AU2016202113A1

AU2016202113A1 - Portable patient support

Info

Publication number: AU2016202113A1
Application number: AU2016202113A
Authority: AU
Inventors: Roderick Mackenzie
Original assignee: Individual
Current assignee: Individual
Priority date: 2015-04-07
Filing date: 2016-04-05
Publication date: 2016-10-27
Anticipated expiration: 2036-04-05
Also published as: AU2016202113B2

Abstract

A patient support device which consists of a flexible wall chamber capable of containing a patient and is capable of being sealed and pressurised to operate as a hyperbaric chamber and additionally includes a pump, a reversible valve unit and 5 a bag of conformable plastic foam beads adapted to be placed inside the chamber. The chamber may be used a hyperbaric chamber when pressurised and as a vacuum mattress when the valve is reversed and the chamber containing the bag of foam beads is evacuated. FiG.4

Description

1

PORTABLE PATIENT SUPPORT

This invention relates to a portable patient support that is particularly suitable for high elevation locations.

Background to the invention

At high altitude mountainous regions there is a risk of altitude illness or acute mountain sickness (AMS). In such regions evacuation of injured persons is usually difficult particularly where immobilisation of patients is required.

Acute mountain sickness is a pathological effect of high altitude on humans, caused by acute exposure to low partial pressure of oxygen at high altitude. It commonly occurs above 2,400 metres

For more serious cases of AMS, or where rapid descent is impractical, a portable plastic hyperbaric chamber inflated with a pump, usually a foot pump, may be used to reduce the effective altitude by as much as 1,500 meters. It is generally used only as an aid to evacuate severe AMS patients. A vacuum mattress is a medical device used for the immobilisation of patients, especially in case of a vertebra, pelvis or limb trauma and especially for femur trauma. It is also used for manual transportation of patients for short distances. A vacuum mattress consists of a sealed polymer bag bigger than an adult human body. It encloses small polystyrene balls, and the bag includes a valve, straps and handles. When the mattress is under pressure, the balls are free and the mattress may be moulded to exactly fit around a patient. Usually, the vacuum mattress is put on a stretcher, the patient is put on the mattress and the sides of the mattress are moulded around the patient. Then, the air in the mattress is pumped out through the valve and the valve is closed. The atmospheric pressure presses the balls together and the mattress becomes hard and rigid. The straps are then tied to secure the patient.

It is inconvenient and expensive to carry both pieces of equipment at high altitudes.

It is an object of this invention to address this problem. 2

Brief description of the invention

To this end the present invention provides a patient support device which includes a flexible wall chamber which is capable of containing a patient and is capable of being sealed and pressurised to operate as a hyperbaric chamber a pump a reversible valve unit a bag of conformable plastic foam beads adapted to be placed inside the chamber whereby the chamber may be used a hyperbaric chamber when pressurised and as a vacuum mattress when the valve is reversed and the chamber containing the bag of foam beads is evacuated.

The combination has several advantages. 1. It saves weight, because a second unit is not being carried. The effective weight of the unit is as little as two Kg. 2. The mattress unit itself may be used as a standard mattress. 3. The membrane of the Hyperbaric chamber is preferably much stronger than that of a standard vacuum mattress, so that it increases durability. It must remain flexible enough to conform to the patient's body. 4. The combination provides a treatment for much of what can occur at altitude. Mainly people have trauma problems, altitude related problems (HAPE and HACE), AMI, Stroke. In pressure mode, the chamber is equivalent to 6 litres per minute of 02, and thus is helpful for many conditions. When it comes to evacuation the vacuum mattress mode will reduce transport trauma. 5. Preferably the unit is tapered which is better than the simple rectangle of standard vacuum mattresses. 6. Repair of the unit is easier than for standard vacuum mattresses. Locating a vacuum hole is very awkward. A pressure hole is easy to locate.

The unit is adapted to be suspended for transportation by helicopter or road vehicles to reduce the trauma of travel over rough terrain. Straps from the 3 2016202113 05 Apr 2016 head toe and mid regions are attached to suspension clip so that the vacuum mattress can be suspended from above the centre of mass.

Detailed description of the invention 5 A preferred embodiment of the invention will now be described with reference to the drawings in which

Figure 1 is a view of an inflated portable plastic hyperbaric chamber;

Figure 2 is an end view of figure 1;

Figure 3 is view of an un-deflated vacuum mattress; ίο Figure 4 illustrates an uninflated chamber of figure 1 filled with a mattress;

Figure 5 shows the vacuum mattress version of this invention.

The hyperbaric chamber as shown in figures 1 and 2 has inlet and exhaust ports with a foot pump for pressurisation. The outer flexible plastic covering is 15 washable and invisible to X-rays. This membrane is much heavier than the standard vacuum mattress covering, which increases durability. However it is flexible enough to conform to the patient's body when used in the vacuum mattress mode as can be seen in figure 5.

The conventional vacuum mattress is shown in figure 3 and in figure 4 is 20 shown inserted into a non-pressurised chamber of figure 1. A simple flexible bag of equivalent volume filled with the conformable foamed beads is preferably substituted. The beads are preferably polystyrene. The chamber is sealed.

The patient is placed on the sealed chamber and the bead filled chamber is 25 pressed about the patients body to conform and encompass it. By using the valve in reverse mode the pump, which may be a foot pump, is used to deflate the chamber and create a vacuum mattress as shown in figure 5. During use a sheet is usually put on the vacuum mattress, to protect the mattress and to avoid direct contact of the skin with plastic. 30 The formed vacuum mattress of thi9s invention is rigid enough to be suspended by straps attached to the ends and mid region and clipped together above the centre of mass of the mattress so that it can be lifted by a 4 2016202113 05 Apr 2016 helicopter, or suspended from the ceiling or roof of a vehicle and isolate the patient from the bumps of rough terrain.

Those skilled in the art will appreciate that this invention provides a single 5 unit that can perform two very different functions with considerable inventory and cost savings.

Those skilled in the art will also realise that this invention may be implemented in embodiments other than those described without departing from the core teachings of this invention. 10

Claims

1. A patient support device which includes a flexible wall chamber which is capable of containing a patient and is capable of being sealed and pressurised to operate as a hyperbaric chamber a pump a reversible valve unit a bag of conformable plastic foam beads adapted to be placed inside the chamber whereby the chamber may be used a hyperbaric chamber when pressurised and as a vacuum mattress when the valve is reversed and the chamber containing the bag of foam beads is evacuated.

2. A support device as claimed in claim 1 in which the beads are polystyrene beads.

3. A support device as claimed in claim 1 which is adapted to be suspended from a position above its centre of mass.