such as resulting from a slipped disc, the morbidly obese, as well as those suffering various illnesses and frailties.
The prior art teaches examples of lifting hoists and the like to assist mobility-impaired patients from entering and exiting a bed. Most of these devices are designed to assist patients who cannot stand or walk, or have difficulty walking without assistance. Such devices are therefore designed to carry the entire weight of a patient in transferring the patient to or from a bed to a wheelchair or similar mobility device, and do not meet the needs of those who can walk without assistance.
Those who require assistance to sit up or lie down are able to sit, stand and walk independently, commonly rely on the assistance of human caregivers to sit up or lie down. In giving such assistance, caregivers can develop problems of their own such as carpal tunnel syndrome, back pain and pinched nerves. Systems to assist such patients to sit up, or lie down, have been previously taught but are not without their problems as now discussed.
US Patent Application 2014/000024 A1 discloses a method for moving a patient from a lying position to a sitting position on the end of a bed by means of an appliance. The appliance includes a support element as well as a first section that is formed by a cross bar and a connecting element. In use, a support person is required to raise the knees of the patient and insert the first section of the appliance behind the raised knees of the patient while also connecting the first section of the device to the upper body of the patient. The support person then pushes down on the appliance to raise the patient to a seated position. While the appliance reduces the physical strain on a support person to raise the patient to a sitting position, it nevertheless requires a support person, which may not always be available and may add to the overall expense of caring for the patient.
US Patent Application 2006/0156469 A1 discloses a ‘Bed Patient Raise-Sit’ system for raising or lowering the upper section of the body of a patient, and for turning the patient to a sitting position on the side of the bed and back to the lying position. The device resembles a stretcher or cot comprising three folding members which correspond to the lower (i.e. below knees), middle (i.e. between knees and torso) and upper (i.e. torso and head) sections of the human body. The upper and lower sections may be raised or lowered either manually, or via a mechanised actuator. To operate the device and enable a patient to sit up, the patient is strapped on to the device and the upper and lower sections are folded to place the patient in a sitting position. The disclosed device provides a number of disadvantages, including requiring a patient to be positioned on and strapped to the device before use (therefore necessitating use of a caregiver). In addition, the device does not appear to be designed to enable a patient to transfer to and from a pre-existing bed. Rather, it appears that the device takes the place of a bed, reducing comfort for the patient and the flexibility of the device.
U.S. Pat. No. 6,039,293 A discloses an auxiliary device to aid a bed-ridden or disabled patient to sit up and leave a bed. The device includes a holder and an arrangement for securing the holder to the side of the bed. The holder itself comprises a height adjustable post extending upward from the bed with grips for the patient. In use, the patient grips the holder to pull themselves into an upright position. While the device would assist certain patients to sit up or lie down, the device nevertheless requires a certain level of dexterity and strength on the part of the patient, and risks injury to patients suffering certain ailments. The device would therefore not be suitable to assist all patients, particularly those suffering more severe ailments.
Despite the earlier attempts of others, it remains desirable to provide a device and method for enabling a patient, who is capable of standing and walking independently, to sit up or lie down which:
The reference in this specification to any prior publication, or information derived from it, or to any earlier study or other matter, is not, and should not be taken as an acknowledgement or admission or any form of suggestion that the prior publication, or information derived from it, or other matter forms part of the common general knowledge in the field of endeavour to which this specification relates.
The inventors have discovered a device and method enabling a person to sit up or lie down in bed while reducing risk of pain and injury.
According to a first aspect, there is provided a device to assist a patient on a bed to transfer between a lying position and a seated position, the device comprising an arm hold configured to allow the patient to clinch the arm hold to his or her chest and, when so held, transfer the patient between a lying position and a seated position.
Preferably, the arm hold comprises a panel configured to be clinched by the patient between the forearm and the chest of the patient, and a hand grip configured to be gripped in the hands of the patient.
Preferably, the device is configured to enable the position and/or motion of the arm hold to be customised for use with beds and patients of varying dimensions.
Preferably the arm hold is configured to retract, and thereby provide clearance and sufficient space to enable the patient and others to move around the bed, when not in use.
Preferably, the device further comprises a leg support configured to transfer the legs of the patient between a lying position and a seated position.
Preferably, the leg support comprises a panel incorporating recesses configured to generally conform to the legs of the patient.
Preferably, the leg support is configured to rotate the lower legs of the patient about a horizontal axis between a lying position, in which the lower legs are substantially horizontal, and a seated position, in which the lower legs are substantially vertical.
Preferably, the device is configured to allow the position and/or motion of the leg support to be customisable for use with beds and patients of varying dimensions.
Preferably, the leg support is configured to retract, and thereby provide clearance sufficient space to enable the patient and others to move around the bed, when not in use.
Preferably, the leg support is configured to slide between the lower legs of the patient and the bed to position the leg support when activated for use to transfer the patient from a lying position to a seated position.
Preferably, the arm hold and the leg support are configured to pivot the patient about his or her buttocks such that the patient will, when in a seated position, face a side of the bed.
Preferably, the device is configured to be adjustable to allow for selection of which side of the bed the patient will face when in the seated position.
Preferably, the device is configured to be controlled by the patient, thereby allowing the patient to transfer between a lying position and a seated position without assistance from a human caregiver.
Preferably, the device is configured to transfer the patient between a lying position and a seated position in less than two seconds.
Preferably, the device comprises a back up power source to operate the device in case of an electricity outage.
Preferably, the device comprises a stabilizer which extends under or around a bed to stabilize the device against toppling over when transferring a patient between a lying position and a seated position.
Preferably, the device comprises a pull up hold that a patient may hold to stabilize him or herself when transferring between a seated position and a standing position.
According to a second aspect of the invention, there is provided a method of using the device wherein a patient clinches the arm hold to his or her chest and is transferred between a lying position and a seated position.
Preferably, the position and/or motion of the arm hold may be customised, and the method comprises customising the position and/or motion of the arm hold to suit the dimensions of the bed and the patient.
Preferably, the arm hold is retractable, and the method comprises retracting the arm hold retracts when not in use to enable the patient to move around the bed.
Preferably, the device comprises a leg support, and the leg support transfers the legs of the patient between a lying position and a seated position.
Preferably, the position and/or motion of the leg support may be customised, and the position and/or motion of the leg support is calibrated to suit the physical dimensions of the bed and the patient.
Preferably, the leg support is retractable, and the method comprises retracting the leg support when not in use to enable the patient to move around the bed.
Preferably, the leg support is configured to slide between the lower legs of the patient and, and the leg support slides when between the bed and the lower legs of the patent to position the leg support when preparing to transfer the patient from a lying position to a seated position.
Preferably, transfer of the patient between a lying position and a seated position takes less than two seconds.
Preferably, the device may be controlled by the patient, and the patient activates the device to transfer between a lying position and a seated position.
The present summary is provided only by way of example, and not limitation. Other aspects of the present invention will be appreciated in view of the entirety of the present disclosure, including the entire text, claims and accompanying figures.
Throughout this specification and the claims which follow, unless the context requires otherwise, the word “comprise” and variations thereof such as “comprises” and “comprising”, will be understood to include the inclusion of a stated integer or step or group of integers or steps but not the exclusion of any other integer or step or groups of integers or steps.
While the above-identified figures set forth one or more embodiments of the present invention, other embodiments are also contemplated, as noted in the discussion. In all cases, this disclosure presents the invention by way of representation and not limitation. It should be understood that numerous other modifications and embodiments can be devised by those skilled in the art, which fall within the scope and spirit of the principles of the invention. The figures may not be drawn to scale, and applications and embodiments of the present invention may include features, steps and/or components not specifically shown in the drawings.
The invention is now further described as exemplified in the FIGURES.
In the embodiment shown the device comprises a leg support 3, which is an optional feature of the invention that may not be required where a person has sufficient strength to rotate on his or her buttocks to face a face of the bed once sitting up, or to face the end of the bed in preparation for lying down.
The arm hold 2 and the leg support 3 each connect to a centre post assembly 9 via an arm hold assembly 7 and a leg support assembly 8 respectively. To stabilise the device 1 against the weight of the patient, and prevent the device 1 from tipping over in use, the centre post assembly 9 may be connected to a walk off platform 10 and under bed stabilizer 11.
The movement of the arm hold 2 and leg support 3 during transfer of a patient is now described with reference to
The device 1 is pre-programmed to perform the above process by software/firmware programming controlling movement and positioning of the arm hold 2 and leg support 3. To minimise strain on the back and abdomen of the patient, the device 1 may be programmed to transfer the patient between a lying position and a seated position in less than two seconds. Programming may also provide for automated retraction of the arm hold 2 and leg support 3 when not in use to provide space around the bed. When required for use the device 1 will position the arm hold 2 and leg support 3 based on whether the patient seeks to sit up or lie down.
The device 1 may comprise a control to enable the patient to control the device 1 for him or herself. The control may be separate to the device, and may for example involve a smartphone or tablet application connecting to the device 1 via Bluetooth. When providing such control, the device 1 may be programmed with a timer allowing the patient time to prepare him or herself after requesting transfer between positions. The device 1 may include a countdown to prevent surprising the patient during the transfer movement. Alternatively, the device 1 may additionally comprise a safety button or similar on the arm hold 2, which may be pressed by the patient to indicate he or she is prepared for transfer between positions, or no longer seeks to transfer between positions (and instead seeks retraction of the arm hold 2 and leg support 3).
While the device 1 is generally exemplified transferring a patient from a lying position to a seated position, it is noted that the device 1 is equally capable of assisting a patient from a seated position to a lying position, which may be equally painful or dangerous to a patient. To do so the device 1 merely reverses the movements necessary to raise a patient from lying down to sitting up. This process may also be controlled by a patient using existing controls for the device. Again, the process may be controlled to take less than two seconds (for example, 1.5 seconds) to avoid unnecessary strain to the abdomen and spine of the patient. This speed could be adjusted by the patient to ensure patient comfort.
The device 1 may further comprise a pull up hold 46 that could for example extend from or form part of the centre post assembly 9. In use the pull up hold 46 would be within reach of a patient sitting on the side of a bed and could be held by a patient to stabilize him or herself while he or she stood up from the bed.
Construction of the arm hold assembly 7 is now described with reference to
As shown in
Construction of the leg support assembly 8 is now described with respect to
Motion of the leg support 3 and leg support assembly 8 is now described with reference to
As highlighted by
The height of the central post assembly 9 may also be adjusted, thereby further adding flexibility to the device. As shown in
The device 1 may be powered by standard household electricity (for example, in Australia, 240V). Preferably, the device is fitted with a back up power source, to enable a patient to transfer to and from bed in a power outage. The back up power source may be a battery, fuel cell or similar. The back up power source be configured to automatically provide power in case of a power outage, or a person may switch to the back up power source manually, as and when required.
Where the bed goes all the way to the ground, and thereby prevents use of an under bed stabilizer 11, the device 1 may be braced over and around the bed, using for example a hockey stick brace mechanism 42 as shown in
It will be understood to persons skilled in the art of the invention that modifications may be made without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention. The embodiments and/or examples as described herein are therefore to be considered as illustrative and not restrictive.
Number | Date | Country | Kind |
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2018903955 | Oct 2018 | AU | national |
This Application is a Section 371 National Stage Application of International No. PCT/AU2019/051130, filed Oct. 17, 2019 and published as WO 2020/077408 A1 on Apr. 23, 2020, in English, and further claims priority to Australian Application Ser. No. 2018903955, filed Oct. 18, 2018.
Filing Document | Filing Date | Country | Kind |
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PCT/AU2019/051130 | 10/17/2019 | WO | 00 |