JP2000279459A - Air mat device - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide an air mat device suitable for preventing a bed sore, by which the occurrence of bottoming is prevented from occurring regardless of the posture or weight of a patient and also the inner pressure of air cells is prevented from being increased too much. SOLUTION: The device is provided with a sensor 7 for detecting the bottoming of each air cell constituting an air mat 3 and the inner pressure of each cell is adjusted to such a degree that the bottoming is prevented from occurring. Thus, bottoming is prevented without increasing the inner pressure of each cell too much so that the air mat device 1 by which a bed sore owing to bottoming and too much contact pressure is prevented is provided.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to an air mat device for preventing pressure ulcers caused when a sick person or the like lays on the floor for a long period of time.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art If a patient who cannot turn over himself is lying on the floor for a long period of time, a pressure ulcer (bedsore) may occur on his body. In order to prevent such pressure sores, an air mat is used in which about 20 bag-shaped air cells are arranged in parallel to form an air mat, and air at an appropriate pressure is supplied to these air cells from an air pump to inflate the air mat. Have been. In this air mat, a plurality of air cells are divided into a plurality of groups, air is supplied and exhausted for each group, and adjacent air cells repeatedly inflate and contract with each other,
It promotes the patient's blood circulation and prevents local pressure from being concentrated.

[0003]

In order to surely prevent pressure ulcers, it is desirable to maintain the contact pressure between the air cell and the body below the pressure (about 32 mmHg) that does not occlude blood vessels.
However, when the internal pressure of the air cell is reduced, the air cell in contact with a portion of the body where the load is concentrated, for example, a protruding bone portion, a portion where the weight is concentrated such as the waist, etc. is locally collapsed, and the body portion disturbs the air mat. Bottoming occurs in contact with a rigid part such as a supporting floor or bed. In particular, if the patient is in bed
When gagging up for nursing care, bottoming is likely to occur at the central portion supporting the waist or buttocks. Then, when the bottoming occurs, the contact pressure becomes high at that portion, which causes a pressure ulcer. On the other hand, if the pressure inside the air cell is increased to prevent bottoming, the air cell expands and the area of contact with the body decreases, so that the contact pressure increases and causes pressure ulcers.

In order to prevent such a phenomenon, each air cell is vertically long, that is, the height is increased, or a plurality of air cells are arranged one above the other. Air mats have been developed that do not touch the floor. However, since the size of each air cell is large, the patient is likely to be unstable, and the price of the air mat is high, making it difficult to purchase the air mat. If the pressure inside the air mat is increased in order to hold the patient stably, the contact pressure with the body tends to increase, which tends to cause pressure sores.

[0005] To detect bottoming, an air tube is placed at the waist of the air mat, air is passed through the air tube, and when the bottoming occurs due to gudge-up and the air tube is closed, the air supply pressure is increased. An air mat that eliminates the bottom is also being studied. However, if the supply pressure of air is increased to eliminate the bottoming, the air cell without the bottoming is inflated too much, so that the contact area with the body is reduced and the contact pressure becomes too high.

Accordingly, an object of the present invention is to provide an air mat device which can surely prevent bottoming out even when the gag is raised, can stably support a patient, and can be supplied at low cost.

[0007]

Accordingly, in the present invention, the bottom of each air cell is detected, and the internal pressure of each air cell can be set to a minimum pressure that does not cause bottoming. Of course, it is also possible to individually detect the bottom with all the air cells that constitute the air mat, but the bottom is most likely to occur at the time of gudge-up, so in the present invention, it is arranged at least in the center of the air mat. In the air cells, the bottom is individually detected.

That is, the air mat of the present invention comprises a plurality of bag-shaped air cells arranged in parallel so as to constitute the air mat, and a supply device capable of inflating and contracting each air cell by supplying and discharging air. Detecting means for detecting the bottom of each air cell disposed at least at the center of the air mat, and the supply device is capable of supplying air until the bottom of the air cell is eliminated. . By detecting the bottom of each air cell, the pressure of only the air cell where the bottom occurs is increased, and the pressure of other air cells does not need to be increased more than necessary. Therefore, it can be prevented that the contact pressure with the body is increased to cause pressure ulcers. Further, since the bottom is detected by each air cell and the air is supplied so that the bottom is not generated, it is not necessary to increase the size of the air cell itself. Therefore, it is possible to provide an air mat that can reliably prevent bottoming with an air mat that is high enough to hold the body stably. Also, since it is not necessary to make each air cell large,
Air mats without bottom can be supplied at low cost.

The present invention provides an air mat of the type in which the entire air cells constituting the air mat are substantially uniformly inflated and the patient is held, as well as an air mat of the type in which the air cells are divided into a plurality of groups and adjacent air cells are alternately expanded and contracted. Can also be applied. In the latter type, when the air cells are inflated, the pressure may be controlled so that each air cell has a pressure that does not cause bottoming.

As a detecting means for detecting the bottom of each air cell, a conductive sheet facing the inside of the air cell and provided separately above and below is provided. These conductive sheets are provided separately above and below the air cell. In addition, a device that detects bottoming by conducting a sheet can be employed. The presence or absence of conduction can be determined by measuring the contact resistance. In this manner, the sheets installed separately above and below are provided so that one sheet covers approximately half the circumference of the inner surface of the air cell, and the other sheet is narrow and is provided near the upper or lower center. It is desirable to do. Thereby, malfunction can be prevented, and bottoming can be reliably detected.

The detecting means includes a conductive first sheet laid under the air cell, and an outer surface of each air cell, which is separated from the first sheet when inflated, and removed when contracted. A second sheet provided at a position in contact with the first sheet;
It is also possible to use a combination with the above sheet.

Further, it is possible to use a plurality of pressure switches capable of converting the pressurized with the bottom into electric signals and transmitting the electric signals as the detecting means. These pressure switches are connected to the upper surface of each air cell. Alternatively, it is possible to determine whether or not bottoming has occurred in each air cell by arranging it on the lower surface or between each air cell.

In the case of a pressure switch, a first pressure which is set so as to hold the body by the air cell and which does not generate a pressure sore, and a second pressure accompanying the bottom may be detected. By placing such a pressure switch on the upper surface of each air cell, it is also possible to detect the contact pressure between the inflated air cell and the body. When the contact pressure is higher than the first pressure, the pressure is exhausted to reduce the pressure in the air cell.

[0014]

Embodiments of the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings. FIG. 1 shows an air mat device 1 according to the present invention. The air mat device 1 of the present example
An air mat 3 in which a plurality of air cells 2 are arranged in parallel and an air supply device 10 for supplying air to the air cells 2 are provided. The air mat 3 and the air supply device 10 are connected by a connection pipe 20. ing. In the air mat device 1 of this example, the plurality of air cells 2 are divided into three groups, and the air cells of each group are connected to air hoses 21a, 21b, and 21c common to the groups, and air is supplied and exhausted at the same time. The air cells 2 belonging to different groups are arranged adjacent to each other. Therefore, air supply, holding, and exhaust are performed sequentially in the three adjacent air cells 2, and these air cells 2 expand, hold, and contract. Therefore, as shown in FIG. 2, when the air mat 3 of the present example is laid on the bed 39 and the patient 30 is laid thereon, the air cell 2 repeats inflation and deflation sequentially under the body. Therefore, while supporting the patient 30 with an appropriate pressure, blood circulation on the body surface is promoted, and the occurrence of pressure sores can be prevented.

As described above, the air mat device 1 according to the present embodiment is developed for dispersing and supporting body pressure and for preventing pressure ulcers. Therefore, as described above, the bottom of the body 30 where a part of the body 30 is in contact with the bed 9 is provided. (Bottoming) must be prevented.
In particular, as shown by the solid line in FIG. 2, when the bed 39 is gagged up to care for the patient 30, the weight concentrates on the buttocks or waist of the patient 30, so that bottoming is likely to occur near the center of the mat 3. .

For this reason, the air mat device 1 of this embodiment is provided with a sensor 7 for detecting the bottoming of each air cell 2. FIG. 3 shows the structure of the air cell 2 of the present embodiment extracted. The air cell 2 of this example has a thin and sufficient strength, such as a urethane sheet, and is formed of a material that does not easily leak air. And above and below the inner surface, for example, polypyrrole nonwoven fabric,
Conductive sheet 7a of carbon fiber fiber, rubber, etc.
And a detection device (sensor) for detecting bottoming with these sheets 7a and 7b.
7 are configured.

That is, in the air cell 2 of the present embodiment,
By detecting the contact between the upper and lower sheets 7a and 7b, occurrence of bottoming can be determined.
Since these sheets 7a and 7b are conductive, bottoming can be detected electrically by measuring the contact resistance, voltage, current, etc. between these sheets 7a and 7b. Therefore, it is easy to detect bottoming, and a circuit for detection can be easily configured. Further, as described above, there is also a method of locating an air hose as a sensor along the lower part of the body and detecting bottoming based on whether or not the hose is clogged.
There are cases where detection is difficult due to factors such as the weight of the patient. On the other hand, in the air mat device 1 of the present embodiment, since bottoming is detected based on whether or not the sensor sheets 7a and 7b are in contact with each other, there are very few cases in which detection is not possible due to the weight of the patient. Therefore, the sensor 7 of the present embodiment can simply and reliably detect bottoming. Further, the sensor 7 of this embodiment can monitor the state of each air cell.

Further, in the sensor 7 of the present embodiment, the lower sensor sheet 7b is provided so as to cover substantially the lower half of the air cell 2, while the upper sensor sheet 7a is provided at the top of the air cell 2. Along the longitudinal direction. Thus, the upper and lower sensor sheets 7a and 7b
Is arranged, the sensor 7 does not work unless the apex 2a of the air cell 2 contacts the lower half of the air cell 2 even if the air cell 2 does not shrink vertically and contracts while being distorted in the left-right or front-back direction. Therefore, it is possible to prevent the sensor 7 from malfunctioning due to a slight distortion or the like. On the other hand, when the apex 2a comes into contact with one of the lower halves of the air cell 2, bottoming can be detected, so that the sensor has high sensitivity. Of course, it is also possible to reverse the arrangement of the upper and lower sensors 7a and 7b.

FIG. 4 shows a schematic system of the air mat device 1 of the present embodiment. Based on this, the operation of the air mat 3 and the air supply device 10 constituting the air mat device 1 will be described. First, an air supply device 10 includes an air source 11 including an air compressor and a receiver, and a rotary valve 12 connecting the air source 11 and a connection hose 20.
It has. The rotary valve 12 supplies air by connecting the air source 11 to one of the three air hoses 21a, 21b, and 21c of the connection hose 20, and connects one of the remaining air hoses to the exhaust port 13 to reduce the pressure. I do. Then, the pressure of the remaining air hose is maintained. The rotary valve 12 is rotated at an appropriate timing by the controller 14, and the air hoses 21a, 21b and 21c
The above air supply, exhaust, and maintenance are performed in order. The controller 14 also controls the outlet pressure of the air source 11 to be a little higher than the air pressure required in the air cell 2.

In the air mat 3, each air cell 2 is connected to one of the air hoses 21a, 21b and 2b.
1c are individually connected to each other, and the supply and exhaust of air to and from the individual air cells 2 are individually performed via a valve station 25 which is a supply device. In the valve station 25 of this example, a solenoid valve 26 and a check valve 27 are connected in parallel. When the solenoid valve 26 is opened, the air cell 2 is connected to the air hose 21a, 21b or 21c.
And air is discharged from the air cell 2 to the air hose 21a, 21b or 21c via the check valve 27. Further, each air cell 2 is provided with a detector 29 for measuring the contact resistance of the sheets 7a and 7b constituting the sensor 7 of the air cell 2 and detecting bottoming.
Then, the solenoid valve 26 is turned on and off by the detector 29.

In the valve station 25,
First, as shown in the air cell 2c of FIG.
Is open, air is supplied from the air hose 21c. When the air cell 2c expands and the seats 7a and 7b separate, the solenoid valve 26 is closed. For this reason, more air than necessary is not supplied to the air cell 2c. Therefore, the internal pressure of the air cell 2c is suppressed to a necessary pressure that does not cause bottoming.

On the other hand, when bottoming occurs and the seats 7a and 7b come into contact with each other as in the air cell 2b, the solenoid valve 26 is opened. At this time, the air hose 21
If there is a pressure at c, air is supplied to the air cell 2b and is pressurized to the extent that bottoming does not occur.

Further, when the pressure in the air hose 21c is lost, the air cell connected to the air hose 21c discharges air.

As described above, in the air mat device 1 of the present embodiment, the pressure of each air cell 2 is maintained to the extent that bottoming does not occur. For this reason, in a normal state, the pressure of the air cell 2 is not too high and the contact area between the air cell and the body does not decrease, and the contact pressure does not increase to a level that causes pressure ulcer (32 mmHg) or more. On the other hand, if bottoming occurs even in the vicinity of the bones of the body or in a portion where the load on the buttocks or waist when the gag is raised, air is supplied only to the air cell 2 where the bottoming has occurred, and the bottoming does not occur. Pressurized to However, the air is not supplied to the other air cells 2 where the bottoming does not occur, and the appropriate pressure is maintained.

Therefore, the air mat device 1 of this embodiment is
Since the bottoming of each air cell 2 is detected and the air is supplied to such an extent that the bottoming does not occur, the occurrence of the bottoming can be prevented even if the size of the aircell is not increased. Therefore, the patient can be stably supported by the air mat having an appropriate thickness, and pressure ulcers can be prevented from occurring. Further, even if the patient has a heavy weight, the air is supplied to such an extent that the bottoming does not occur, and the bottoming can be surely prevented, so that a highly versatile pressure ulcer prevention air mat device can be provided. Further, since the size of each air cell does not need to be increased, the cost can be reduced.

In a heavy patient or a situation where the weight is concentrated on a part due to the posture of the patient, the internal pressure of the air cell 2 supporting the part increases, but the internal pressure of the other air cells does not fluctuate. , Keep the proper pressure. In the air cell 2 in which the internal pressure has increased, the area in contact with the body is large, so the contact pressure itself does not increase so much.
It does not cause pressure sores. Also, even if the posture changes and the internal pressure of the air cell becomes too high,
Since the contraction is repeated in order, in the next cycle, the pressure inside the air cell becomes a pressure suitable for the posture of the patient. Therefore, it is possible to flexibly respond to a change in posture, and the effect of preventing pressure ulcers is high. Further, since the internal pressure of the air cell is increased to the extent that bottoming does not occur, the pressure of the air cell 2 can be automatically maintained at an appropriate value even for patients having different weights. Therefore, an operation of inputting the weight of the patient in advance and setting the pressure in the air cell is not required. Therefore, it is possible to provide a pressure ulcer prevention air mat device that is easy to handle and highly reliable.

Of course, the valve station 25 of this embodiment
Is an example, and may be a valve station having another configuration capable of controlling the pressure in the air cell by controlling the sensor 7. For example, if the solenoid valve is opened at the timing of exhaust, the air cell 2 can be operated only by the solenoid valve.
Pressure can be controlled.

An air mat device 5 as shown in FIG.
It is also possible to control the pressure of each air mat by using 0. In the system shown in FIG.
Are connected individually to a valve station 52 via an air hose 51. The valve station 52 is composed of 20 switching valves, and each switching valve supplies air supplied from the air supply device 10 to each air cell 2 and discharges air from each air cell 2 to the atmosphere. It has a function that can do it. Further, also in this example, each air cell is provided with a sensor for detecting bottom contact.

As shown in FIG. 5, in the system of the present example, air cells belonging to five groups A, B, C, D and E are cyclically arranged. Then, the valve is opened cyclically in the order shown in FIG. 6, for example, in the order of ACEBD, and the pressure is released.

On the other hand, in the air cells other than those which are not depressurized, the air is supplied until the bottom is no longer detected by the bottom sensor, and the valve is closed when the bottom is no longer reached. The control of supplying air to the individual air cells until the bottom does not reach the bottom is always performed except for the air cells that are depressurized.

In the air mat device 50 of this embodiment, after the elapse of the inflation / expansion time which can be arbitrarily set in advance by the user, the air cells belonging to the next group are depressurized. Air is supplied to the pressurized air cell until it no longer bottoms out as described above. Therefore, similarly to the above, the pressure in the air cell is controlled so that the pressure does not bottom out. Therefore, bottoming can be prevented without setting the weight, and the pressure in the air cell can be kept at the lower limit, so that the body pressure can be dispersed. Further, since the air from some air cells is always released, a decompression effect can be obtained, and the occurrence of pressure sores can be prevented very effectively.

In the above example, the conductive sheet is mounted on the inner surface of the air cell. However, the material of the corresponding portion of the air cell may be made conductive to function as a sensor for detecting bottoming. Can be.

Further, the bottoming detection sensor 7 is not limited to the above, and may have several modifications. FIG.
8 and FIG. 8 show a modification, in which the vicinity of the air cell 2 is extracted and shown. The sensor 7 of the present embodiment includes a conductive sheet 7c provided outside the air cell 2 so as to protrude into a gap 8 between the adjacent air cells 2 and a conductive sheet 4 provided as an underlay of the air mat 3. It is composed of a combination. In such a sensor 7, FIG.
When the air cell 2 expands as shown in FIG.
c separates from the underlying sheet 4. On the other hand, when bottoming occurs and the air cell contracts, FIG.
As shown in (2), the sensor sheet 7c projecting into the gap 8 comes into contact with the underlying sheet 4. Therefore, bottoming can be detected in the same manner as described above by detecting conduction of the sheets 7c and 4.

In the sensor 7 of the present embodiment, a sensor sheet 7c can be provided outside the air cell 2;
It has a simpler configuration.

Further, as shown in FIG. 9, a pressure switch 9 capable of detecting pressure, such as a pressure sensor or a touch sensor, can be used as the bottoming sensor 7 instead of the sheet. When the pressure switch 9 is arranged on the sheet 5 under the gap 8 between the adjacent air cells 2, FIG.
As shown in (a), when the air cell 2 is inflated and the body of the patient 30 is separated from the underlay sheet 5, the pressure switch 9 does not operate. On the other hand, as shown in FIG. 9B, the air cell 2 is crushed and the body of the patient 30 is
, The pressure switch 9 operates to detect that bottoming has occurred. The pressure switch 9
The accuracy may not be so high, and it may be sufficient to judge whether the pressure is applied or whether the pressure of about several hundred grams is applied. By judging the state of each air cell 2 using such a pressure switch 9, the pressure of the air cell 2 can be maintained at a pressure close to the lower limit at which bottoming does not occur in the same manner as described above.

Further, as shown in FIG. 10, a pressure switch 9 serving as a bottoming sensor 7 can be arranged near the vertex 2a of the air cell 2. Even if it is arranged at this position, when bottoming occurs, the pressure switch 9 is interposed between the body of the patient 30 and the portion of the patient 30 that becomes a hard floor, so that the inflated air cell 2 and the body of the patient 30 Since the pressure (second pressure) higher than the contact pressure (first pressure) acts, bottoming can be sensed by detecting the pressure. Therefore, when the second pressure is detected, bottoming can be eliminated by supplying air to the air cell 2.

Further, by arranging the pressure switch 9 at this position, as described above, the air cell 2 and the patient 3
Pressure between body 0, ie, contact pressure (first pressure)
Can be detected.

In order to prevent pressure ulcers, it is effective to suppress the contact pressure to a predetermined value (about 32 mmHg) or less, and a pressure switch 9 having an accuracy capable of detecting such a value is adopted as the pressure switch 9 of this embodiment. This makes it possible to control the contact pressure. In the air mat device 1 of the present embodiment, the air cell 2 is operated at the lowest pressure that does not cause bottoming.
Is expanded, so that the normal contact pressure can be suppressed to a specified value or less, so that there is no problem. However, when the patient changes his / her posture or restores the bed that has been gagged up, the pressure applied to the air cell 2 decreases, and the pressure in the air cell may become too high.
As described above, since the air mat device 1 of the present example repeats the expansion and contraction, the internal pressure of the air cell 2 becomes an appropriate value in the next cycle, but the contact pressure becomes higher than the predetermined value by the pressure switch 9 of the present example. In such a case, control for discharging air from the air cell 2 can be performed. As a result, the contact pressure can be prevented from exceeding the specified value even in a short time, so that the effect of further preventing the occurrence of pressure sores can be obtained.

In order to provide such a contact pressure sensing sensor 9 on the air mat 3, a method is conceivable in which the sensor 9 covers the sheet 6, which is entirely distributed in a grid pattern, on the air mat 3. Of course, it is also possible to attach the contact pressure sensor 9 to the air cell 2.

[0040]

As described above, the air mat device according to the present invention detects the occurrence of bottoming in each air cell, and reduces the pressure of each air cell to such an extent that bottoming does not occur. Can be kept at a low value. Therefore, bottoming can be reliably prevented irrespective of the patient's body position and weight, and the contact pressure can be prevented from increasing due to an excessive increase in the pressure of the air cell. Therefore, the air mat device of the present invention is suitable for a body pressure dispersing bedding that prevents pressure ulcers.

Further, since bottoming can be reliably prevented without increasing the size of the air cell, the patient can be stably held with bedding of an appropriate height. In addition, since it is not necessary to use a large air cell, the air mat device can be compactly provided and can be provided at low cost. Further, the air mat device of the present invention can reliably prevent bottoming when the gag is raised, so that the patient can be cared with peace of mind.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is a perspective view showing an air mat device according to the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a view showing a state where a patient is lying on the air mat shown in FIG. 1;

FIG. 3 is a view showing an air cell of an air mat extracted.

FIG. 4 is a diagram showing a schematic configuration of an air mat device.

FIG. 5 is a diagram illustrating an air mat device different from FIG. 4;

FIG. 6 is a diagram showing control of the air mat device shown in FIG.

FIG. 7 is a view showing a modification of the air mat according to the present invention.

FIG. 8 is a diagram showing how bottoming is detected by an air cell of the air mat shown in FIG. 7;

FIG. 9 is a view showing a modification of the air mat according to the present invention.

FIG. 10 is a diagram further showing a modified example of the air mat according to the present invention.

[Explanation of symbols]

Reference Signs List 1,50 Air mat device 2 Air cell 3 Air mat 4,5 Underlay sheet 6 Sheet with pressure sensor 7 Sensor, 7a Upper sensor sheet, 7b Lower sensor sheet 8 Gap 10 Air supply device 11 Air source, 12 rotary valve, 13 Exhaust port, 20 Connection pipe, 21 Air pipe 25, 52 Valve station 26 Solenoid valve 27 Check valve 29 Bottoming detector 30 Patient

Claims (7)

[Claims] 1. A plurality of bag-shaped air cells arranged in parallel so as to form an air mat, a supply device capable of inflating and contracting each of the air cells by supplying and discharging air, and at least a center of the air mat. Detecting means for detecting a bottom of each of the air cells arranged in the air cell, wherein the supply device can supply air until the bottom of the air cell is eliminated. apparatus. 2. The air mat device according to claim 1, wherein said detection means is arranged on the entire surface of said air mat. 3. The apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the detecting means includes a conductive sheet facing the inside of the air cell and separately disposed upward and downward, and separately disposed above and below the air cell. An air mat device which detects bottoming by conduction of a cut sheet. 4. The sheet according to claim 3, wherein one of the sheets is provided so as to cover approximately half a circumference of the inner surface of the air cell, and the other sheet is provided separately. An air mat device which is narrow and is provided near an upper or lower center. 5. The method according to claim 1, wherein the detecting means includes: a conductive first sheet laid under the air cell;
A second sheet provided on the outer surface of each air cell at a position separated from the first sheet when inflated and in contact with the first sheet when contracted; An air mat device which detects bottoming by conduction of a second sheet. 6. The pressure detecting device according to claim 1, wherein the detecting means includes a plurality of pressure switches capable of transmitting the electric pressure by converting the pressurized with the bottom into an electric signal. An air mat device, which is arranged on an upper surface or a lower surface of the air cell, or between individual air cells. 7. The pressure switch according to claim 6, wherein the pressure switch is capable of detecting a first pressure set to hold a body by the air cell and a second pressure accompanying bottoming. A switch is disposed on an upper surface of each of the air cells, and the supply device discharges air from the air cell when a first pressure is detected, and the air cell when the second pressure is detected. An air mat device characterized in that air can be supplied to the air mat.