JP2003531680A - mattress - Google Patents

Abstract

(57) Abstract: A plurality of inflatable air bubbles that define a support surface for supporting a patient, and pressurized air is supplied to the air bubbles to selectively expand and contract the air bubbles. And a viscoelastic foam layer covering at least a portion of the support surface.

Description

Detailed Description of the Invention

The present invention relates to a mattress for suppressing the generation and growth of acne (rubbing of the floor). More specifically, but not exclusively, the invention provides
The present invention relates to a mattress composed of a plurality of inflatable air bubbles covered with a viscoelastic foam layer.

It is a well-known problem that pressure ulcers develop in bedridden patients. At hospitals, caregivers try to control the outbreak of acne by changing the patient's position approximately every few hours. However, this can be very time consuming and can even cause physical harm to caregivers at times.

Air mattresses that dynamically suspend air are well known in the art of treating acne reduction. Such mattresses include a series of air-filled tubes with laterally disposed floating substrates at a location below the patient's body. A control device causes these tubes to expand and contract to continuously change compression positions under the patient's body. Patients will not be exposed to any pressure from the mattress on any part of the body underneath, thus reducing the formation of acne. Such mattresses are used for critically ill patients who are at high risk of developing acne ulcers and damaging cells.

However, such an air-floating mattress produces a noticeable rocking sensation with the eyes. A patient with a good sensory function will instantly feel this movement and immediately feel uncomfortable.

Accordingly, a first object of the present invention is to provide a plurality of inflatable vesicles that define a supporting surface for supporting a patient's body, and to selectively inflate and deflate the vesicles. And a control mechanism for supplying pressurized air to the alveoli, and a viscoelastic foam layer covering at least one portion of the supporting surface, and a mattress useful for treating acne. Is to provide.

The viscoelastic foam layer of the present invention reduces such a feeling of rocking, improves the comfort of the patient in bed, and reduces the maximum pressure point generated by the alveoli. Thus, the viscoelastic layer acts like a shock absorber or shock absorber, absorbing energy output from the expansion core. In addition, the viscoelastic layer of the present application provides broader compatibility, i.e., it distributes the patient's weight bearing over a wider area.

The inflatable vesicles of known air mattresses are made of materials that are largely inelastic, but such materials create a localized area of contact between the patient and the mattress, which results in a localized area of contact. The result is that pressure is applied to the patient's skin. The point of contact between the mattress and the patient will change as the air vesicles expand and contract, yet this will result in the formation of a pimple ulcer. Since the viscoelastic foam layer of the mattress according to the present invention diffuses the pressure between the patient and the mattress in a wide range, it is possible to suppress the formation of the highest pressure point.

Furthermore, the mattress according to the present invention can be used for mild to severe patients. This mattress acts as a standard viscoelastic foam mattress for use by mild patients by maintaining inflating alveoli at constant pressure. And by varying the pressure in the inflated vesicles, the mattress becomes more suitable for use in critically ill patients, that is, it functions as an alternating pressure therapy device.

The expanded cells are preferably separated and sectioned by the wall of the viscoelastic foam. Such walls can absorb the horizontal forces exerted on the sides of the inflated vesicles when the patient is lying on the mattress. As a result, as the pressure in the inflated vesicles is changed, the pressure applied to the patient is gradually reduced, and the comfort for the patient is improved.

Foams are sensitive to heat and / or pressure. This allows the foam itself to be cast along the circumference of the patient's body, thereby increasing patient comfort and the effectiveness of pressure reduction.

The foam is preferably breathable and is an open, small cavity. This will reduce the moisture generated in the alveoli and ensure that the patient's lower body area has a well-ventilated, microclimate environment.

Because the inflated air bubbles are located within the viscoelastic foam, the mattress looks more like a regular mattress than an air levitation device. This is
It provides significant benefits to the patient's sensory effects.

The mattress of the present application is preferably coated with a thermoplastic cover, such as a polyurethane cover. This will prevent liquids and bacteria from entering the foam layer. As a result, cleaning and washing can be performed by the hands of the infectious disease management staff / hospital cleaning staff, etc. without taking the mattress out of the field such as a hospital.

The cover is preferably impermeable to liquids but permeable to gases. This maintains air permeability between the patient and the mattress and prevents the creation of a moist microclimate environment in the lower areas of the patient's body that may lead to cell damage to the skin. Includes a rapid deflation valve to deflate the alveoli. This allows the mattress to contract quickly, which is required, for example, to apply CPR (cardiopulmonary resuscitation) to the patient.

The present mattress further includes a pressure sensor for monitoring pressure within the at least one inflatable air bubble. This allows the control mechanism to maintain normal pressure in the alveoli. The pressure sensor preferably produces an alarm signal when the pressure in the alveoli drops. The control mechanism is preferably programmable to inflate and deflate the vesicles in a plurality of different cycles.

In a further object of the present invention, a plurality of inflatable vesicles defining a support surface for supporting a patient's body, and vesicles for selectively inflating and deflating the vesicles. A control mechanism for supplying pressurized air to the and a layer of viscoelastic foam that is applied to absorb the pressure and reduces the pressure between the patient and the mattress, making it useful for treating acne Is to provide a mattress.

[0017]

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

The present invention is described in detail below, by way of example only and not in a limiting sense, with reference to the accompanying drawings. The mattress shown in FIG. 1 comprises a series of inflatable vesicles 1, each vesicle being in the form of a tube. These tubes in combination define a support surface for supporting the patient's body.

The inflatable air bubbles 1 are made of a polyurethane material having a high elongation and hydrophobicity. The extensibility of this material ensures sufficient patient comfort and reduces the shear forces on the skin cells. It is this shearing force that is the key cause of skin damage.

In another embodiment, the inflatable vacuole 1 is made of a nylon material,
A coating of thermoplastic polyurethane is applied. Such coatings include
There are microscopic holes that allow air to escape from the alveoli during use, which helps keep the temperature of the mattress low and helps promote healing of open wounds and the like.

Generally, the length of the alveoli is about 90 cm and the diameter is 14 cm, but this value depends on the size of the mattress and also depends on clinical / patient conditions. The inflatable bladder 1 is connected to the control mechanism 3 via an air supply passage 2. The control mechanism 3 selectively supplies pressurized air to the air cells 1 to control it by expanding or contracting it.

By using the control mechanism, the individual tubes 1 are independently expanded and contracted. Generally, alternating cycles such as "AB" or "ABC" are used. In the case of the AB alternating cycle, each tube 1 expands or contracts in a phase different from that of its adjacent tube. In the case of the ABC alternating cycle, C contracts while tubes A and B expand and then B
And C expand, A contracts, and so on. The cycle time is
Generally 6 minutes for critically ill patients and 10 to 15 minutes for moderate patients.
Min, mild patients have 15 to 20 minute intervals. Such a cycle ensures that the point of contact between the patient and the mattress changes slowly and slowly over time.

The maximum and minimum air pressure of the air vesicle 1 during each cycle can be changed by programming the control mechanism 3. This is in consideration of patients with different weights. Each air bubble can be quickly and easily removed if it becomes damaged or punctured. The pressure drop due to the tube damage is due to the pressure feedback of the pump device.
When detected by the sensor 4, the sensor 4 emits an audible alarm and also activates a visual alarm function.

The pressure control mechanism can be programmed in individual cycles depending on the weight of the patient. If the pressure feedback sensor mechanism detects that the wrong patient weight has been registered from the pressure measurement, the visual alarm function is activated. If this is not corrected, then the audible alarm is activated.

The alveolar mechanism is equipped with two rapid deflation valves to rapidly deflate the tubular configuration of the mattress. Once the mattress is opened, these two valves can be deflated in about 10 seconds.

In this example, the air vesicle 1 is surrounded by a viscoelastic foam shell 7. The foam shell 7 is pressure sensitive. Foams generally have an uncompressed density of between 58 Kg and 62 Kg, a hardness of 80-120 N at 20 ° C and are fire resistant.
This foam is a small open cavity and has good breathability.

The foam 7 extends between each air cell 1 and constitutes a wall 8. In this type of foam, the wall 8 has a thickness of 10 to 20 mm. Such a wall 8 slowly absorbs the force exerted by the inflatable vacuole 1, thereby reducing the maximum pressure point with the patient mattress / patient interface. This further reduces the pressure under the lying patient's body more slowly, enhances the comfort of the patient side, and makes the unpleasant feeling of the alveolar mechanism in which the alternate air is floating Become. If the layer thickness is less than 10 mm, the layer will be easily compressed and the comfort will be lost. At layer thicknesses above 20 mm, the benefits of inflatable vesicles are lost.

The foam 7 is sealed in a plastic polyurethane stretchable multiple cover 9. The cover 9 is made by coating a polyester fabric 11 with a polyurethane coating 10. Since the cover 9 is made up of multiple layers, it is impermeable to liquids but ensures rapid breathability to gases. This allows the moisture in the foam 7 to pass through the cover 9.

The coating 10 and the base fabric 11 are designed to have expansion and contraction coefficients that are as equal as possible. This will reduce the shear forces between the coating 10 and the base fabric 11 and thus prevent separation of these layers.

The coating layer 10 can be washed by a hospital cleaner or can be subjected to high-pressure disinfection treatment on site. This mattress does not have to have to be decontaminated with professional skills. This will significantly reduce maintenance costs. The base fabric layer 11 typically weighs 125-150 g / m ² and the coating 10 typically weighs approximately 150 g / m ² .

FIG. 2 shows another embodiment of the mattress of the present invention. In this example, the foam layer 7 consists of two parts. A plurality of recesses are formed in the first portion, and open air cells are inserted therein. The second portion of the foam layer is in the form of a sheet attached to the first portion to cover the recess.

The mattress of this example includes a plurality (typically 13) of inflatable vesicles and at least one stationary tube at the head of the mattress. This stationary tube is designed to stabilize the head position under the pillow without wobbling.

[0032]   FIG. 3 shows a state in which air cells have been extracted from the mattress shown in FIG.

In FIG. 4, a rotatable medical treatment base is shown in cross section, and the bed can be used by freely rotating it from one side to the other side. This rotatable medical base includes a plurality of air bubbles, and as shown in the figure, the mattress can be swiveled around its long axis.

[Brief description of drawings]

[Figure 1]   FIG. 1 is a sectional view of a first embodiment of a mattress of the present invention.

[Fig. 2]   It is sectional drawing of 2nd Example of the mattress of this invention.

[Figure 3]   FIG. 7 is a perspective view of the second embodiment, showing a state in which air cells are removed.

FIG. 4 illustrates a cross section of a rotatable therapeutic base that can be used with the mattress of the present invention.

─────────────────────────────────────────────────── ─── Continued front page    (81) Designated countries EP (AT, BE, CH, CY, DE, DK, ES, FI, FR, GB, GR, IE, I T, LU, MC, NL, PT, SE, TR), OA (BF , BJ, CF, CG, CI, CM, GA, GN, GW, ML, MR, NE, SN, TD, TG), AP (GH, G M, KE, LS, MW, MZ, SD, SL, SZ, TZ , UG, ZW), EA (AM, AZ, BY, KG, KZ, MD, RU, TJ, TM), AE, AG, AL, AM, AT, AU, AZ, BA, BB, BG, BR, BY, B Z, CA, CH, CN, CR, CU, CZ, DE, DK , DM, DZ, EE, ES, FI, GB, GD, GE, GH, GM, HR, HU, ID, IL, IN, IS, J P, KE, KG, KP, KR, KZ, LC, LK, LR , LS, LT, LU, LV, MA, MD, MG, MK, MN, MW, MX, MZ, NO, NZ, PL, PT, R O, RU, SD, SE, SG, SI, SK, SL, TJ , TM, TR, TT, TZ, UA, UG, UZ, VN, YU, ZA, ZW F term (reference) 3B096 AB08 AD03 AD07                 4C040 AA01 CC04 EE02 EE08

Claims (13)

[Claims] 1. A mattress useful for the treatment of acne, wherein the mattress comprises a plurality of inflatable vesicles defining a support surface for supporting a patient's body, and selectively inflating and deflating the vesicles. A mattress, comprising: a control mechanism for supplying pressurized air to the air bubbles, and a viscoelastic foam layer covering at least one portion of the support surface, in order to allow the air conditioner to do so. 2. The mattress according to claim 1, wherein the foam is sensitive to pressure and / or temperature. 3. Mattress according to claim 1 or 2, characterized in that the inflatable cells are separated by viscoelastic foam walls. 4. The mattress according to claim 1, wherein the foam is breathable. 5. A mattress according to any of claims 1 to 4, wherein the inflatable air bubbles are located in a viscoelastic foam mattress. 6. The mattress according to claim 1, wherein the mattress is coated with a thermoplastic cover, preferably a polyurethane cover. 7. The mattress according to claim 6, wherein the cover is impermeable to liquid but permeable to gas. 8. The mattress according to claim 1, wherein the control mechanism includes at least one rapid contraction valve for contracting the air cells. 9. The mattress further comprises a pressure sensor for monitoring pressure in at least one inflatable air bubble.
The mattress according to any one of to 8. 10. The control mechanism is programmed to inflate and deflate air cells in a plurality of different cycles.
Mattress described in any of. 11. A mattress useful in the treatment of acne, wherein the mattress comprises a plurality of inflatable vesicles defining a support surface for supporting a patient's body, and selectively inflating or deflating the vesicles. A control mechanism for supplying pressurized air to the alveoli, for example, and a layer of viscoelastic foam applied to absorb the pressure and reduce the pressure between the patient and the mattress. Mattress to be. 12. A mattress substantially as described above. 13. A mattress as described above substantially with reference to the drawings.