GB2479822A

GB2479822A - Drip stand extension and clamp

Info

Publication number: GB2479822A
Application number: GB201106544A
Authority: GB
Inventors: Geoffrey Whiteman
Original assignee: Individual
Current assignee: Individual
Priority date: 2010-04-23
Filing date: 2011-04-19
Publication date: 2011-10-26
Anticipated expiration: 2031-04-19
Also published as: GB201006868D0; GB2479822B; GB201106544D0

Abstract

A drip stand extension 10 comprising an adjustable clamp 12, 14 and an elongate member 36, where the elongate member has an attachment region for the attachment of an object, such as a pressure transducer, thereto. The clamp has one fixed 12 and one movable 14 arm, secured by a threaded connection member 30 which is pivotable about axis B, and which is located through a tapped hole in cylinder 26. Semi circular apertures 18, 20 clamp onto the drip stand, The elongate member 36 may be rotatable around axis C, and may be provided with a peripheral flange 38 which acts as a stop.

Description

Drip Stand Extension The present invention relates to a drip stand extension for use in supporting pressure transducers or other medical equipment.

A common requirement during operating theatre procedures is the invasive monitoring of arterial and central venous pressures. Such monitoring requires the positioning of a pressure transducer at the same height as the centre of a patient's heart. It is known to achieve this positioning by attaching a pressure transducer to the upper or lower tube of a drip stand. The availability of drip stands in such a situation makes them the obvious choice for supporting a pressure transducer. They have the advantage of being easily moved, and of having areas of constant cross-section, giving a degree of adjustability as to where a pressure transducer may be placed.

However, the usual design of such drip stands is telescopic, such as can be seen in those covered by B53619: 1976: Mobile Infusion Stands. Naturally this design leads to areas of increased diameter on the drip stand, where a pressure transducer designed to be fitted to another area of the drip stand may not be fitted. As the exact height of the pressure transducer is important this can lead to serious difficulties with pressure monitoring.

What is required is an adjustable means of supporting a pressure transducer which allows the transducer to be moved over a continuous height range.

WO 2008/074 157 discloses a medical support system having a main pole to which there are connected two pivotable poles. The poles are configured such that one cannot be disconnected from the main pole independently of the other. CN 201192495 discloses a telescopic drip stand having a telescopic pivotable arm. The pivotable arm cannot be removed from the drip stand without partial disassembly of the drip stand.

According to the present invention there is provided a drip stand extension comprising a clamp for releasably connecting the drip stand extension to a drip stand and an elongate member, wherein the elongate member extends from one side of the clamp, the elongate member having a longitudinal axis and an attachment region for the attachment of an object such as a transducer. Should it be necessary to have the transducer at a height level with, for example, a collar on a drip stand, the extension may be attached above said collar and the transducer positioned on the elongate member at the same height as the collar. The clamp is preferably adjustable, which provides an increased number of available positions and so improved manoeuvrability of the transducer. The clamp is preferably openable so as to permit the extension to be fitted to and removed from a drip stand without requiring any reconfiguration or disassembly of the drip stand.

The elongate member preferably has a stop at its end which is distal to the clamp, which may comprise a peripheral flange. This stop prevents a slipping transducer from falling. The clamp may comprise a fixed arm and a pivotal arm held in a closed position by a screw, which may be pivotable, and may define an aperture having a longitudinal axis substantially parallel to the longitudinal axis of the elongate member.

The elongate member may be rotatable relative to the clamp about its longitudinal axis. In such an embodiment the elongate member may retained for rotation relative to the clamp by the provision of projections of the clamp which are received in a circumferential groove of the elongate member. Preferably the extension is provided with a locking arrangement operable to lock the elongate member at a desired rotational position relative to the clamp.

There is also provided a drip stand having a longitudinal axis and a drip stand extension, the drip stand extension comprising a clamp within which a portion of the drip stand is received and an elongate member, wherein the elongate member has a longitudinal axis substantially parallel to the longitudinal axis of the drip stand and an attachment region for the attachment of an object thereto.

An embodiment of the invention will now be described with reference to the accompanying drawings in which: Figure 1 is a perspective view of a drip stand extension according to an embodiment of the present invention with the clamp in a closed position; Figure 2 shows a drip stand with a drip stand extension according to the embodiment of Fig. 1 attached; Figure 3 shows a perspective view of a drip stand extension according to an alternative embodiment of the present invention; and Figure 4 shows a partial cross-sectional view of the embodiment of figure 3.

With reference to Fig. 1, a drip stand extension 10 comprises, in this embodiment, a first clamp arm 12 and a second clamp arm 14. The first clamp arm 12 has a first end 12a and a second end 12b, whilst the second clamp arm 14 has a first end 14a and a second end 14b. The first clamp arm 12 splits half way along its length to form an upper layer 21a and a lower layer 21b, with a slot 23 between the two. The second clamp arm 14 narrows at its first end 14a to form a tongue 15 which fits in the slot 23, and is pivotably attached at its first end 1 4a to the first clamp arm 12 at approximately the mid-point thereof The first arm 12 has a cutaway portion forming a shoulder 16 about the centre of attachment of the second arm 14, allowing the second arm 14 to pivot freely about the pivot point.

Each clamp arm 12,14 comprises a substantially semi-circular aperture 18,20. When the second arm 14 is pivoted so that the two arms are substantially parallel, the apertures 18,20 meet to form a single tubular aperture having a longitudinal axis A. The first clamp arm 12 forks at its second end 12b to form an upper layer 22a and a lower layer 22b. The second clamp arm 14 forks at its second end 14b to form an upper layer 24a and a lower layer 24b. The first arm 12 further comprises a rotatable cylinder 26 held between the upper layer 22a and the lower layer 22b and having a longitudinal axis B substantially parallel to the axis A. The cylinder 26 has a tapped hole (not shown) extending transversely through it. The hole is located on the cylinder 26 so that it is positioned between the upper layer 22a and the lower layer 22b of the first clamp arm 12.

A clamp screw 30 is screwed into the tapped hole and is thus pivotable about the axis B. In use, when the two clamp arms 12,14 are in the closed position parallel to one another, the screw 30 is pivoted about the axis B until its barrel lies between the upper and lower layers 24a,24b of the second clamp arm 14. The screw 30 is then tightened, securing the two clamp arms 12,14 against one another. The head 34 of the screw 30 is knurled around its circumference for ease of use.

An elongate member 36 having a longitudinal axis C extends from the first clamp arm 12 such that its axis C is substantially parallel to the axis A. The free end of the elongate member 36 has a peripheral flange 38.

In use, the drip stand extension 10 is attached to a drip stand 39 as shown in Fig. 2. In this embodiment, the drip stand 38 comprises a single drip stand tube 40. In further embodiments, the drip stand tube may be made up of two or more telescopic tubes, in order to allow height adjustment. The aperture 18,20 fits around the drip stand tube 40. The axis C of the elongate member is thus substantially parallel to the longitudinal axis D of the drip stand tube 40. A pressure transducer or other device is attached to the elongate member 36. In order for a pressure transducer to be supported at the correct height, the drip stand extension 10 can be fixed at most points on the drip stand tube 40, and the transducer itself can be moved along the elongate member 36 in order to compensate for any positions where the drip stand extension may not be fixed.

Referring now to figures 3 and 4, there is shown an alternative embodiment of a drip stand extension generally designated 44. Features common to the drip stand extension described with reference to figure 1 are identified with like reference numerals.

The drip stand extension 44 differs in that the elongate member 36 is rotatable about its longitudinal axis C as indicated by arrow 46.

The drip stand extension 44 is further provided with a locking mechanism, generally designated 48, which permits the elongate member to be locked at a desired rotational position relative to the first end 12a of the first clamp arm 12. As can be seen from figure 4, the elongate member 36 is retained for rotation in a recess 50 of the first clamp arm 12 by opposing pins 52 which project into the recess 50. The ends 54 of the pins 52 are received in a complementarily shaped annular recess or groove of the elongate member 36. The locking mechanism 48 comprises a threaded member 56 which extends though an aperture 58 of the first clamp arm 12 and into a complementarily threaded blind recess 60 of the elongate member 36. The threaded member 56 is connected to a knob 62 which is knurled around its periphery.

The rotatable mounting of the elongate member 36 permits the angle of any item mounted thereto, for example a pressure transducer, to be changed once the extension 44 as a whole has been clamped to a drip stand at a desired height. It will thus be appreciated that adjustment of the angle of the pressure transducer can be undertaken without the risk of inadvertently altering the height of the transducer.

The numerous advantages of the present invention include its adjustability as described above, as well as its compact nature. It allows equipment to be positioned on any side of a drip stand, and provides additional room on what could be a crowded drip stand. It is simple and quick to fit, to remove and to adjust.

In further embodiments of the invention, the semi-circular apertures 18,20 may be lined with compressible material such as a foamed material or an elastomer to improve the clamp's grip.

Claims

Ctaims 1. A drip stand extension comprising a clamp for releasably connecting the drip stand extension to a drip stand and an elongate member, wherein the elongate member extends from one side of the clamp, the elongate member having a longitudinal axis and an attachment region for the attachment of an object thereto.
2. A drip stand extension according to claim 1 wherein the clamp is openable so as to permit removal and attachment of the extension to a drip stand.
3. A drip stand as claimed in claim 1 or claim 2 wherein the clamp is adjustable.
4. A drip stand extension according to any preceding claim wherein the elongate member has a stop at its end which is distal to the clamp.
5. A drip stand extension according to claim 4 wherein the stop comprises a peripheral flange.
6. A drip stand extension according to any preceding claim wherein the clamp comprises a fixed arm and a pivotable arm held in closed position by a threaded connector and defining an aperture having a longitudinal axis substantially parallel to the longitudinal axis of the elongate member.
7. A drip stand extension according to claim 6 wherein said threaded connector is movable between a closed position and an open position about an axis substantially parallel to the longitudinal axis of the clamp aperture.
8. A drip stand extension as claimed in any preceding claim wherein the elongate member is rotatable relative to the clamp about its longitudinal axis.
9. A drip stand extension as claimed in claim 9 wherein the elongate member is retained for rotation relative to the clamp by the provision of projections of the clamp which are received in a circumferential groove of the elongate member.
10. A drip stand extension as claimed in claim 8 or claim 9 wherein the extension is provided with a locking arrangement operable to lock the elongate member at a desired rotational position relative to the clamp.
11. In combination, a drip stand and a drip stand extension as claimed in any preceding claim, the drip stand having a stem with a longitudinal axis, wherein the longitudinal axis of the elongate member of the drip stand extension is aligned substantially parallel to the longitudinal axis of the drip stand stem.