CA1107411A

CA1107411A - Absorbent bed pad

Info

Publication number: CA1107411A
Application number: CA311,891A
Authority: CA
Inventors: J. Roger Dagenais; Jacques Dagenais; Paul Poirier
Original assignee: LOCATION DE COUCHES HOSPITALIERES DAGENAIS ENR
Current assignee: LOCATION DE COUCHES HOSPITALIERES DAGENAIS ENR
Priority date: 1978-09-22
Filing date: 1978-09-22
Publication date: 1981-08-18

Abstract

ABSTRACT OF THE DISCLOSURE

An absorbent pad for use on hospital beds, including an impervious sheet co-extensive with one or a pair of absorbent fabric sheets, the absorbent fabric sheets covering the supple-mental liquid absorbent material in the centre thereof and being stitched to the impervious layer about the periphery thereof.

Description

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The present invention relates to an absorbent bed pad~, and more particularly, to an absorbent bed pad used for hospital purposes~
In situations such as in hospitals where certain incapacitated patients might have little or no control to prevent themselves from urinating or defecating, it is customary to use an absorbent pad between the patient and the mattress of the bed in order to protect the mattress.
In the case of simple impervious layer such as rubber or the like which is normally placed between the mattress and the bed linens, the mattress only is protected, but not the bed linens. Once the patient has urinated, he may be subjected to discomfort since the bed linens become wet, and there is very little capacity of absorbing the urine.
Diapers have also been developed to be worn by such patients, but these have not proven to be desirable for bed-ridden patients, since the lack of air circulation ; encourages bed sores, or skin irritation and leakage from the diaper will wet the linens anyway.
It is an aim of the present invention to provide a suitable improved pad which will have the capacity of absorbing and dissipating a greater amount of urine, particularly from adult patients, in order to prevent the mattress and bed linens from becoming wet and also to prevent skin irritations and bed sores to the patient.
A construction in accordance with the present invention includes an absorbent bed pad comprising an absorbent sheet covering a supplemental absorbent material chosen from a group including fiberfill material and needle punched synthetic absorbent material in a central portion thereof. The absorbent sheet is stitched to the .

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central absorbent material and an impermeable sheet is provided co-extensive with the absorbent sheet and stitched only at the periphery thereof to thereby sandwich the absorbent material between the impermeable sheet and the absorbent sheet.
The advantage of such a construction is that a large , .
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pad can be provided covering a large portion of the bed surface and a soft fabric surface is exposed to the patient while the central area of the pad which has minimum stitching reduces the possibility of bed sores and/or skin irritation, is provided with an increased amount of soft absorbent material.
In a more specific embodiment of the present invention, there is provided a stitched pattern which divides the central absorbent area into square or parallel segments of equal area sufficient to prevent the materials from bunching but to mini-mize the occurrence of skin irritations and/or bed sores from thestitching, bunching, pleating and the like.
The invention will now be described with reference to the accompanying drawings which show a preferred form thereof and wherein:
Figure 1 is a fragmentary perspective view of a proposed absorbent pad, Figure 2 is an enlarged fragmentary perspective view, partly in cross section, showing details of the absorbent pad of Figure l;

Figure 3 is a top plan view of the absorbent bed pad shown in Figure l;
and Figure 4 is a top plan view of another embodiment of the bed pad.

Referring now to the drawings, there is shown an absorbent bed pad 10 having an impervious sheet 12 made of latex bonded with cotton for stability and flexibility. The fabric layer 14 is co-extensive with the impermeable layer 12 and they are stitched at their peripheries along stitch line 18. The fabric layer 14 which can be made of a soft absorbent material covers a highly absorbent section centrally thereof, and the ~ )7411 ," . .

absorbent section is identified by the numeral 20. This absor-bent section can be woven or non-woven fabric or preferably needle punched or fiber filled materials which can be loose synthetic fibers or any other type of fiber with high absorbent and quick drying characteristics. A pair of fabric layers 14 -~ could be provided, sandwiching the fiber filled materials.
; When the pad 10 is being constructed the fabric layer 14 is normally chosen to be of greater dimension than the im-: pervious layer 12. After the first washing, the fabric layer 14 will shrink, to approximately the size of the impervious la~er 12.
,; The fabric layer 14 is stitched peripherally of the , absorbent section 20 at stitched lines 22 defining in this ` case a square pattern, and the stitching line 22 is intersected~ by means of cross stitches 24, 25, 26 and 27, which retain the''~ absorbent material. None of the stitching lines 24, 25, 26 or 27 connect to the impervious layer 12 so as to redu oe the chances of urine passing through the impervious layer which ~, would normally be laid flat down on the bed.
~, 20 Figure 4 illustrates the pad 10 when only stitch ?,, lines 22a, 24a and 26a are provided di~iding the central portion into three equal sections. The remaining numerals are the same ; but the numerals have been raised by the subscript "a".
~, In a typical example, the absorbent pad 10 measured 31l' X 35" while the central absorbent area measured 21" X 31".
` The fabric layer 14 measured 33" X 38~' before beingapplied to the periphery of impervious layer 12 which measures , 31ll X 35". After shrinkage the fabric layer 14 is taut, with- out causing the pad 10 to curl or wrinkle.

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Claims

The embodiments of the invention in which an exclusive property or privilege is claimed are defined as follows:

1. An absorbent bed pad including an absorbent sheet covering a supplemental absorbent material chosen from a group including fiberfill material and needle punched synthetic absorbent material in a central portion thereof, the absorbent sheet being stitched to the central absorbent material and an impermeable sheet is provided co-extensive with the absorbent sheet and stitched only at the periphery thereof, thereby sandwiching the absorbent material between the impermeable sheet and the absorbent sheet.

2. A bed pad as defined in claim 1, wherein the stitching is such that it provides nine equal area squares in the central area holding the supplemental absorbent material to the fabric sheet.

3. A bed pad as defined in claims 1 or 2, wherein the impermeable sheet is a latex bonded to cotton while the fabric sheet is cotton.

4. An absorbent bed pad as defined in claim 1, wherein the absorbent material covers the central area spaced from the periphery thereby leaving a continuous marginal area of fabric sheet which is free of absorbent material.