EP4142671B1

EP4142671B1 - Patient turning device

Info

Publication number: EP4142671B1
Application number: EP21720590.5A
Authority: EP
Inventors: René VAN VOORST; Vincentius Petrus Maria RUIJTER; Jacobus Theodorus Maria KONING; Tom LE BLANSCH; Rogier Christiaan ZUURBIER
Original assignee: Tebulo Engineering BV
Current assignee: Tebulo Engineering BV
Priority date: 2020-05-01
Filing date: 2021-04-13
Publication date: 2024-05-22
Anticipated expiration: 2041-04-13
Also published as: EP4142671C0; WO2021221496A1; NL2025483B1; EP4142671A1

Description

Field of the invention

The present invention relates to a device for turning a patient lying on a sheet in a bed.

Background art

In hospitals and other places where care is given, a typical task is to turn a patient in his or her bed, for instance to reduce the risk of decubitus, to wash a patient, or to reduce the strain on the patient's lungs or other internal organs.
For instance, AU 2007 219308 describes a patient turning apparatus comprising a flexible draw sheet to be placed under a patient on top of a bed; a support structure designed to stand beside the bed and which has a roller means is provided thereon adapted to receive one side of the draw sheet; a rolling tube comprising releasable fastening means for releasably fastening one side of the draw sheet thereto, wherein the rolling tube is rotatably supported between a pair of upright support members of the support structure. In order to ensure that the height of the upright support members can be adjusted independently of whether the roller rotates or not, this document describes the use of one electromotor for driving lifting and lowering of the support members, and another electromotor for driving rotation of the roller.
From EP 3 424 478 A1 a patient turning system is known, for use with a patient support device having a mattress which may carry a sheet thereon. The patient turning system includes a lateral bar for fixing adjacent and alongside a side of a patient support surface, the bar being controllably moveable between a first position alongside and at the same height as the patient support surface, and a second position alongside and above the height of the patient support surface. A handle that is attached to the bar may be turned to pull the sheet around the lateral bar and pull the sheet (and the patient on the sheet) towards that bar. Once the patient has reached the side of the bed adjacent the lateral bar, the mattress is lowered whilst the handle continues to be turned, which then turns the patient.
US 1,334,901 describes a turning sheet which reduces the physical exertion on the part of a nurse, with the least inconvenience to a patient. When a patient is connected to breathing support, e.g. a ventilator, during turning of a patient generally one person holds the patient's head, and two or more persons on each lateral side of the bed help to turn the patient. When the patient is of a large build, 3 or 4 persons may be needed on each lateral side of the bed to turn a person.
It is an object of the invention to provide a patient turning device that further reduces the amount of physical exertion on the part of caregiver to turn a patient.

Summary of the invention

To this end the invention provides a patient turning device for turning a patient in a bed, according to claim 1.
As, when in use, part of the sheet is wound onto the roller while frame and roller are being lifted relative to the base, the frame only has to be raised a relatively short distance when turning a patient, in particular when compared to if the roller were not driven. This relative short travel of the frame in the height direction allows a nurse or caretaker to easily reach over the roller to the patient lying on the sheet, even when the frame is in a completely lifted position, for instance to bend the knee of the patient's leg that is nearest to the device. Thanks to the base being moveable across the floor, the device can easily be moved from one lateral side of a bed to the other lateral side of a bed, or can be moved to an entirely different bed. No overhead rails or the like are required, and the patient's bed can remain in place, as the turning device can be moved across the floor to the bed instead of the other way around.
Preferably, when the frame is in the lowered position, a maximum distance of any part of the roller to a plane through the lower tread surfaces of the wheels is between 70 cm and 90 cm or less, preferably about 80 cm. Hospital beds are typically height adjustable to a height at which the top side of the bed lies between 70 and 90 cm from the floor on which the bed is supported.
In an embodiment the lifting mechanism and the driven roller are mechanically connected to a common drive for driving rotation of the roller while simultaneously driving movement of the frame between the lifted and the lowered position. Movement of the frame and roller thus is highly predictable, facilitating safe use of the device.
The common drive preferably is, or comprises, a manually powered drive. The common drive may for instance comprise a handle for manually driving rotation of the roller and lifting and lowering of the frame, preferably with a reduction gear connected between the handle and the roller so that a caregiver can cause the roller to rotate using only little force. When the device is entirely manually powered, no account has to be taken of safeguards regarding the use of electricity, making the device suitable to be used in humid environments.
In an embodiment the common drive comprises a worm gear, and further comprises a toothed gear attached to the roller, wherein the worm gear engages the toothed gear directly or via a series of one or more intermediate gears. The roller in this manner is prevented from rotating unless the worm gear is turned. Preferably the device is provided with a handle for rotating the worm gear, in which case the roller will not turn unless the handle is turned.
In an embodiment the common drive comprises an electromotor for driving rotation of the roller and lifting and lowering of the frame. Substantially all of the force for pulling on the sheet to turn a patient can thus be generated by the electromotor, reducing the strain on personnel.
In an embodiment the mechanical connection comprises a belt or a chain. The belt or chain may be connected at one side to the roller, or to a gear or wheel mounted to the roller, and at another side to a wheel or gear that is connected to a pinion which is supported on the frame, wherein the pinion engages a rack that is supported on the base. In case a belt is used, preferably a toothed belt is used.
In an embodiment the driven roller is adapted for unwinding the sheet from the roller during lowering of the frame. Once the sheet has been unwound, the device can easily be wheeled to another bed to turn another patient.
In an embodiment the device further comprises a detachable holder which is detachably mounted to the roller and extends over at least half the length of the roller, for holding a portion of the sheet between the roller and holder. A sheet can be attached to the roller by first detaching the holder from the roller, then placing a portion of the sheet on the roller and subsequently attaching the holder to the roller such that the portion of the sheet is held therebetween. This provides a quick and convenient way to attach a bed sheet to the roller. The holder preferably comprises a plastic or metal slat, beam or rod, which is detachably attached to the roller by means of a connection that is sufficiently tight to clamp the sheet against the roller. For instance, a click connection, a pin-and-socket connection or even screw connections may be used.
In an embodiment the roller has a length of between 1,2 m and 2 m, preferably between 1,4 and 1,6 m. The length of the roller allows regular sheets, i.e. sheets without additional straps or the like, to be used with the device, while the patient remains supported on the sheet from hip to shoulder.
In an embodiment the base has a front side for facing a lateral side of the bed during use, and an opposite rear side, wherein when seen in top view, a ratio of the distance of a front side to the roller, to a distance of the rear side to the roller, is equal to or greater than 3 For instance, if when seen in top view, the distance to the front side is about 0,6 m, then the distance of the roller to the back side may be 0,2 m or less. The front side of the base may thus extend partially below the bed while the base abuts the lateral side of the bed. The area spanned by the base allows the device to pull on the sheet without tipping over. Thanks to the relatively short distance of the rear side of the base to the roller, a caregiver standing behind the device can easily operate the device and reach over the roller to the patient when not operating the device. The ratio of distance is preferably equal to or greater than 4.
In an embodiment the roller has a length of between 1,2 m and 2,0 m, preferably between 1,4 and 1,6 m. The roller thus allows regular bed sheets, i.e. sheets without additional straps or the like, to be used with the device, while the patient remains supported on the sheet from hip to shoulder.
In an embodiment the roller has an outer diameter of at least 6 cm, preferably between 6 cm and 20 cm. Thus, relatively few rotations of the roller needed to turn a person, and roller can be rotated at relatively low speed, improving safety for the caregiver and the patient.
In an embodiment a height difference of the roller when in the lifted and the lowered position is between 25 and 55 cm, preferably between 30 and 40 cm. This allows a caregiver to reach over the roller once the frame is in the lifted position.
In an embodiment the roller is adapted for making between 3 and 8 revolutions when the frame is moved from the lowered to the lifted position. For instance, when the device comprises a common drive as described above, the common drive may be adapted for causing the roller to make 3 to 8 revolutions during moving of the frame between the lowered and the lifted position.
In an embodiment the base, at a front facing side thereof, is provided with an abutment surface for abutting a lateral side of the bed, for keeping the frame spaced apart from said lateral side. As the frame thus remains spaced apart from the bed, friction between the frame and the bed as the frame is moved between the lowered and the lifted position is minimized.
In an embodiment the base is adapted, when the abutment surface abuts the lateral side of the bed and when the frame is in the lowered position, for spacing the roller no more than 30 cm from the lateral side of the bed. This too allows a person to easily reach over the roller to contact the patient.

Short description of drawings

The present invention will be discussed in more detail below, with reference to the attached drawings, in which:

Figs. 1A and 1B show a parallel view of the patient turning device of the invention, respectively with the frame of the device in a lowered position and in a partially lifted position;
Figs. 2A - 2G illustrate how the device of Figs. 1A and 1B may be used to turn a patient from a supine position to a prone position;
Fig. 3 shows a detail of a roller and a detachable holder as may be used in the device of the invention for clamping a portion of a sheet; and
Fig. 4 shows another embodiment of a patient turning device of the invention, which is electrically powered instead of manually powered.

Description of embodiments

Figs. 1A and 1B show a patient turning device 100 of the invention, comprising a base 110 that is provided with wheels 114 so the turning device can be moved across a floor. Though not shown, some or all of the wheels may be provided with brakes to keep the patient turning device in place when it is used to turn a patient. A frame 120 is supported on the base 110 in such a manner that the frame can be lifted and lowered relative to the base. Fig. 1A shows the frame in a lowered position, and Fig. 1B shows the frame as it is being lifted. Lifting and lowering of the frame is effected through a worm gear drive 150, which when operated, causes a pinion 140, which is supported by connected to the frame, to engage a toothed rack 141 which is fixed to the base, resulting in vertical movement of the frame relative to the base.
The frame 120 carries an elongated driven roller 130 which can rotate relative to the frame around the roller's longitudinal axis. A toothed belt 142 is tensioned around a gear 143 that is fixed to the roller, and around a gear 144 that is connected to the worm gear drive 150. When the worm gear drive 150 is operated it drive thus drives rotation of the roller around its longitudinal axis, while simultaneously driving lifting or lowering of the frame 120 relative to the base 110. The worm gear drive can be manually operated by a caregiver rotating a handle 145, which is shown more clearly in Figs. 2A-2G.
The base 110 comprises at its front side a beam 111 to which two legs 112a, 112b are connected, the beam 111 and legs 112a, 112b together forming a U-shape when seen in top view. The open end of the U-shape is at the rear side of the base. The wheels 114 are mounted to the legs 112a,112b. Upright supports 113a,113b of the base 110 extend substantially vertically from the respective legs 112a, 112b, and the frame 120 is vertically slidably supported on the base 110 by the upright supports. When the frame is being lifted, the top side of the roller 130 rotates in a direction away from the front side of the base, to wind a sheet onto the roller, as shown by the arrows in Fig. 1B. When the frame is being lowered the roller 130 rotates in the opposite direction to unwind the sheet.
The base 110 additionally comprises an abutment surface 115, facing towards the front side, for abutting a lateral side of the bed when the device is in use. The abutment surface projects slightly further towards the front side 111 than plates 125a, 125b of the frame 120, e.g. by between 2-5 cm, so that when the frame is lifted or lowered the frame remains spaced apart from the bed's lateral side.
Figs. 2A-2G shows steps of turning a patient 1 lying on a sheet 11 on a hospital bed 10, using the patient turning device of the invention. In Fig. 2A, the patient is shown lying in a supine position on the sheet 11. The sheet 11 extends at least from the patient's hip to the patient's shoulders, so that by the patient can be turned around his or her longitudinal axis by pulling on edges 11a or 11b of the sheet. The sheet 11 is shown to extend over lateral sides 10a,10b of the bed, as is typically the case in hospitals. In any case, it is desirable that the sheet 11 extends beyond the width of the bed 10 on both sides.
Fig. 2A shows the patient turning device 100 as it is rolled towards lateral side 10a of the bed 10. This is typically done manually by a caregiver. Detachably attached to the roller 130 is a holder 135, which extends over 90% of the length of the roller.
In Fig. 2B, the turning device 100 has been placed with its abutment surface 115 (see Figs. 1A and 1B) against the lateral side 10b of the bed, and with an upper edge of the abutment surface substantially level with the top side of the bed. The roller 130 is now within 30 cm of the lateral edge 10a of the bed, which is sufficiently close to the edge portion 11a of the sheet 11 to allow the edge portion to be placed on the roller. Before doing so, first the holder 135 is detached from the holder, and optionally the wheels 114 are locked, e.g. using wheel brakes. Next, as shown in Fig. 2C, the edge portion 11a is placed on the roller 130, after which the holder is reattached to the roller such that the edge portion of the sheet 11 is held clamped between the holder and the roller. An example of how the holder can be attached to the roller is shown in Fig. 3. In Fig. 2C, the edge portions 11b of the sheet has been manually placed on the top side of the bed, to prevent personnel who assist in turning over the patient from side 10b of the bed from blocking movement of the sheet 11.
Fig. 2D shows that the patient's leg closest to the turning device has been bent slightly in order to facilitate turning of the patient. Since the roller and abutment surface do not extend (much) above the top surface of the bed, a caregiver standing behind the turning device 100 can easily reach over the device to arrange the patient's leg in this way.
Figs. 2E and 2F show the turning device in various stages while the frame 120 is being lifted relative to the base 110 and while the roller 130 is simultaneously rotated to wind the sheet onto the roller. Both lifting of the frame and rotation of the roller are driven by worm gear drive 150, which is manually powered by a person turning the handle 145.
Fig. 2G shows the frame in a lifted position, and shows the patient now lying in a prone position, with his face facing down towards the bed. Since lifting of the frame was carried out simultaneously with winding the sheet onto the roller 130, the total height to which the frame was lifted in order to turn a person remained limited to about 30 cm, allowing a care giver to reach over and across the roller to the patient event when the frame is in the fully lifted position. Thus, when the frame is moved from the lowered position shown in Fig. 2B to the lifted position shown in Fig. 2G, the roller is moved no more than about 30 cm upwards.
Fig. 3 shows a detail of how the detachable holder 135 may be attached to the roller 130 in order to clamp sheet edge portion 11a there between. For instance, starting from the configuration shown in Fig.2B, the sheet portion 11a is placed on the roller, and subsequently the holder 135 is attached to the roller to clamp the sheet portion 11a. The holder 135 at its ends comprises one or more pins 136, which can be inserted in corresponding openings 131 that are provided at the ends of the roller in a substantially form-fitting manner. The holder here is shown as a rigid slat which has a curvature that substantially corresponds with the cylindrical outer surface of the roller on which the sheet is to be placed. The roller shown has an outer diameter of about 6 cm, and the holder has a thickness h of about 0,4 cm along the length thereof where it clamps the sheet to the roller. When winding the sheet onto the roller, each complete revolution of the roller will thus take up about 18,8 cm, and relatively few complete revolutions, e.g. between 3 and 8, of the roller will suffice to wind up enough of the sheet onto the roller to turn the patient. Fig. 3 is shown as an example only, and many other variations of clamping the holder to the roller will be apparent to the skilled person.
Fig. 4 shows another embodiment of a patient turning device according to the invention, wherein like reference numerals as refer to like structures. The device 400 is substantially the same as the device 100, but instead of a handle 145 for manually powering the worm gear drive 150, an electromotor 160 is provided. The electromotor can be operated by pressing button 161 to lift the frame 120, and pressing button 162 to lower the frame relative to the base 110. Though in the embodiment shown a battery unit 165 is provided on the base for providing electrical power to the electromotor, instead a plug or socket for connecting to a mains may be provided on the device 400.
In summary, the invention relates to a device for turning a patient lying on a sheet in a bed, wherein the device comprises a mobile base for moving across a floor, a frame supported by the base and provided with a driven elongated roller that is adapted for engaging the sheet and winding part of the sheet onto the roller, a lifting means adapted for lifting and lowering the frame relative to the base, wherein the device is adapted for driving the roller to wind the sheet onto the roller while simultaneously driving the lifting mechanism to lift the frame, and preferably also for driving the roller to unwind the sheet from the roller while simultaneously driving the lifting mechanism to lower the frame.
The present invention has been described above with reference to a number of exemplary embodiments as shown in the drawings. Modifications and alternative implementations of some parts or elements are possible, and are included in the scope of protection as defined in the appended claims.

Claims

Patient turning device (100) for turning a patient (1) in a bed (10), which bed has a top side and two lateral sides (10a,10b) and wherein the patient lies on a sheet (11) on the top side, the device comprising:
a base (110) provided with wheels (114) for moving across a floor, wherein the base is adapted for positioning the device on the floor at either of the two lateral sides of the bed;

a frame (120) supported by the base, and comprising a driven elongated roller (130) adapted for engaging the sheet (11) and winding part (11a,11b) of the sheet onto the roller;

a lifting mechanism (140, 141), adapted for lifting and lowering the frame relative to the base between a lifted and a lowered position;

characterised in that

the driven roller is adapted for winding the sheet onto the roller during lifting of the frame, wherein the lifting mechanism and the driven roller are mechanically connected to a common drive (150) for driving rotation of the roller while simultaneously driving movement of the frame between the lifted and the lowered position, wherein the common drive comprises a manually powered drive.
Device according to claim 1, wherein the common drive comprises a worm gear, and wherein the roller comprises a toothed gear attached to the roller, wherein the worm gear engages the toothed gear directly or via a series of one or more intermediate gears.
Device according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the mechanical connection comprises a belt (142) or a chain.
Device according to any one of the preceding claims, wherein the driven roller (130) is adapted for unwinding the sheet (11) from the roller during lowering of the frame (120).
Device according to any one of the preceding claims, wherein the base (110) has a front side (11) for facing a lateral side of the bed during use, and an opposite rear side, wherein when seen in top view, a ratio of the distance of a front side to the roller, to a distance of the rear side to the roller, is equal to or greater than 2, preferably equal to or greater than 4.
Device according to any one of the preceding claims, wherein the roller (130) has a length of between 1,2 m and 2,0 m, preferably between 1,4 and 1,6 m.
Device according to claim 6, comprising a detachable holder (135) which is detachably mounted to the roller and extends over at least half the length of the roller, for holding a portion of the sheet between the roller and holder.
Device according to claim 7, wherein the detachable holder is formed as a rigid slat which has a curvature that substantially corresponds with the cylindrical outer surface of the roller on which the sheet is to be placed.
Device according to claim 7 or 8, wherein the holder comprises a plastic or metal slat, beam or rod, which is detachably attached to the roller by means of click connection, a pin-and-socket connection or other kind of form-fit connection, or a screw connection.
Device according to any one of the preceding claims, wherein the manually powered common drive comprises a handle for manually driving rotation of the roller and lifting and lowering of the frame, preferably with a reduction gear connected between the handle and the roller.
Device according to any one of the preceding claims, wherein the roller (130) has an outer diameter of at least 5 cm.
Device according to any one of the preceding claims, wherein a height difference of the roller (130) when in the lifted and the lowered position is between 25 and 55 cm, preferably between 30 and 40 cm.
Device according to claim 12, wherein the roller (130) is adapted for making between 3 and 8 revolutions when the frame (120) is moved from the lowered to the lifted position.
Device according to any one of the preceding claims, wherein the base (110), at a front facing side thereof, is provided with an abutment surface (115) for abutting a lateral side of the bed, for keeping the frame spaced apart from said lateral side.
Device according to claim 14, wherein the base (110) is adapted for, when the abutment surface (115) abuts the lateral side (10a) of the bed, and when the frame is in the lowered position, spacing the roller no more than 30 cm from the lateral side of the bed.