GB2055564A

GB2055564A - Patient carrying devices

Info

Publication number: GB2055564A
Application number: GB8023806A
Authority: GB
Original assignee: Individual
Current assignee: Individual
Priority date: 1979-07-31
Filing date: 1980-07-21
Publication date: 1981-03-11
Also published as: SE7906496L; BE884508A; SE427896B; FR2462156A1; JPS5628756A; DE2936924A1; GB2055564B; NL8004405A

Abstract

A patient-carrying device which facilitates transfer of patients between the device and a bed or the like. The device comprises a platform 6 and a support mechanism 11, 19. The mechanism includes a liftable member 22 loosely pivoted at one end to a platform fitting 20 and slidably pivoted at the other end to a platform fitting 21. This enables the platform 6 to tilt about a transverse axis 16 from a sloped, normally feet-down, position A, Fig. 2, to a horizontal plane to facilitate transfer of a patient from a horizontal bed 9 to the patient-carrying device 6. The platform is laterally tippable to a position C, Fig. 1,when the latch 13 is withdrawn to facilitate cleaning of the underside of the platform 6. <IMAGE>

Description

SPECIFICATION Patient carrying devices The present invention relates to patient carrying devices including the provision of facilitating transfer of patients between such patient-carrying devices and, for instance, a bed, an operating table or trolley.

At present, patient carrying devices are placed in close contact with a lying-portion of the bed by lowering the devices or by lifting the devices into position. When a patient is to be transferred from a bed to a patient carrying device, due to the fact that the lying portion of the bed and the plane of the carrying device are often at different inclinations, during transfer the patient will tend to come into contact with the edge of the carrying device, which may be painful and can lead to skin-scratches.

According to the present invention there is provided a patient-carrying device including a substantially horizontal platform, a support mechanism for the platform arranged to allow tilting of the platform about an axis transverse to the length of the platform to align the platform to the precise plane of beds or other patien. supporting devices.

A patient carrying device according to the invention will now be described by way of example with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which: Figure lisa perspective of the device; Figure 2 illustrates diagrammatically a portion of the device having its platform in a patient-showering position; Figure 3 illustrates the same portion of the device with the platform in a transfer position beside a bed; Figure 4 is a diagrammatical illustration of a rear end portion of the platform; Figure 5 is a diagrammatical illustration of a front end portion ofthe platform; and Figure 6 illustrates part of a support mechanism forthe platform.

A patient support and transport device in Figure 1 has an undercarriage 2 provided with supporting wheels and a lifting-gear column 3 consisting of two telescopically interconnected column portions 4 and 5, the upper portion 5 being movable upward and downward by a lifting mechanism enclosed in the lower portion 4. Lifting mechanisms associated with lifting columns are already known and so no further description is necessary. The lifting column is intended to carry a patient carrying platform 6 which in addition to being used for patient-transport, can be used also for carrying the patient during washing and showering. In order to enable efficient water drainage, the platform 6, in a manner known per se, is formed with channels 35 which lead to a drain hole 7.

For transferring a patient from a bed to the platform 6, the trolley 1 is moved alongside the bed 8 so that a large portion of one edge portion 10 (see Figure 5) of the platform 6 is disposed above the lyingportion 9 of the bed 8. Thereafter the platform plate 6, by means of the lifting mechanism of the lifting column 3, is lowered until the platform 6 is supported on the lying-portion 9 of the bed 8. Conversely, the platform 6 can be contacted with the lying-portion 9 by raising the lying-portion 9 of the bed 8 by bed lifting means (not shown but known perse). To enable a patient to lie comfortably during transportation and to enable washing and showering water to flow off the platform 6 efficiently, the platform 6 is normally inclined in a forwarddownward direction towards the end with the drain hole 7.

The platform 6 being sloped will contact, when adjacent the bed, the horizontally directed lyingportion 9 initially adjacent the drain hole 7 but leave a gap at the other end which means that a patient might be subjected to a painful procedure when being transferred to the platform 6, because the edge of the platform 6 forms an upstanding obstacle over most of its length. However, the support mechanism 11 for the platform 6 can be swung so that the platform can be tilted from its sloped position A to a horizontal or patient-transfer position B.

By this arrangement, the platform 6 can be aligned with the plane of the bed 8 to totally eliminate or in any case substantially reduce any obstruction to the patient during transfer. In this way, the platform 6 can be arranged to take up a horizontal position or another sloped or inclined position as required during and to facilitate transfer of patients from beds, operating tables and the like to a patient carrying device, which may be part of a trolley as described.

The supporting mechanism 11 is also arranged to allow tipping of the platform 6 for cleaning, espe ciallythe underside 12 of the platform 6. A latching mechanism 13 normally prevents lateral tipping of the platform 6 but when released allows the platform to tip laterally. In order to eliminate any danger of "bvertipping" when the platform 6 is being tipped, a movement-limiting mechanism 14 is provided for limiting movement of the platform 6 relative to the support mechanism 11.An extremely simple and robust support mechanism is obtained by the fact that the mechanism 11 has an axis of rotation 15 about which the patient-carrying plate 6 revolves when being tipped laterally, the platform 6 being adapted to tilt about an axis of rotation 16 extending transversely of said axis 15, when being aligned with a bed orthe like, between positions A and B.

The control of the platform 6 is simple in that the latching mechanism 13 has a latching member 17 which automatically engages a hole 32 when the platform 6 is returned from the cleaning position C to the position A.

The support mechanism 11 comprises a yokeshaped transport frame top-portion 19 and fittings 20, 21 cooperating therewith on the platform 6, both fittings 20, 21 being pivotally connected with the yoke-shaped top-portion 19 for side-tipping of the platform 6, and one fitting 20 allowing some backlash with the yoke-shaped top-portion 19 in order to enable pivoting of the platform 6 between positions A and B. The other fitting 21 however serves to limit tilting movement of the platform 6. The yoke-shaped transport-frame top-portion 19 comprises a tube 22 with a stub-shaft 23, on which one fitting 20 of the platform 6, on one hand, is pivotally mounted to enable the tipping of the platform 6 and, on the other hand, is mounted with a backlash enabling the plat form 6 to be pivoted by the required amount.The tube 22 carries a second stub-shaft 24 on which the other fitting 21 of the platform 6 is pivotally and movably mounted, and the transport-frame topportion 19 comprises a second tubular member 25 having disposed within it a latching mechanism 13 for preventing tipping as described earlier.

A latching member 17 is biased by a spring 18. The tube 25, in addition, serves as a stop-abutment for the second fitting 21 of the platform 6, or for its portions adjacent said fitting 21 when the same is in position A. The yoke-shaped transport-frame topportion 19 is suitably mounted in an inclined position, in order to keep the platform 6 normally inclined, the top portion 19 being suitably detachably mounted on the lifting column 3 by bolts 26.

The top frame 19 can be mounted on the column 3 in any of several inclined positions as desired.

The platform 6 may be tippable through more than 90" in orderto enable platform 6 to be turned upside down to further facilitate access to the underside 12 for cleaning.

In order to enable a still smoother transfer between the lying-portion 9 and the platform 6 when transferring the patient, the edge portion 10 of the platform 6 which is intended to be supported on the lying-portion 9 or bed 8 may consist of or comprise an elastic material, so that the edge portion 10 will adapt its shape to the lying-portion 9 when being pressed against it and/or when, during the transfer operation, the patient is contacting the edge portion 10. This may be realised simply by the edge portion l0ofthe platform 6 being elasticallyformable by being devoid of stiffening elements, whereas the central portions of the platform 6 is provided with stiffeners.

In addition to the arrangements thus described, the trolley 1 and platform 6 may include several other elements. For example, the stub-shaft of the articulation mechanism 11 may be in the form of a bolt 23 screwed into the tube 22. The fitting 20 has a hole 27 for the bolt 23, and this hole 27 is largerthan the bolt 23, so that the clearance between the fitting 20 and bolt 23 is sufficientto enable the platform 6 to be swung from its position A (shown in full in Figure 6) to its position B (shown in broken lines in Figure 6) or into an inclined transfer position B1 (shown in broken lines in Figure 6 and Figure 3). To retain the fitting 20 efficiently on the bolt 23, the latter may be provided with a washer 28 between the head 29 of bolt 23 and the fitting 20.

The stub-shaft 24, alternatively, may be a bolt screwed into the tube 22 and extending through a movement-limiting slot 30 in the fitting 21, which contacts the end of tube 25 when the platform 6 is in position A.

The latch 17 of the latching mechanism 13 has a releasing lever 31 which projects from the tube 25 through a slot (not shown) made in the latter. The releasing lever 31 is adapted for moving the latch 17 out of a hole 32 in the fitting 20 for releasing the fitting 20 and thereby the platform 6 to be tipped.

The latch 17 consists of a plunger having a chamfered end surface 33 so that the plunger can be depressed automatically by the fitting 20 as the platform 6 is being tipped again into position A from position C.

It may be mentioned, finally, that the tube 22 may have a stop 34 for limiting the tipping movement of the platform 6, and that the platform 6 has waterdrainage channels 35 which at the same time serve as a means for strengthening the central portions of the platform 6.

Claims

1. A patient-carrying device including a substantially horizontal platform, a support mechanism for the platform arranged to allow tilting of the platform about an axis transversely to the length of the platform to align the platform to the precise plane of beds or other patient supporting devices.

2. A patient-carrying device in that said support mechanism is arranged to allow the platform to tip sideways to facilitate cleaning of the platform.

3. A patient-carrying device according to claim 2, including a releasable latch arranged in its closed position to prevent sideways tipping.

4. A patient-carrying device as claimed in claim 1 to 3 including means for limiting the said tilting movement of the platform.

5. A patient-carrying device as claimed in any preceding claim wherein said support mechanism includes a pivotable joint between the mechanism and the platform which permits angular movement for tilting and rotatable movement for tipping.

6. A patient-carrying device according to any of claims 2 to 5, in which said latch comprises a latching member normally biassed to a latching position by a spring and arranged to automatically reset to a latching condition when the platform is returned from its tipped position.

7. A patient support device as claimed in any preceding claim in which the platform is provided with flexible or elasticated material edge portions.

8. Patient supporting devices substantially as herein described with reference to the accompanying drawings.