GB2447406A

GB2447406A - Mattress

Info

Publication number: GB2447406A
Application number: GB0704334A
Authority: GB
Inventors: Mark Andrew Farrell
Original assignee: Individual
Current assignee: Individual
Priority date: 2007-03-07
Filing date: 2007-03-07
Publication date: 2008-09-17
Also published as: GB0704334D0

Abstract

A patient transfer mattress has straps 18 for retaining the patient on the mattress: grips 12 along the two longer sides and a low friction envelope 4 to facilitate sliding from the tray of the patient's bed on to an adjoining surface such as an MRI pad. The mattress is narrow (450-650mm) and is enlarged to fill nursing width by a pair of extenders 16 which removably attach to the two longer sides. A half thickness version with a hood (Fig 5,36) is an emergency evacuation or rescue mattress.

Description

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TITLE: PATIENT BED

FIELD OF THE INVENTION

This invention concerns apparatus for facilitating the treatment of patients in bed who need service at different locations in a hospital or treatment centre.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

-it is routine for physicians to require patients to visit the various diagnostic machines in the hospital. These machines are static and patients must be taken to the machine and returned to their ward. If the patient is for example in intensive care, fed by drips, under sedation and lying in a bed, a requirement for x-rays to determine the extent of fractures means a journey accompanied by the patients equipment to the x-ray department, transfer from a bed to the x-ray pad, return to their bed and the return journey to intensive care. In this sequence the most likely phase to create liability and risk for the hospital is the transfer of the patient physically out of and into the bed. It is most arduous for the staff and there is the added expense of possible equipment damage and claims for back injuries to the staff.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

The apparatus aspect of this invention provides a patient's matttess substantially I.....

rectangular in plan with two longitudinal sides each with means for gripping the mattress in order to impose a sliding force on the mattress wherein the mattress is 450-650mm wide. .:. * * * * *

Preferably for adults the mattress is about 600mm wide. The mattress may be of a *.** construction which will not deteriorate through the pulling forces exerted continually on the grips. As the mattress may be used several times a day for transferring a *.

patient from bed to pad and back again bearing the full weight of the patient, the ability of the mattress to withstand such forces is important. A plastic foam body is suitable in that it is washable. An envelope encasing the body is useful. The envelope may be of a stout woven fabric such as canvas or plastic mesh if a permeable envelope is desired. Alternatively an impermeable or slightly permeable envelope is useful because an underlay made of wool or a lambskin may lie between the patient and the envelope.

When the envelope is made of sheet plastic such as PVC or polypropylene, the grips may be loops of flat woven tape fixed to the sidewall of the mattress. The loops are lOO-l5Omm long in order to admit the fingers of a hand. They preferably lie flat against the sidewall when not in use. The sidewall may be about 100mm high.

Envelopes with a low coefficient of friction are especially useful.

Although a width of 600mm or so suffices to support the body of a patient, the mattress is 300mm narrower than a standard single bed which a patient would occupy during their stay in a hospital. The mattress may have one or two extenders for increasing the lateral width of the mattress. The extenders would be the same length and depth as the mattress but only 100-150mm wide and the mattress may have means to removably attach the extender or extenders to the longitudinal sidewalls of the mattress. The attachment may be zip fasteners but more usually will be by hook and pile fabric fasteners. These preferably conceal some or all of the grippers. The fasteners may be applied to the sidewall in a strip or strips. The patient may be tethered to the mattress during transfer by straps attached to the sidewalls.

In another version the grips are replaced by pockets, loops or eyes vhich may be engaged by lifting poles inserted through them in order to form a stretcher. This manner of lifting a patient is acceptable to staff in that the spine is loaded in a * : predictable sequence for which the lifter is prepared. * * * S

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS **.* * U S...

One embodiment of the invention is now described with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which: Figure 1 is a plan of a mattress with one extender attached and one detached.

Figure 2 shows a perspective view of a mattress and extender separated to show the attachment.

Figure 3 is a plan of a stretcher version with inserted poles.

Figure 4 is a perspective from underneath of a fragment of a variant mattress and extender.

Figure 5 is a perspective of a rescue mattress.

Figures 6a-g show the sequence of transfer to a scan pad and back again.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION WITH RESPECT TO THE DRAWINGS

Refemng to Figures 1-3, the mattress is a block of open cell plastic foam 2 of mattress grade 1950 x 900 x 100mm. The block is encased in a 1mm thick envelope 4 made of pigmented PVC which closes around the block by means of a zip fastener 6.

A continuous tape 8 of woven polyester 40mxn wide is stitched around the side walls of the mattress envelope and four loops 12 of the same fabric tape are sewn to the tape to act as handles.

The tape runs through the equator of the mattress. The longitudinal sidewalls 10 each have a continuous VELCROThI strip 1 4 stitched to the envelope in order to attach an extender 16 to both sidewalls. Three straps 18 with VELCROIM fasteners secure the:...:.

patient.

In Figure 3 the loops are replaced by a sleeve 20 almost the length of the longitudinal * side formed from part of the envelope. Poles 22 inserted in the sleeves allow lifting. S...

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In Figure 4 the envelope 4 incorporates a pair of 70mm flaps (one shown) 24. The flaps extend the top face of the mattress upon which the patients bedding 26 is laid.

The VELCROmI strip 14 remains as in Figure 2 and is accompanied by a further strip 28 attached to the flap. Similarly, the extender retains strip 14 and has a corresponding strip 30 to connect with strip 30 on the envelope.

The envelope has a sht 32 on the underside through which a 75mm foam core can be inserted. This is closed by a VELCROTM strip 34. The purpose of the flap is to create a leakproofjoiri between the envelope and the adjacent extender.

In Figure 5 the mattress is 75mm thick, that is half the thickness of the I5Onim mattress of Figure 2. This mattress can be thinner because it is more suited to short stays such as occur in emergency situations such as a fire alarm in a nursing home or a gas leak in a hospital where patients must be moved rapidly but are transferred back ---into beds as soon as the emergency is over. When the patient is returned, the 75mm mattress rests on a 75mm mattress which remains in the bed. A pair of 150mm extenders are added and the patient has a full width mattress for day and night use.

When the mattress is intended for use as a rescue mattress, extra grips 12 at the top and bottom end of the mattress (one shown) are added. A hood 36 is attached to the envelope of the mattress. Fabric tape ties 38 at the top end and the bottom end are provided for all 75rmn mattresses to enable them to be secured face to face with a 75mm bed mattress.

Referring now to Figures 6a-g, the patient lies in an intensive care ward in a bed 2 of standard width 920mm. The patient's bed and the patient's position is adjusted to lie solely on the 600mm mattress. The extenders are removed and laid aside. The straps are secured across the patient's body The loop handles are thereby exposed.

*eee** The bed is wheeled alongside the pad of the MRI scanning machine. The tray of the bed is substantially the same height as the surface of the pad. One orderly stands.:.

beside the patient and pushes the mattress toward the other orderly who stands beside..: the pad reaching over the pad pulling the mattress toward him. Once the initial friction is overcome, the mattress slides easily from bed tray to pad.

The scan is completed. The patient is pushed/pulled in the opposite direction to return the patient to bed. The straps are released and allowed to hang suspended from the mattress. The extenders are replaced together with the bedding.

If the patient must later go to x-ray, the procedure is the same. The transfer procedure does not involve rolling the patient as in the prior art methods. Accordingly, drip needles are undisturbed and bags and pumps can follow the patient without incident.

In my Innovation Patent No. 2003100759, I describe mobile intravenous poles which carry bags and pumps. In my co-pending application for Patent No. 2004903955, 1 describe a tie which attaches to the bed for towing the IV poles from place to place.

I have found the advantages of the above embodiment to be: ------1-:--Itis not necessary troll th iet lb a b5árd or sheet inserted underneath the patient.

2. The patient can be strapped to the mattress to prevent falling to the floor.

3. The staff can exert force more efficiently to move the patient because they can stand closer to the centre of gravity of the patient once the extenders are removed.

It is to be understood that the word "comprising" as used throughout the specification is to be interpreted in its inclusive fonn, ie. use of the word "comprising" does not exclude the addition of other elements.

It is to be understood that vanous modifications of and/or additions to the invention can be made without departing from the basic nature of the invention. These S...

modifications and/or additions are therefore considered to fall within the scope of the invention. * . * * * * ** * * **. . * S *.

Claims

THE CLAIMS DEFINING THE INVENTION ARE AS FOLLOWS: 1. A patient's

mattress being substantially rectangular in plan with two longitudinal sidewalls each with means for gripping the mattress in order to facilitate sliding or lifting wherein the mattress is 450-650mm wide.

2. A patient's mattress as claimed in Claim 1, wherein the mattress is contained in an envelope with sides to which grips are attached.

3. A patient's mattress as claimed in Claim I or 2, wherein the envelope is made of mesh or woven fabric. * **

4. A patient's mattress as claimed in any one of Claims 1-3, wherein the grips are loops fixed to the mattress sidewalls and each wide enough to admit a hand. * 0**

5. A patient's mattress as claimed in any one of Claims 1-4, wherein the *.: sidewalls are 80-l2Omm deep. *.** * S...

6. A patient's mattress as claimed in any one of Claims 1-5, wherein the envelope has a low coefficient of friction.

7. A patient's mattress as claimed in any one of Claims 1-6, wherein one or more mattress width extenders are separably joined to the sidewalls to increase the mattress width.

8. A patient's mattress as claimed in Claim 7, wherein the extenders are the same length as the mattress and 100-150mm wide.

9. A patient's mattress as claimed in Claim 7 or 8, wherein each extender is separably joined to the extenders by one or more strips of hook and pile fastener.

--l0A patient's mattress as claimed inC1aim 7 or 8, wherein each extender is separably joined to the sidewall by a zip fastener.

11. A patient's mattress as claimed in any one of the preceding claims, wherein straps for securing the patient on the mattress are secured to the sidewalls.

12. A patient's mattress as claimed in any one o f Claims 1-11, wherein the grips are replaced by pockets, loops or eyes which receive poles to convert the mattress to a Jordan frame.

13. A patient's mattress as claimed in any one of Claims 1-11, wherein one face of the mattress may have a pair of flaps which overlie the join between the mattress, sidewall and each of the extenders. * *

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14. A patient's mattress as claimed in Claim 13, wherein both the sidewalls and *;, the flaps have a strip of hook and pile fastener and two longitudinal, mutually adjacent edges of the extenders, both have complementary fastener strips.

15. A patient's mattress as claimed in any one of Claims 1-13, wherein the envelope has a slit giving access to the envelope interior, whereby a mattress core inside the envelope is accessible for exchange.

16. A patient's mattress as claimed in any one of Claims 1-15, wherein the mattress is 140-160mm thick.

17. A patient's mattress as claimed in any one of Claims 1-15, wherein the mattress is 70-80mm thick and intended for temporary support.

18. A patient's mattress as claimed in Claim 17 when joined face to face with a like mattress by ties.

19. A patient's mattress as claimed in Claim 18, wherein at least one of the envelopes has an envelope with a low coefficient of friction being intended to be slid over the surface of the other mattress.

20. A patient's mattress as claimed in any one of Claims 17-19, wherein the mattress has additionally at least one grip at each end.

21. A patient's mattress as claimed in any one of Claims 17-20, wherein the mattress has a hood at one end for use in a rescue operation.

22. A patient's mattress substantially as herein described with reference to and as illustrated in Figures 1-2 or as modified by Figure 3, 4 or 5. * * **.** S... * . S

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