EP2415444A2

EP2415444A2 - Person transfer apparatus

Info

Publication number: EP2415444A2
Application number: EP11275104A
Authority: EP
Inventors: David Garman
Original assignee: Mangar International Holdings Ltd
Current assignee: Mangar International Holdings Ltd
Priority date: 2010-08-05
Filing date: 2011-07-13
Publication date: 2012-02-08
Also published as: EP2415444A3; GB201013187D0

Abstract

Apparatus for transferring a person in a supine position laterally between two support surfaces (18, 20) positioned adjacent one another includes a rail assembly with a pair of guide rails (26, 28) and a person support structure (24) movable mountable on the guide rails. The person support structure has a supporting frame (34) and a flexible substrate (36) removably mountable across the supporting frame for suspending a person in a supine position. The rail assembly comprises at least one inflatable actuator (62) for raising the guide rails above a supporting surface (18) to provide sufficient clearance when transferring the person. The actuator (62) may include one or more soft walled inflatable beams (64) located between a cross member (30) interconnecting one end of the rails and the support surface (18).

Description

Technical Field of the Invention

The present invention relates to apparatus for transferring a person. The invention relates in particular, but not exclusively, to apparatus for transferring a patent laterally between two person support surfaces in a generally supine position.

Background to the Invention

People who are severely ill, elderly, disabled or otherwise infirm may lose the ability to move on their own and require assistance for repositioning and movement. This responsibility falls to care givers who reposition people to prevent pressure ulcers and promote comfort and who transfer people between supporting apparatuses, such as between beds and patient trolleys for example. In some situations, the person must be transferred in a vertical direction between person support surfaces that are at different heights. This might include transfer between a bed and chair or commode, or between a chair and a commode, for example. In other cases, the person is transferred predominantly in a lateral direction. This might be the case where a person is repositioned on a bed, or is transferred between different surfaces at the same height, such as between a bed and a patient trolley. Some transfer operations require a combination of vertical and lateral movement.
Research has shown that care givers experience significant physical stress when performing manual lifting and repositioning tasks which can lead to physical injury, including musculoskeletal disorders that can cause chronic back pain. Manual handling is also undesirable for the people being transferred who are at risk of pain, skin tears, bruising and being dropped. One of the highest risk manual handling activities is laterally transferring a person between a bed and a trolley or gurney. This often requires the care giver to reach across the bed adopting a bad posture which can result in high physical stress.
To alleviate the problems outlined above, various apparatuses and methods have been developed over the years. Technologies to assist with vertical transfer of a person include powered full-body sling lifts, floor based lifts, ceiling mounted lifts, powered standing lifts, non-powered standing aids and gait/transfer belts. Technologies to assist with lateral transfer and repositioning include air-assisted systems, friction-reducing devices such as glide sheets and sliding boards and mechanical lateral transfer aids such as hoists.
Many of the apparatuses developed so far to assist in lateral transfer of a person can be divided into two main groups: non-powered apparatus such as glide sheets and sliding boards which require the person to be moved manually but aim to reduce the effort required, and powered apparatus that physically move the person once positioned on the apparatus. Non-powered apparatus tends to be relatively low cost but often still requires considerable effort by the care giver to move the person. Powered apparatus removes much of the effort required by care givers but are more expensive and complex and may require specialized training to be used safely.
It is an object of the present invention to provide an alternative transfer apparatus which overcomes, or at least mitigates, the drawbacks of the known apparatuses.
In accordance with the invention, there is provided apparatus for transferring a person in a supine position laterally between two support surfaces positioned adjacent one another, the apparatus comprising:

a) a rail assembly including a pair of guide rails for positioning in spaced apart relation across the two support surfaces; and
b) a person support structure mountable to the guide rails for movement along the rails;

The at least one inflatable actuator may be operative in use to vary the height of the rails relative to both of the person support surfaces.
The at least one inflatable actuator may be a soft walled pneumatic inflatable actuator.
The guide rails may be interconnected at one end by means of a cross member. In which case, the at least one inflatable actuator may comprise at least one pneumatic actuator for positioning between the cross member and a first of the support surfaces. The pneumatic actuator may comprise one or more soft walled inflatable beams located underneath the cross member.
The guide rails may be of variable length. Each guide rail may comprise two or more telescopically mounted sections. Alternatively, or in addition, each guide rail may comprise a number of separable sections, the apparatus comprising a range of rail sections which can be selectively assembled to form guide rails of a desired length.
The rails may be tubular and may be made of a metallic material.
The supporting frame may be mounted to the rails by means of rollers for movement along the rails.
The supporting frame may be mounted to the rails by means of slides for sliding movement along the rails.
The rail assembly may include a slave member movable mounted to each guide rail, and the person support structure may be mountable between the slave members for movement along the guide rails.
The supporting frame may comprise a framework having spaced side frame members that extend in a direction generally perpendicular to the guide rails when the frame is mounted to the guide rails. The supporting frame may comprise a generally rectangular framework. The framework may be divided into two lateral halves pivotally connected together such that the framework can be folded when not in use.
The flexible support substrate may be removably mountable between the side frame members.
The flexible substrate may be wound on a roller positioned about or adjacent one of the side frame members, a free end of the substrate being releasably attachable to the other of the side frame members. The roller may comprise a ratchet mechanism for tensioning the substrate when the free end is attached to the other side member.
The flexible substrate may be releasably mountable between the side frame members by means of a plurality of straps, each strap being attached to at least one of the side frame members. Each strap may be attached at either end to a respective one of the side frame members. The apparatus may comprise an arrangement for tensioning the flexible substrate on the supporting frame. The arrangement for tensioning the flexible substrate may include at least one strap tensioner.
The apparatus may include a trolley having a person support surface which comprises the second person support surface, the trolley having a mounting arrangement for attaching the rails system to the trolley so as to extend across the second person support surface. The rail assembly may be detachably mountable to the trolley. Each guide rail may have a mounting member at one end which co-operates with a corresponding mounting member on the trolley. The guide rails may be mounted telescopically to the trolley.
The trolley may have an actuator arrangement operative to vary the height of the second person support surface. The actuator arrangement may comprise a pneumatic actuator.
Whilst it is expected that the apparatus of the present invention will find particular application in hospitals or other medical institutions, the invention is not limited to such applications and may be adopted wherever a person having restricted mobility, for whatever reason, requires assistance in being moved from one supporting surface to another.
An embodiment of the invention will now be described, by way of nonlimiting example only, with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which:

Figures 1A to 1H are a series of perspective views illustrating, somewhat schematically, use of a person transfer apparatus in accordance with an embodiment of the invention in transferring a person laterally from a bed on to a trolley;
Figure 2 is perspective view of a person support structure forming part of the apparatus of Figure 1, showing a flexible substrate in a retracted position;
Figure 3 is perspective view of the person support structure of Figure 2, showing the flexible substrate in an extended position; and
Figure 4 is a view similar to that of Figure 1G but showing an alternative method of mounting a flexible substrate to a supporting frame of a person support structure.

Apparatus 10 in accordance with the present embodiment is particularly adapted to transfer a person in a lateral direction on to and off of a bed 12 whilst in a generally supine position. The term "lateral" in this case refers to the direction of movement relative to the person and should be construed accordingly unless the context requires otherwise.
The apparatus 10 includes a patient trolley 14 and a rail system mountable to the trolley for moving the person between the bed 12 and the trolley 14.
The bed 12 has a mattress 18 on which a person can be supported in a supine position and which can be referred to as a first person support surface. The trolley 14 also has a mattress 20, which can be referred to as a second person support surface. The trolley includes an actuator arrangement (not shown) for adjusting the height of the second person support surface 20 in a known manner. The actuator may conveniently be a pneumatic actuator and in particular may be in the form of one or more soft walled inflatable envelopes operative between an upper support structure 21A on which the mattress 20 is supported and a lower support structure 21B of the trolley.
The mattresses 18, 20 may be covered with sheets or blankets or the like on which the person lies. Where present, these should be considered as part of the relevant person support surfaces as appropriate.
The rail system includes a rail assembly 22 and a stretcher or person support structure 24 mountable to the rail assembly.
The rail assembly 22 includes a pair of guide rails 26, 28 which can be positioned laterally across the mattresses 18, 20. The guide rails extend generally parallel to one another and are spaced apart so that one 26 can be positioned below the person's feet and the other 28 above the person's head. The guide rails 26, 28 are detachably mounted at one end (referred to as the proximal end) to the trolley 14 whilst the other end (referred to as the distal end) is interconnected by means of a cross member 30 so that the rail assembly is generally U or C shaped. In use, the cross member 30 is supported on the bed mattress 18 on the opposite side of the person from the trolley.
In an alternative arrangement (indicated schematically in Figure 1D), a pair of spaced guide rail sections 26A, 28A may be permanently or semi-permanently mounted to the trolley 14 so as to extend across the mattress 20 and a separate, detachable rail assembly 22A provided for positioning on the bed. In this arrangement, the detachable rail assembly 22A would comprise the cross member 30 and proximal guide rail sections 26B, 28B which attach to the ends of the rail sections 26A, 28A on the trolley to form continuous guide rails 26, 28 extending over the bed mattress 18 and the trolley mattress 20.
The guide rails 26, 28 and the cross member 30 can be made of any suitable materials but are preferably of a lightweight, tubular construction. In the present embodiment, the rails are circular in cross section but they could be of any suitable shape and may be square or rectangular in cross section, for example. Typically, the guide rails 26, 28 and cross member 30 are constructed from metallic, in particular aluminium (which term includes aluminium alloys), tubular members but other materials such as polymeric and composite materials can also be used. For use on beds of different widths, the length of the guide rails 26, 28 may be adjustable. The guide rails could have telescopically mounted sections to allow adjustment of their length. In an alternative embodiment, the guide rails 26, 28 can be made up of a number of separable lengths so that the overall length of the rails can be varied by adding or removing sections as required. The apparatus may include a range of rail sections that can be used in various combinations to make up the rails. The range may include rail sections of different length.
For mounting the guide rail assembly 22 to the trolley, vertical tubular mounting members 32 are attached the free, proximal ends of the rails. The mountings members 32 are inserted in suitable sockets (not shown) on the opposite side of the trolley from the bed. The trolley may be provided with two sets of sockets, one on each side, so that the apparatus 10 can be used with the trolley on either side of a bed. It will be appreciated that other arrangements for attaching the free, proximal ends of the rails to the trolley can be adopted. A supporting strut 32a is connected between each vertical mounting member 32 and its respective rail 26, 28 for added structural rigidity. The supporting struts 32a are positioned below the guide rails 26, 28 and help maintain a minimum clearance between the rails and the trolley mattress 20.
The person support structure 24 includes a supporting frame 34 and a flexible substrate 36 removably mountable across the frame. The frame 34 is preferably lightweight and can be of a lightweight tubular construction similar to the rail assembly 22. The frame 34 is generally rectangular in plan having parallel opposed side frame members 38 interconnected at either end by end frame members 40. When the frame 34 is positioned on the guide rails 26, 28, the side frame members 38 extend between the guide rails and are spaced apart by a suitable distance to allow them to be positioned on either side of a person. The end frame members 40 are each formed in two parts 40a, 40b pivotally connected by a hinge 42 approximately at the longitudinal centre line of the frame 34 so that the frame 34 can be folded in two. This allows for more convenient storage of the apparatus when not in use. Alternatively, the frame 34 can be produced in two parts that can be connected together by attachment means in place of the hinges 42. However, the supporting frame 34 may be a rigid structure which is not foldable or separable.
A roller assembly 44 is provided at each corner of the supporting frame 34 for movably mounting the frame to the guide rails 26, 28. Each roller assembly includes a roller 46 having a concave edge surface 48 which locates on a respective one of the guide rails 26, 28, so that the stretcher assembly can be easily rolled along the guide rails. Alternative arrangements for movably mounting the stretcher assembly 24 on the guide rails 26, 28 can be used so long as the stretcher assembly can be moved along the guide rails 26, 28 with reasonable ease whilst a person is supported. Such alternative arrangements might include the use of castors or slide members, for example. In a further alternative arrangement, a slave member or bogie can be mounted to each guide rail for movement along the rail and the stretcher assembly 24 detachably mounted between the slave members or bogies. The slave members or bogies, may be permanently mounted to the guide rails.
The flexible substrate 36 extends between and is removably mounted to the side frame members 38 of the stretcher frame 34. In the embodiment illustrated in Figure 4, the substrate 36 has a planar main body portion 50 on which a person may be supported and loop portions 52 spaced along each side for attachment to the side frame members 38. The loop portions 52 can be fastened in position about the side frame members using any suitable means such as buckle fasteners. In one embodiment, the loop portions 52 are provide by means of supporting straps which extend below the main body portion 50 and are connected with the side frame members 38 on either side. The loop portions 52 may be attached to the side frame member on one side using tensioners so that the substrate 36 can be stretched or tightened across the frame 34 once the person is in position. This lifts the substrate 36 and the person in the frame 34 to enhance the clearance between the substrate and the mattresses 18, 20. Any suitable tensioning arrangement can be used including ratchet tensioners for the supporting straps.
Figures 2 and 3 show the person supporting structure 24 in more detail and illustrate an alternative arrangement for mounting the flexible substrate 36 to the supporting frame 34. In this embodiment, the substrate 36 is wound to a roller assembly 54 which is positioned about or adjacent (above in this case) one of the side frame members 38A. In this arrangement, the side frame member may not be tubular but may be a solid rod on which the roller is mounted or the roller may be mounted about a solid rod positioned adjacent the side frame member 38A. The roller may be mounted in a manner similar to a roller towel arrangement, for example. A free end 56 of the substrate has a series of eyelets 58 that can manually be linked to suitable hooks or prongs 60 pointing outwards incorporated into the opposing side frame member 38B when the free end of the substrate is unwound from the roller. Other arrangements for releasably securing the free end 56 of the substrate to the opposing side frame member 38 can be used as will be understood by those skilled in the art.
In order to tension the substrate 36, the roller has a ratchet mechanism 60 with an operating handle that can be turned to partially re-wind the substrate 36 on to the roller whilst the free end 56 is attached to the other side frame member 38B. Tensioning the substrate 36 in this way helps to maintain sufficient clearance above the surface of the bed during transfer of the person. The ratchet mechanism has a release mechanism to allow the substrate to be de-tensioned once the person is above the target surface and to allow the free end to be initially unwound. In an alternative arrangement, the roller could be sprung loaded to re-wind the substrate 36 and this could be used to tension the substrate. The roller may include an over-ride to temporarily disable the spring loading whilst the substrate 36 is being positioned under the person. The spring loading being re-engaged only once the free end 56 is secured to the opposite side frame member 38B.
A pneumatic actuator 62 is located below the cross member 30. The actuator is operative between the cross member 30 and the mattress 18 to elevate the guide rails 26, 28 above the mattress 18 and provide sufficient clearance to enable a loaded person support structure 24 to be rolled freely along the guide rails 26, 28. The actuator 62 is in the form of one or more inflatable, soft or flexible walled beams 64 which are removably attachable to the cross member 30 using loops 66 of material that can be secured in position using any suitable means, such as hook and loop fasteners or buckles. For stability, a relatively stiff board 68 may be provided at the base of the lowermost beam. Resilient stabilizing straps can be provided to extend from the board to loop around the cross member 30 to prevent the guide rails from tipping inwards too far when under load. A further stiff board can also be provided between the upper surface of the top most beam and the cross member 30. Each inflatable beam 64 extends over the majority of the length of the cross member 30 but sufficient clearance is left at either end so as not to interfere with the roller assemblies 44. In one embodiment, each beam is about 13 cms wide, by 10 cms high and 153 cms long. Use of a relatively long inflatable beam allows the load to be spread whilst requiring a relatively small volume of air to inflate. This is particularly advantageous for use on a relatively soft surface such as a bed mattress 18. In an alternative arrangement, separate inflatable actuator beams can be positioned under each of the guide rails 26, 28. The actuators may be elongate and aligned with the axis of the rails. However, other actuator arrangements can also be used which need not be pneumatic. Typically, the distal ends of the guild rails 26, 28 will be elevated by about 10 to 15 cms above the mattress 18 when a person is being transferred. A control system for inflating the actuator 62 can be provided which may include a hand held control device. A suitable source of compressed air to inflate the actuator 62 may be provided on the trolley. This may be a compressor or a container for storing compressed air.
Use of the apparatus 10 to transfer a person 70 from a bed 12 to a trolley 14 will now be described with reference initially to the embodiment shown in Figures 1A to 1H, 2 and 3.
With the person 70 lying on the bed, the trolley 14 is positioned adjacent a side of the bed and its height is adjusted so that the upper surfaces of the mattresses 18, 20 on the bed and trolley are approximately level. The guide rail assembly 22 is now attached to the trolley 14 and arranged so that one guide rail 26 extends below the person's feet and the other 28 above the person's head with the cross member 30 supported on the bed mattress 18 on the opposite side of the person from the trolley. If not already in position, the pneumatic actuator 62 is now attached to the cross member 30 between the cross member and the mattress 18. The actuator 62 at this stage is un-inflated and the apparatus 10 is configured as shown in Figure 1B.
The person support structure 24 is now fitted to the rails 26, 28 with the flexible substrate 36 wound on to the roller 54 as shown in Figure 2, so that the frame 34 can be mounted to the guide rails 26, 28 surrounding the person. The flexible substrate 36 is unwound from the roller and passed under the person 70 and its free end 56 attached to the opposing side frame member 38B using the eyelets 58 and hooks 60. Conventional manual handling techniques can be used to position the substrate under the person. This might involve initially rolling the person on to their side facing away from the roller and pulling the substrate out to position the free end 56 on the bed behind the person's back. The person may then be rolled back and on to their other side so that they are lying on the substrate facing the roller to provide access to the free end 56 of the substrate for attachment to the opposing side frame member 38B. Once the substrate 36 has been positioned under the person and attached to the opposing side frame member 38B it is tensioned using the ratchet mechanism 60 so that the person is securely supported on the stretcher assembly 24 as shown in Figure 1C.
In order to move the loaded stretcher assembly 24 along the guide rails 26, 28 it is preferable to elevate the rails above the mattress on the bed by inflating the pneumatic actuator 62 as illustrated in Figures 1D and 1E. In the present embodiment, the pneumatic actuator 62 has two inflatable beams 64 that can be inflated sequentially. At the same time as the pneumatic actuator 62 is inflated, the trolley 14 can be raised to elevate the proximal ends of the guide rails 26, 28 and to maintain the guide rails substantially level. The actuator 62 and the height of the trolley 14 can be adjusted so that the rails are inclined downwardly slightly in the direction towards the trolley 14 so that it is easier to roll the person support structure 24 along the guide rails 26, 28 but care needs to be taken to ensure the stretcher assembly 24 does not roll uncontrollably. It is expected that the care giver(s) will remain in control of the stretcher assembly 24 during the transfer operation but stops 72 can be provided to prevent the stretcher assembly from rolling off the ends of the guide rails 26, 28 as a precaution. The stops at the trolley end may be provided by extensions of the vertical mounting members 32 as shown. The control system may simultaneously control inflation of the pneumatic actuator 62 and adjustment of the trolley height so that the care giver only has to input a single command to raise the guide rails.
Once the guide rails 26, 28 are elevated, the stretcher assembly 24 with the person on board is rolled along the guide rails 26, 28 and positioned above the mattress 20 on the trolley 14 as shown in Figure 1G. Once in position over the trolley, the flexible substrate 36 can de-tensioned so that the person is supported on the mattress 20 of the trolley. The pneumatic actuator 62 may be deflated if necessary.
If the apparatus is not to be used to re-transfer the person from the trolley to another support surface, the flexible substrate 36 can be removed from under the person and rewound onto the roller 54. The person support structure 24 and the guide rail assembly 22 can then be removed.
The above operations can be reversed in order to transfer a person from the trolley 14 on to a bed 12.
It will be appreciated that the method of use described above can be varied in a number of ways. For example, where the flexible substrate 36 can be completely removed from the supporting frame 34 of the person support structure 24, as in the embodiment shown in Figure 4, the substrate 36 may be detached from the frame 34 and positioned under the person before the trolley 14 and rail assembly 22 are brought into position. This may be advantageous as it allows unobstructed access by the care giver to the person from either side of the bed. Once the rail assembly is placed in position, the supporting frame 34 is located on the rails about the person and the flexible substrate 36 attached to the side frame members and tensioned.
The apparatus 10 is easy to use and provides a convenient way of laterally transferring a person between two supporting apparatuses with minimal handling and effort by the care giver. The apparatus is relatively low cost in comparison with most power transfer apparatus but requires considerably less effort than most non-powered alternatives.
Whilst the apparatus 10 of the present embodiment uses a specially adapted trolley 14, the apparatus could be modified for use with a conventional trolley or other support member or for use in transferring a person wholly on a single support member. In one alternative embodiment, the guide rail assembly 22 is provided with a cross member 30 and pneumatic actuator 62 at both the proximal and distal ends of the guide rails 26, 28. With this construction, the guide rail assembly can be positioned between a trolley and a bed with one cross member 30 and actuator 62 on the bed and the other cross member 30 and actuator 62 on the trolley. Both actuators would be inflated to raise and lower the guide rails to effect person transfer.
The foregoing embodiments are not intended to limit the scope of protection afforded by the claims, but rather to describe examples as to how the invention may be put into practice.

Claims

Apparatus for transferring a person in a supine position laterally between two support surfaces positioned adjacent one another, the apparatus comprising:
a) a rail assembly including a pair of guide rails for positioning in spaced apart relation across the two support surfaces; and

b) a person support structure mountable to the guide rails for movement along the rails;
in which the person support structure comprises a supporting frame and a flexible substrate removably mountable across the supporting frame for suspending a person in a supine position from the supporting frame and the rail assembly comprises at least one inflatable actuator for varying the height of the guide rails relative to at least one of the support surfaces.
Apparatus as claimed in claim 1, in which the at least one inflatable actuator is a soft walled inflatable actuator.
Apparatus as claimed in claim 1 or claim 2, in which the guide rails are interconnected at one end by means of a cross member and the at least one inflatable actuator is adapted to be mounted below the cross member for location on a first of the support surfaces.
Apparatus as claimed in claim 3, in which the actuator comprises one or more soft walled inflatable beams located underneath the cross member.
Apparatus as claimed in any one of the preceding claims, in which the guide rails are of variable length.
Apparatus as claimed in any one of the preceding claims, in which the supporting frame is mounted to the rails by means of rollers or slides for movement along the rails.
Apparatus as claimed in any one of claims 1 to 7, in which the rail assembly includes a slave member movable mounted to each guide rail, the person support structure being mountable between the slave members for movement along the guide rails.
Apparatus as claimed in any one of the preceding claims, in which the supporting frame comprises a framework having spaced side frame members that extend in a direction generally perpendicular to the guide rails when the frame is mounted to the guide rails, in which the flexible support substrate is detachably mountable between the side frame members.
Apparatus as claimed in claim 8, in which the flexible substrate is wound on a roller positioned about or adjacent of the side frame members, a free end of the substrate being releasably attachable to the other of the side frame members.
Apparatus as claimed in claim 8, in which the flexible substrate is releasably mountable between the side frame members by means of a plurality of straps, each strap being attached to at least one of the side frame members.
Apparatus as claimed in any one of claims 8 to 10, in which the apparatus comprises an arrangement for tensioning the flexible substrate on the supporting frame.
Apparatus as claimed in any one of the preceding claims, in which the apparatus includes a trolley having a person support surface which comprises the second person support surface, the trolley having a mounting arrangement for attaching the rail assembly to the trolley so as to extend across the second person support surface.
Apparatus as claimed in claim 12, in which the rail assembly is detachably mountable to the trolley.
Apparatus as claimed in claim 13, in which each guide rail has mounting member at one end which co-operates with a corresponding mounting member on the trolley.
Apparatus as claimed in any one of claims 12 to 14, in which the trolley has an actuator arrangement operative to vary the height of the second person support surface.