GB2311000A

GB2311000A - Patient support surface

Info

Publication number: GB2311000A
Application number: GB9605594A
Authority: GB
Inventors: Stephen Hayes
Original assignee: Huntleigh Technology Ltd
Current assignee: Huntleigh Technology Ltd
Priority date: 1996-03-16
Filing date: 1996-03-16
Publication date: 1997-09-17
Anticipated expiration: 2016-03-16
Also published as: GB9605594D0; GB2311000B

Abstract

A patient support surface 25, especially for a mattress, comprises sheet-like material, eg metal or plastics, having downwardly projecting conical protrusions over its surface, each terminating at its lower portion in an opening, whereby drainage and air circulation are improved without sacrificing rigidity. The protrusions and holes may be formed by a computer controlled press and arranged so as to minimise the remaining horizontal area of the sheet.

Description

PATIENT SUPPORT SURFACE This invention relates to patient support surfaces and more particularly to patient support surfaces having a mattress.

The various environments in which patient support surfaces are used require that the mattress overlying is kept well ventilated and that any fluids due to spills, cleaning or urine are drained away efficiently.

It is known to have patient support surfaces made of weld mesh which provide a substantial open area under the mattress for air ventilation and drainage of fluids.

However, these weld mesh patient support surfaces are considered too flexible for some hospital procedures and difficult to clean to maintain infection control.

Following the weld mesh patient support surfaces, there has been a trend towards patient support surfaces made of sheet-like material which is considered to be easier to clean and also offering greater stiffness as required for some hospital procedures e.g. CPR techniques. Many such patient support surfaces are either provided with longitudinal ribs for air circulation between the mattress and patient support surface or provided with openings for air circulation and drainage purposes.

However such patient support surfaces suffer from poor drainage due to the retention of fluids in local pools between the ribs or between the openings and also do not provide adequate air circulation to ventilate the area between the mattress and the patient support surface. As a result, the mattress life is reduced and the patient support surface of metal is known to corrode and deteriorate.

It is thus desirable to provide an improved patient support surface which overcomes the above disadvantages.

Accordingly, the invention provides a patient support surface comprising at least one patient supporting member having a plurality of projections defined on the surface of the patient supporting member, each projection having downwardly extending inclined walls terminating into an opening, the projections arranged such that the surface of the patient supporting member is substantially non-planar. With the patient support surface of the invention, the level horizontal surface at the top of the projections is minimised, thereby any fluid is immediately led away by means of the inclined walls of the projections and out through the openings. Furthermore, the projections provide an increased open area beneath a mattress laid thereupon for increased air circulation and hence ventilation, thereby increasing the life of the mattress and providing a healthier environment under the mattress.

Preferably, the patient support member is made of sheet-like material to enable simpler, cheaper construction. Conveniently, the patient support member may be made of plastics or metal.

Preferably, the projections include straight walls or curved walls terminating to an opening. In one embodiment, the projections are of a conical shape to enable simple punch press fabrication and are preferably arranged to provide increased rigidity to the patient support member. In a further aspect of the invention, the present invention is provided on a bed.

The invention will now be further described by way of example with reference to the accompanying drawings in which: Fig. 1 is a perspective view of the patient support surface of the invention as used for a hospital bed; Fig. 2 is a plan view of a section of the patient support surface; Fig. 3 is a cross-sectional view taken along lines 3-3 of Fig. 2.

Referring now to the drawings, Fig. 1 shows a hospital bed 10 having a patient support surface according to a preferred embodiment of the invention. While the embodiment of the invention shown in Fig. 1 is that for a hospital bed, it will be appreciated that the invention has other applications such as for hospital stretchers, trolleys or other types of supports for patients.

The bed 10 comprises an upper support frame of longitudinal members 11 and transverse members 12.

A lower frame 16 is fitted with wheels so that the bed 10 can be moved about from place to place.

The upper support frame 11, 12 is provided with a patient support surface 25 according to the invention. The patient support surface 25 consists of panels 20, 21, 22, 23. The panels may be positioned in a flat horizontal plane or profiled to a desired patient position.

Thus a patient's head and torso can be raised or a patient's thigh and lower leg area can be raised and bent at the patient's knees in order to provide an appropriate patient position.

The patient support surface 25 has been shown to comprise panels 20, 21, 22, 23.

However, it should be appreciated that the support surface could be an integral support surface lying in a common plane, or in a plurality of planes as may be desired. Also, the support surface could comprise two, three, four or more panels hinged together as might be required for any particular application.

The structural details of a preferred embodiment of the patient support surface are shown in Figs. 2 and 3. Fig. 2 shows a section of a typical patient support surface. The section is constructed preferably of a coated pressed metal sheet having bound openings 26 at the bottom of a conical dish 27 pressed down from the upper face and concentric about the opening. The openings 26 and conical dishes 27 are arranged over the support surface so as to minimise any horizontal surface left. The conical dishes 27 pressed down from the upper surface provide increased rigidity to the section. The pattem of openings and profiles may be produced by dedicated press tooling but preferably by means of a Computer Numerical Control (CNC) punch press which allows total flexibility in accommodating different profile and pattern requirements.

Figs 2 and 3 show the support surface to be of pressed metal sheet having conical profiles surrounding a circular opening. However, it should be appreciated that the support surface could have different shaped openings and corresponding profiles and be made from other than sheet-like materials or metal.

Claims

1. A patient support surface comprising a patient supporting member having a plurality of projections defined on the surface of the patient supporting member, each projection having downwardly extending inclined walls terminating into an opening, the projections arranged such that the surface of the patient supporting member is substantially non-planar.

2. A patient support surface as claimed in claim 1 wherein the patient supporting member is of sheet-like material.

3. A patient support surface as claimed in any preceding claim wherein the projections are arranged on the surface of the patient supporting member to provide increased rigidity to the patient supporting member.

4. A patient support surface as claimed in claims 1 or 2 wherein the walls of the projections are straight.

5. A patient support surface as claimed in claims 1 or 2 wherein the walls of the projections are curved.

6. A patient support surface comprising a patient support member having a plurality of openings, each opening defined at the end of conical profiles extending downwardly from the surface of the patient supporting member, the conical profiles arranged on said surface such that any of said surface between adjacent profiles is substantially minimised.

7. A bed comprising a patient support surface as claimed in any preceding claim.

8. A bed as claimed in claim 7 wherein the patient support surface comprises at least two patient supporting members with at least one said member pivotally movable with respect to said bed to enable profiling to a desired patient position.

9. A patient support surface substantially as herein described with reference to and as illustrated in the accompanying drawings.