BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE FIGURES
FIG. 1 illustrates a patient positioned over rotating bladders of a therapeutic support from a head end of the rotating bladders—Prior Art.
FIG. 2 illustrates FIG. 1 from arrow 2—Prior Art.
FIG. 3 illustrates FIG. 1 from arrow 3—Prior Art.
FIG. 4 illustrates a top view of rotational (turn-assist) bladders (a) on a support surface and (b) interconnected to a control unit.
FIG. 5 illustrates a side view of rotational (turn-assist) bladders on a support surface.
FIG. 6 illustrates an alternative embodiment of FIG. 5.
FIG. 7 illustrates an alternative embodiment of FIG. 4 with additional cushions positioned over opposing left-right rotational (turn-assist) bladders.
FIG. 8 illustrates a schematic of the control unit.
FIG. 9
a illustrates a side view of FIG. 4 taken from arrow 4 when the right rotational (turn-assist) bladders are being inflated simultaneously.
FIG. 9
b illustrates an embodiment of FIG. 9a when the second right rotational (turn-assist) bladder remains inflated and the first right rotational (turn-assist) bladder deflates to expose a first portion of the patient that normally contacts the right rotational (turn-assist) bladder so a patient's assistant can care and treat the patient at the first portion without excessively disturbing the patient.
FIG. 9
c illustrates an embodiment of FIG. 9a when the first right rotational (turn-assist) bladder is inflated and the second right rotational (turn-assist) bladder deflates to expose a second portion of the patient that normally contacts the right rotational (turn-assist) bladder so a patient's assistant can care and treat the patient at the second portion without excessively disturbing the patient.
FIG. 10 illustrates an alternative embodiment to accomplish FIGS. 9a and 9b.
FIG. 11 illustrates an alternative embodiment of FIG. 4.
FIG. 12 illustrates an alternative embodiment of FIG. 4.
FIG. 13 illustrates an alternative embodiment of FIG. 7.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PRESENT INVENTION
The present invention is directed to a variation of present rotational (turn-assist) support. The rotational (turn-assist) support 100 is similar to the prior art rotational (turn-assist) support surface 100. One of the similarities is that the rotational (turn-assist) bladder system 110 is positioned on a support surface 102. The support surface 102 can be a part of a mattress, a gelastic surface, a foam surface, a bladder surface, a solid surface or any other location that provides support to a patient. The variations are in the rotational (turn-assist) bladder system 110 and the control unit 210. The rotational (turn-assist) bladder system 110 can extend the entire length of the support surface 100 as illustrated in FIG. 5 or just partially as illustrated in FIG. 6.
As illustrated in FIG. 4, the rotational (turn-assist) bladder system 110 has a right side bladder unit 120 and a left side bladder unit 130. The right side bladder unit 120 is subdivided into at least a first right section 122 and a second right section 124. Likewise, the left side bladder unit 130 is subdivided into at least a first left section 132 and a second left section 134.
Unlike the prior art, the rotational (turn-assist) bladder system 110 can be positioned immediately below a patient 200, as illustrated at FIGS. 5 and 6, without any intervening cushion that interferes with the operation of the bladder system 110. There is no single cushion material that overlies the entire rotational (turn-assist) bladder system 110 or an entire bladder unit 120, 130 because that would violate the fundamental basis of the present invention. Instead there can be (a) individual cushions 160a, b, c, d positioned over bladders sections 122, 124, 132, 134 as illustrated in FIG. 13 or (b) cushions 162a, b that extend across pairs of opposing left-right bladders sections, like sections 122 and 132 or sections 124 and 134 as illustrated in FIG. 7.
There can be covers, blankets (conventional, conductive and/or convective) and/or pads (incontinence, heating, cooling, and/or positioning), not shown, positioned between the patient 200 and the rotational (turn-assist) bladder system 110.
As illustrated in FIG. 4, the first right side bladder unit 122 interconnects to the control unit 210 through a first right conduit 123 and the second right side bladder unit 124 interconnects to the control unit 210 through a second right conduit 125. The control unit 210 distributes the desired amount of fluid to each right bladder unit 122, 124. Likewise, the first left side bladder unit 132 interconnects to the control unit 210 through a first left conduit 133 and the second left side bladder unit 134 interconnects to the control unit 210 through a second right conduit 135. The control unit 210 distributes the desired amount of fluid to each left bladder unit 132, 134 through the respective conduit. This embodiment is also not described, suggested or taught in the prior art because the prior art discloses that the bladder units 122, 124 or 132, 134 are to inflate simultaneously through the same conduits, not different conduits.
The principle of how the control unit 210, as illustrated schematically at FIG. 8 distributes fluid to different conduits and not to other conduits, or all of them is similar to the prior art. Instead, there are just more valves 212a,b,c,d interconnected to a microprocessor 214 that correspond to the respective conduits 123, 125, 133, 135 to obtain the desired operation of the present invention.
Recall that the control unit 210, for example, has a plurality of input keys 216 interconnected to at least the microprocessor 214. That microprocessor 214 interconnects to pumps, fans, valves and/or switches (collectively box 216) that push, pull and/or allows (by potential energy contained in the bladder(s)) a fluid into, through or pass into the conduit(s) 123, 125, 133, 135 to the respective bladder(s) 122, 124, 132, 134. Prior to entering the conduits, the fluid is contained within a reservoir and/or ambient environment; a.k.a., fluid source. The fluid source can be within the control unit 210 or exterior to the control unit 210. Likewise the input keys 216 can be a part of the control unit 210, tethered to the control unit 210 or remotely interconnected to the control unit 210.
The control unit 210 can be positioned within the support system 100 or exterior to it. It depends on how the product is to be designed.
Operation of the Product:
For this example, we will assume the patient will be initially turned to the left side. Obviously, the patient can be turned to the right side first, as well. It merely depends on (1) which side the patient wants to be positioned on first and/or (2) how the patient's assistant (including and not limited to a nurse, a nurse practitioner, a nurse's aide, an aide, a friend, and/or a family member), who can control the support surface, wants the patient to be positioned first.
The first right section 122 and the second right section 124 are inflated at the same time (same as the prior art) as illustrated in FIG. 9a or at different rates or times, as illustrated in FIG. 10, to obtain the desired angle. The sections 122 and 124 can be inflated at different times and/or rates because (1) each section 122, 124 is interconnected to the control unit 210 through different conduits and (2) the patient's assistant (or the manufacturer) can program the control unit through the microprocessor and/or input keys to open the valves to conduits 213, 215 at different times or with different apertures to control the inflation rate.
In a first embodiment, once the patient is properly rotated (turned) to the desired angle with both sections 122, 124 (as illustrated in FIG. 9a) inflated for rotation (turning) purposes, the patient's assistant can begin to deflate one of the inflated and rotated (turned) sections 122, 124. For purposes of this example as illustrated in FIG. 9b, the section 122 is initially deflated. Why begin to deflate just one of the inflated and rotated sections? That way, the patient's assistant exposes a predetermined area (examples include and are not limited to the right side of the sacral region, the thoracic region, the lumbar region, the cervical region, the abdominal area, and/or the chest area) of the patient that normally contacts the section 122. Deflating the section 124 greatly enhances the patient's assistant ability to wash, treat, inspect the initial predetermined area of the patient, without the using props (pillows typically) or additional patient's assistants to hold the patient in position. This invention comforts the patient.
Once the patient's assistant is completed caring and treating the initial predetermined area, the section 122 is inflated to the desired level and the section 124 can be deflated to expose a second predetermined area of the patient as illustrated in FIG. 9c. Deflating the section 124 greatly enhances the patient's assistant ability to wash, treat, inspect the second predetermined area of the patient, without the using props (pillows typically) or additional patient's assistants to hold the patient in position.
Alternatively, when the section 122 is being inflated the section 124 can be simultaneously deflated to expedite the transition process.
It does not matter which section 122, 124 is deflated first or second in this first embodiment, so long as the patient's assistant has the opportunity to expose a predetermined area to care and treat the patient while the patient remains in the rotated position.
A second embodiment occurs when the sections 122, 124 are being inflated at different times or different rates as illustrated in FIG. 10. The section that is being inflated at the slower rate or at a later time (hereinafter “slow section”) inherently exposes a first predetermined area to the patient's assistant as shown in FIGS. 9b and 9c. That way the patient's assistant can wash, treat, inspect the predetermined area of the patient, without the using props (pillows typically) or additional patient's assistants to hold the patient in position. Once the slow section is fully inflated to the desired rotation (or turning) the fast section can be deflated so the patient's assistant can care and treat a different predetermined area of the patient.
Alternatively, when the slow section is being inflated the fast section can be simultaneously deflated to expedite the transition process.
A third embodiment occurs when the patient is rotated to the patient is rotated to the right side so sections 132 and 134 are inflated for rotation purposes. This third embodiment is the same as the first and second embodiments except the sections are on the opposite side of the support surface.
ALTERNATIVE EMBODIMENTS
The right bladder unit 120 can have an additional bladder section 126 and the left bladder unit 130 can have an additional bladder section 136. The additional bladder section 126 can be inflated/deflated by an extension 128a,b from conduit 123 or conduit 125 as illustrated in FIG. 11; or a new conduit 127 as illustrated in FIG. 12 that is interconnected to the control unit 210 with its own valve 212e. That valve 212e is controlled by the microprocessor like any other valve 212 in the control unit 210.
Likewise, the additional bladder section 136 can be inflated/deflated by an extension 138a,b from conduit 133 or conduit 135 as illustrated in FIG. 11; or a new conduit 137 as illustrated in FIG. 12 that is interconnected to the control unit 210 with its own valve 212f. That valve 212f is controlled by the microprocessor like any other valve 212 in the control unit 210.
If the additional bladders 126, 136 are interconnected to the control unit 210 as illustrated in FIG. 12 that means that the additional bladders 126, 136 are independently controlled in the same manner in which the other bladders 122, 124, 132, 134 are controlled and described above. Alternatively, if the additional bladders 126, 136 are interconnected to the control unit 210 as illustrated in FIG. 11 that means the additional bladders 126, 136 operate in the same way as the bladder that the additional bladders 126, 136 are interconnected with through the conduit system.
The additional bladder section 126, 136 can be positioned adjacent to at least one of the other rotational (turn) bladders as illustrated in FIG. 11 or a predetermined distance from the other rotational (turn) bladders as illustrated in FIG. 12.
Horizontal/Vertically
The bladder sections 122, 124, 126, 132, 134, 136 can be positioned horizontally and/or vertically as defined above.
OTHER ALTERNATIVE EMBODIMENTS
Self-Monitoring
Programming an air pressure mattress unit requires a skilled technician. The skilled technician analyzes each patient and alters the programming to attain the desired rotation and air pressure. One means to avoid the expensive technician's analysis and re-programming is to create a self-monitoring mattress.
Previous self-monitoring air pressure mattresses have utilized electrical signal transmission devices and electrical signal receiving devices that sandwich the top and bottom of each bladder to monitor the bladder size. The bladder size corresponds to the desired rotation and air pressure. Such signal devices are disclosed in commonly assigned U.S. Pat. Nos. 5,794,289 and 5,926,883; which are hereby incorporated by reference. Those signal devices generate signals, like rf or light signals, that determine the proper level of inflation in the rotating (turning) bladders.
Conduits
The conduits can be conventional tubing used in the therapeutic industry. The conduits can have additional valves like a one-way passage valve.
It is intended that the above description of the preferred embodiments of the structure of the present invention and the description of its operation are but one or two enabling best mode embodiments for implementing the invention. Other modifications and variations are likely to be conceived of by those skilled in the art upon a reading of the preferred embodiments and a consideration of the appended claims and drawings. These modifications and variations still fall within the breadth and scope of the disclosure of the present invention.
Patent Application
20080040860
