JPH0322179B2 - - Google Patents

Description

[Detailed description of the invention]

The present invention relates to a fluidized bed type patient support structure that supports a patient's body using a fluidized bed or a fluidized bed, and this device can be used for burn patients and other patients.
It is particularly suitable for patients who are immobile during long recovery periods. To explain its history, as a hospital bed, it is possible to adjust the height and the patient's posture, but it is equipped with a mattress spring device to support the patient, which is covered with an appropriate bed cloth. composition has been commonly used.
However, regarding the use of ordinary hospital beds,
A special problem is that a patient being supported on a bed support surface for a long period of time with little movement can result in significant bedsores or pressure sores as a result of localized compression between the support surface and parts of the patient's body. occurred. Furthermore, in the case of burn patients, where the pain of the wound is widespread, the use of conventional beds not only poses problems related to the healing process based on contact between the patient's raw body parts and the supporting surface. This also created hygiene problems based on secretions from the patient's body. Similarly, with regard to other types of wounds and other causes of limited patient movement, conventional hospital beds have presented many problems. In order to eliminate the above-mentioned problems associated with conventional hospital beds, fluidized bed patient support structures have been developed; for example, according to U.S. Pat. a tank partially filled with a layer of granular material, the granular material being covered by a flexible sheet that rests on the differential user surface and fits loosely into contact with the patient's body. It is being said. A fluid, e.g. air, is forced through the differential user to fluidize the granular material, advantageously ceramic spheres, thereby creating a suitable flotation for supporting the patient's body on the flexible sheet above the fluidized bed. Power is generated. Such a format provides a highly flexible support force to the patient's body, which reduces the occurrence of pressure sores or pressure sores, and which also reduces the inherent traumatic effects such as those caused by severe burns. Calm symptoms. Yet another fluid bed patient support structure of a similar type is described in U.S. Pat. ,
Advantageously, the ceramic sphere has a control device that periodically fluidizes it in order to levitate and support the patient's body, so that in the non-flowing state the patient is immobilized with a contour corresponding to his body. Partially subsides into the granular material layer, resulting in a structured structure.
The cyclic effect of fluidization-immobilization of the layer of granular material causes a change in the patient's posture, which reduces the occurrence of bedsores and the like. Ceramic balls are used in both of the fluidized bed patient supports described above, and for adult patients, the fluidized granulate depth on the differential user plate is typically approximately 12 inches (30.48 cm) minimum.
This prevents the patient's body from coming into contact with the differential user plate even when the patient is sitting on the bed. However, especially if the patient attempts to descend from the support structure, even in a sitting position, it goes without saying that the weight will be concentrated locally and the depth of the granular material will be reduced. Below that minimum of 12 inches (30.48 cm), the patient's buttocks are submerged in the granular material and separated from the differential user plate only by the cover sheet, which can create high pressure points. The patient remains in the supine position. For support structures for children or adults, only relatively small minimum depths of the granular material are required. Additionally, one construction type of commercial adult fluidized bed support structure uses approximately 1.600 lb (726 kg) ceramic balls, and therefore , Sufficient strength is required for the support frame of the fluidized bed support structure. The total weight of the support structure is approximately 2200 pounds (998 kilograms) including the structure sidewalls extending above the differential user plate defined by the required minimum depth.
Due to the above-mentioned high overall construction weight, the supporting frame must of course have a correspondingly sufficient strength. Current commercial fluidized bed support structures are subject to the above and other requirements, which limit their use in terms of cost, structural design dimensions, and the like. Furthermore, the use of such commercial fluidized bed support structures is limited, especially in areas other than specially constructed dedicated hospital rooms, although they are extremely useful. Furthermore, in the fluidized bed type patient support structure described above, the differential user board used for commercial purposes is a particle board having a uniform porous structure over its entire surface; , with approximately 5 micron pores that on the one hand prevent the passage of ceramic microspheres or other granular materials and on the other hand allow passage of fluids such as air. One object of the present invention is to provide an improved fluidized bed patient support structure. Another object of the invention is to provide an improved fluidized bed patient support structure that has great flexibility in design modifications, is lightweight, relatively inexpensive, and easy to maintain clean. It's about doing. Yet another object of the present invention is to provide an improved fluidized bed patient support structure in which a portion of the fluidized granular material layer is contoured to suit the needs of the patient supported thereon. It is in. Yet another object of the present invention is to provide an improved fluidized bed patient support structure in which fluidized granular material layers can be used at varying depths. The above object has been achieved by the present invention as follows. i.e. a support having a container open at the top, a layer of granular material received within the container, and supporting the granular material layer within the container over a plurality of layers at different depths; A fluidizing device which has a support body having porosity that allows a fluid to pass through but not a granular material, and which fluidizes the granular material on the support material by supplying a fluid under pressure. The fluidization device and the porous support cooperate to fluidize the granular material within the container in a manner suitable for supporting the whole body of the patient in a supine position, and to support the flexible member. the flexible member surrounds the granular material for supporting a patient thereon, and the flexible member is at least partially permeable to fluid and impermeable to the granular material. It is made like this. Although the fluidized bed patient support structure of the present invention having such a configuration has the same high utility as existing commercial fluidized bed patient support structures,
It does not have the series of disadvantages already mentioned for the known examples. The fluidized bed patient support structure of the present invention is small, inexpensive, lightweight, has the flexibility to be used in a wide variety of applications, and does not require stringent maintenance requirements. . According to an advantageous embodiment of the invention, the invention comprises: (a) a container which is open at the top; (b) a layer of granular material received within said container; and (c) said granules. supporting a first portion of the granular material at a first depth within the container; and at least one of the granular materials.
a support for supporting another portion of the granular material at a lesser depth within the container, also adjacent to the outside of the first portion of the granular material; does not allow granular substances to pass through,
Each predetermined area has a different porosity, and (d)
a fluidizing device for fluidizing the granular material on the support, and a porosity having a predetermined value below each portion of the granular material layer of the support, and granules therein; The relationship between the depth of the granular material and the fluidized granular material is such that the entire range of the patient's body is supported in the supine position; The flexible member has a structure in at least a portion thereof that allows fluid to pass therethrough but does not allow granular material to pass therethrough.
In a further advantageous embodiment of the invention, the support for the granular material has a uniform porosity and the parameters of the fluidization device are such that a suitable fluidized bed or bed of the granular material is formed. In order to produce this, it is varied over the surface of the support. According to yet another embodiment of the present invention, the tank has an open top, and a support is disposed in the tank above the bottom wall of the tank and between the bottom wall and the support body. A plurality of filling chambers are formed. A differential user plate having a predetermined shape is arranged on the support body. Granular material, preferably ceramic spheres,
A layer is disposed on the differential user plate with a flexible sheet covering the surface of this layer.
Further, a device is provided for filling the filling chamber with a compressed fluid, which device causes the fluid to pass through the differential user plate and is configured to adjust the pressure of the fluid, the flow rate of the fluid, and the porosity of the differential user plate. , the granular material is fluidized on the defuser plate. Of course, the parameters of fluid flow rate, fluid pressure, and defuser plate porosity must be determined in conjunction with the granular material so that it is fluidized and provides adequate patient support. According to the invention, the differential user plate generally has a corresponding shape defined by the patient's normal position on it. The differential user plate is placed relatively high within the tank in areas where relatively little pressure is required for patient support. Porous polymeric members are suitable for achieving this purpose. It is also possible to increase the degree of porosity of the differential user plate in proportion to the depth of the granular material supported thereon, or it is possible to keep the porosity constant, whereas the fluidizing force can be increased It can also be varied by restricting the fluid flow rate through the tube orifice through the tube or by the use of multiple fluidization devices, or by other similar means. The improved fluidized bed patient support structure of the present invention significantly reduces the amount of granular material required to support a patient with a fluidized bed;
At the same time, it creates an appropriate fluidized bed depth in the central part of the structure, so that even when the patient is in a sitting position,
There is no contact with the differential user plate below the flexible sheet. Granular material weight can be reduced by almost 30% compared to existing commercial structures. The primary cost of the structure frame is therefore also lower. Similarly, the cost of ceramic spheres or other granular materials is significantly lower. The reduced weight and rigid construction provide greater portability of the fluidized bed patient support structure, thus allowing the fluidized bed patient support structure of the present invention to be transportable, allowing e.g. can be transferred directly from the operating room to a fluidized bed patient support structure,
Stretchers are not required. Also, the psychological tendency of the patient is significantly improved.
This is because the improved structure of the present invention allows for significant design changes and therefore can be designed to have a significantly improved aesthetic design. The invention will now be explained with reference to the illustrated embodiment. In FIG. 1, the fluidized bed patient support structure of the present invention is shown in assembled perspective view, generally designated by the numeral 10. Vertical side wall 11 and vertical end wall 14
, which are combined with a bottom wall 16 to form a tank or container open at the top;
It has a flexible sheet 30 received within it, supported by a fluidized bed of granular material (not shown), on which the patient is directly supported. As shown in FIG. 1, the patient is generally supported at some depth within a fluid bed of granular material having a flexible sheet 30;
0 means that in the area immediately adjacent to the patient's body without contact, the fluidized bed is formed at a higher position than the underside of the patient's body, so that it fits snugly to the patient's body. do. As previously mentioned, due to the unique configuration of the fluidized bed patient support device 10 of the present invention, its overall weight is significantly less than conventional fluidized bed support structures. Conventional fluidized bed support structures have wheeled systems, but are not actually moved. Some conventional fluidized bed constructions actually use a spring device at the connection between the wheels and the support structure, which is compressed when the granular material is filled into the container and forces the wheels. I made it immobile. The structure of the invention is made practically movable even in the presence of granular material, as indicated by the rollers or wheels 18 arranged on the underside of the container. According to this type of construction, the structure can be transported from one location to another, for example from a hospital room to an operating room, and in the operating room the patient can be transferred directly from the operating table to the fluidized bed support structure. You can return to the hospital room. The wheels 18 and the associated frame structure are a support means for movably supporting a fluidized bed patient support structure that is ready to be fluidized. Although not shown in the drawings, the movable support means described above therefore prevent unintentional and accidental movement of the fluidized bed patient structure after the patient has been transported until the next time it is needed. The wheels can then be locked by conventional means. The container or tank, generally designated 15, may be constructed from any suitable material to support the weight of the patient and accessories, such as auxiliary fiberglass sheets, foam core polymer sheets or the like. By using lightweight structural materials, the weight of the entire structure can be further reduced. Figures 2, 3 and 4 show details of one embodiment of the fluidized bed patient support structure of the present invention. The support 21 is arranged within the interior space defined by the side walls 12 and the end walls 14 and is spaced apart from the bottom wall 16, with which it forms a filling chamber 22. As can be seen particularly in FIG. 4, the support 21 advantageously has a skeleton frame structure which does not impede the flow of air therethrough, yet has adequate strength to support other components thereon. have. At the top of the support is located a differential user plate 23, which has a special profile, as shown in the drawings, particularly in FIG. The distance between the patient and the differential user plate on the object changes depending on the patient's movement and weight, i.e. in areas where the weight per unit area is expected to be higher, the profile of the differential user plate is It has changed so that a deeper layer of granular material appears above it. Conversely, in the peripheral area of a fluidized bed patient support structure and in the case of lighter patients, a shallower layer of granular material develops on the differential user plate. FIGS. 2 and 3 show the outline of one advantageous design of the deuser plate. In area A, which generally corresponds to the patient's buttocks and the middle of the torso and the center of the container, the fluidized bed depth is approximately 11 to 12 inches on the differential user plate 23 in the case of an adult patient using ceramic balls. (approximately 27.94 to 30.48 cm). Large patient weight and pressure will cause area A
In this case, the buoyancy force of the fluidized bed is not exceeded and there is uniform contact between the patient's body and the differential user plate 23, especially when the patient is in a sitting position. Similarly, in the area indicated by the symbol B, i.e., the area B where the weight per unit area is small and where it is expected that the patient's body parts are less likely to come into direct contact with the differential user plate 23, the fluidized bed thickness is smaller, e.g. An inch (22.86 cm) fluidized bed is created. These areas are generally located along the legs and upper torso. Furthermore, generally in the area C below and above the patient's foot, the differential user plate 23 assumes a different height position as well as the periphery of the support structure, for example approximately 6 inches (approximately
This creates a fluidized bed depth of 15.24 cm). The varying levels (height positions) of the differential user plate 23 are marked 23a, 23 corresponding to the support areas A, B and C.
b and 23c. Areas A, B and C
The above fluidized bed depths for are generally advantageous for adult structures, but of course the individual depths also depend on the amount of granular material, the porosity of the defuser plate,
Determined by fluid pressure and flow rate. The buoyancy force generated by the fluidized granular material, such as ceramic microspheres, on the top surface of the diffuser plate is proportional to the depth of the granular material on the differential user plate. Therefore, in order to prevent uneven distribution of fluidizing air passing over the surface of the support structure, the porosity of the differential user plate 23 is limited to the height of the differential user plate above the bottom of the container and the upper part of this differential user plate. is varied in direct relation to the depth of the fluidized bed. A structural part with a larger porosity is provided in the differential user plate area 23a of the fluidized bed depth (A), whereas an area 23b corresponding to the fluidized bed depth (B) has a smaller porosity. In addition, the area 23c corresponding to the fluidized bed depth (C) has an even smaller porosity. In this manner, the differential user plate 23 has a porosity that varies across the differential user plate surface, which varies directly with the depth of the fluidized bed formed thereon. There is a layer of granular material on the upper surface of the differential user plate 23, which is present between the differential user plate 23 and the flexible sheet 30. As shown in FIG. 2, in the unfluidized state, the layer of granular material is only concentrated on the differential user plate 23, and the patient is able to In other words, it is supported in a sunken state, and the granular material layer is hard in its unfluidized state and can support the body on top of it. The fluid pressure generating device is generally designated 40 and is connected to the filling chamber 22 in which a special fluid pressure is generated. As can be seen in FIG. 2, the fluid pressure generating device 40 is located outside the structure 10 and is connected to the filling chamber 22 via a conduit 42. Also schematically shown are fluid conditioning devices 43, such as heaters, to warm or otherwise condition the fluid. The device 40 can also be arranged within the filling chamber 22, especially if the structure is designed to be self-propelled.
In this case, in order to activate the fluid pressure generating device 40 for fluidizing the granular material, it is only necessary to provide the device with an electrical connector. In practice, the fluid pressure generating device 40 can be battery operated, resulting in a completely independent fluidized bed patient support structure. As far as the fluid pressure generating device 40 is concerned, it may be any suitable device for generating a suitable fluid pressure within the filling chamber 22.
Due to the generally constant fluid pressure in the filling chamber 22, fluid flows out of the filling chamber 22 through the defuser plate 23, again depending on the degree of porosity of the particular area of the defuser plate 23, and forms particulate material. and fluidize it into a fluidized bed at each height position on the defuser plate depending on the porosity of the defuser plate area. A further embodiment of the invention is shown in FIGS. 5 and 6. A fluidized bed patient support structure is indicated generally at 110 and includes a granular material and further includes a container 115 open at the top.
has a porous support 123 having suitable areas 123a, 123b and 123c located at a predetermined height on the bottom wall 116 of the frame and resting on a skeletal base 150. The support 123 has a common porosity over the entire area. The multiple walls 151, 152 and 153 are connected to the base 1.
50 and the bottom wall 116 to define fill chambers 122, 122' and 122'', each buttful wall cooperating with means for restricting fluid flow therethrough, e.g. 6. In particular, each buttful wall 151, 15
2 and 153 advantageously have one or more orifices or the like of a predetermined size and/or shape for obtaining a predetermined fluid flow rate. Due to the uniform porosity of the support, the fluid pressure for each depth zone of the support fluidizes the granular material on the support to make it suitable for supporting a supine patient. It is changed and controlled. As shown in the drawings, the fluid pressure generating device 140 is connected to the filling chamber 122', so that the pressure fluid passes through a particular orifice in each of the baffle walls 151, 152 and 153 to the other. Flowing into the filling chamber, the granular material 125 is properly fluidized. Although shown, it is also possible to use multiple fluid pressure generators for different baffle zones, each of which is not in fluid flow with one another. In particular, as can be seen from Figure 6, the full wall 260
has an orifice 262 with a cover plate 264 movable across the orifice cross-section in a suitable valve arrangement or slide track 266.
have. The cover plate 264 or valve arrangement has an elongate control member 268 secured thereto that extends outwardly from the cover plate through a second hole 214' in the side wall 214 of the container 215 and is connected to a handle 270. It's finished. Control member 2 in the direction towards or away from the side wall 214
Movement of 68 opens or closes the orifice 162 and a scale 272 is provided along the control member 268 indicating the degree of opening or closing of the orifice 262 for the respective position of the control member 268 relative to the side wall 214. Ru. Orifice chair 2
The aperture of 62 can therefore be fixed at a certain degree of closure for future adjustment of the fluid flow rate, if necessary. A further, rectangular orifice 263 is shown in dashed lines in FIG. 6 to indicate that several orifices or orifice shapes may be used as desired. Although not specifically described, the present invention allows intermittent or periodic fluid pressure effects to be produced by fluid pressure generator 40140, as described in U.S. Pat. No. 3,866,606. It is. Generally, fluid pressure generators 40 and 140 are activated intermittently at predetermined time intervals;
It is also possible to fluidize the granular material 25 and support the patient on such a fluidized bed. Such an action, as already mentioned, can give the patient a pine surge effect and reduce the progression of pressure sore ulcers by imparting this to the patient supported on the granular material in an unfluidized state. can be suppressed. Although it is possible, on the one hand, to achieve the desired result and, on the other hand, to use some porous material that blocks the passage of the granular material passing through, very suitable differential user plates are State, Glasrock Products
Glasrock Products, Inc.
It can be made from porous polymeric materials, such as POLEX, a porous plastic manufactured by Inc. Fairburn, Georgia). This porous plastic has a porous structure with pores interconnected in all directions, the size of which can be controlled from approximately 10 to 500 micrometers depending on the polymer used. Since the different zones are located at different heights, a vertical plate zone can be used to connect them, in which case the thrust of the pressurized fluid through the differential user plate is applied to the granules on the differential user plate. It is desirable to act in all directions to fluidize the material. In particular, the correlation of fluid flow rate and pressure to granulate depth is shown in the Tables and Tables below. Experiments were conducted using a 9 inch by 9 inch differential user board made from 0.775 inch thick POREXSPIGUM material. This differential user board was placed in a container with a variable speed blower located underneath.
Spherical soda-lime beads with a nominal 100 micron particle size were used, which were initially placed in the container to cover the bottom surface appropriately. Bead depth is
It was 0.875 inches (2.144 centimeters). An air flow was then generated and intensified until the beads became fluidized. Fluidization took place at two levels. Initial fluidization is detected when a piece of wood placed on a bead begins to float, and boiling fluidization is detected when a piece of wood exhibits a jump above the bead wave observed across the bead surface. It was done. Bead depth during boiling fluidization generally increased by approximately 20%. Air pressure and air flow were measured at this time. The airflow was then shut off, additional bead quantities were injected across the surface of the defuser plate, and the experimental procedure described above was repeated. Similar results were recorded for fluidization, with bead depth also increasing by approximately 20% upon fluidization. These results are shown in the table below. The fluidizing gas was air at standard temperature and pressure. (Although the table and contents are shown in inches and feet, conversion to centimeters is omitted to make the relationship between the numerical data unclear.)

【table】

[Table] Before fluidization
The data in the table was obtained using experimental procedures similar to those for the table, except that a differential user board approximately 0.40 inches (1.016 cm) thick and approximately 32 inches by 84 inches (81.28 cm by 213.36 cm) was used. It was given to me.

[Table] Before fluidization
Other suitable materials for making the diffuser plate include porous ceramic materials, porous metal materials, porous cellulose materials and hybrids. However, it is not limited to these. The granular material used in the improved fluidized bed patient support structure of the present invention may include any suitable granular material that is fluidized by the desired fluid pressure. Such materials include
Examples include, but are not limited to, sand, glass beads, ceramic spheres and the like. The invention is not restricted to the embodiments described and illustrated in detail above, but can furthermore be implemented in many different ways.

[Brief explanation of the drawing]

The drawings show an embodiment of the present invention, and FIG. 1 is a perspective view of an improved fluidized bed patient support structure according to the present invention, and FIG. 2 is a longitudinal cross-section of the fluidized bed patient support structure of FIG. 1. 3 is a vertical cross-sectional view taken along the lines of FIG. 1 of the fluidized bed patient support structure of FIG. 1; and FIG. 4 is an exploded view of the components of the fluidized bed patient support structure of the present invention. 5 is a longitudinal sectional view of another embodiment of the fluidized bed type patient support structure of the present invention, and FIG. 6 is a partial schematic diagram of a buttful plate that can be used in the embodiment of FIG. 5. It is. 10... Fluidized bed type patient support structure, 11... Side wall, 14... Vertical end wall, 15... Container, 16
...Bottom wall, 18...Wheel, 21...Support, 22
. . . Filling chamber, 23 . . . Defuser plate, 25 . ... Fluidized bed type patient support structure, 115 ... Container, 116 ... Bottom wall, 123 ... Support body, 122 ... Filling chamber, 12
5... Granular material, 140... Fluid pressure generator, 150... Skeleton base, 151,152,1
53...Batsuful wall, 214...Side wall, 215...
...Container, 260...Bassful wall, 262...
Orifice, 263... Orifice, 264 Cover plate, 266... Slide track, 26
8...Control member, 270...Handle, 272...
…scale.

Claims (1)

[Scope of Claims] 1. A fluidized bed support structure comprising: (a) a container with an open top; (b) a layer of granular material received within the container; C) The container has a support that supports the granular material layer in multiple layers with different depths, and the support has porosity that allows the fluid to pass through without the granular material passing through. (d) having a fluidizing device for fluidizing the granular material by pressurized supply of fluid on the granular material support, and by the cooperation of the fluidizing device and the porous support. , the granular material is fluidized in a container so as to be suitable for supporting the whole body of a patient in a supine position; A fluidized bed patient support structure surrounding the granular material, wherein at least a portion of the flexible member is configured to allow fluid to pass therethrough but not the granular material. thing. 2. The support comprises a plurality of individual sheets, in which at least some of the seeds have a different porosity for fluid passage than other sheets. Fluidized bed patient support structure as described in Section 1. 3. The support is configured such that the center of the entire length of the support, which corresponds to the area where the patient's buttock is placed, is relatively deep and receives a granular material layer, and the depth of the granular material layer is: 2. The fluid bed type patient support structure according to claim 1, wherein the granular material has a value that does not lose its supporting force in a fluid state when subjected to the weight of a sitting patient. 4. A fluidized bed patient support structure according to claim 1, wherein the granular material is a glass sphere. 5 The support is disposed within the container and spaced upwardly from the bottom of the container, and cooperates with the container wall below the support to form a fluid-filled chamber between the support and the bottom of the container. A fluidized bed patient support structure according to claim 1. 6. A baffle member is arranged on the underside of the support to form fluid-filled chambers, the baffle member cooperating with the walls of the container to form a plurality of fill chambers, and A filling chamber is assigned to each section of the support, and each baffle member is configured to pass only a predetermined fluid flow rate, thereby controlling the fluid parameters in each filling chamber to 6. A fluidized bed patient support structure according to claim 5, which properly fluidizes the granular material on the upper side. 7. The fluidized bed patient support structure of claim 5, wherein the fluidizing device for fluidizing the granular material includes a fluid blower connected to the filling chamber. 8. The fluidizing device for fluidizing the granular material has a fluid blower connected to the interior of one of the filling chambers, and the baffle member fluidizes the granular material on the filling chamber. 7. A fluidized bed patient support structure according to claim 6, further comprising at least one orifice having a predetermined size and profile to permit the passage of a fluid suitable for the fluid flow. 9. A fluidized bed patient support structure according to claim 6, further comprising a conditioning device cooperating with said fluid blower for conditioning the fluid supplied to the filling chamber. 10 The member covering the open side of the container is made of a flexible sheet, and the flexible sheet is received in the container so that the sheet is laid loose under the patient's body supported thereon. A fluidized bed patient support structure according to claim 1. 11 Claim 10, wherein the sheet is a sheet that allows fluid to pass through but does not allow granular substances to pass through.
Fluidized bed patient support structure as described in Section 1. 12. A fluidized bed patient support structure according to claim 1, wherein the porosity of the support varies depending on the depth of the layer of granular material fluidized on the support. 13. A claim in which a relatively deep, fluidizable granular material is located in a central portion of the structure, and a relatively shallow, fluidizable granular material is located adjacent to the central portion. 13. The fluidized bed patient support structure according to claim 12. 14. A fluidized bed patient support structure, which (a) has a container that is open at the top and is constituted by a bottom wall and a side wall, and (b) is located at a distance above the bottom wall. (c) a support received on the frame;
(d) the support has a porosity that allows the passage of fluid but not the granular material received thereon, and has a cross-sectional shape adapted to the various depths of the granular material layer; a layer of granular material is disposed within the container on the support, the depth of the granular material on the support varying in accordance with the cross-sectional shape of the support; a flexible cover for said container; (f) a device for supplying fluid through a filling chamber under said support to fluidize the granular material in said support; said device; and said porous support, said granular material is fluidized to be suitable for supporting a patient in a supine position on said support, and the depth of the granular material layer and said support are 1. A fluidized bed patient support structure characterized in that the porosity of the structure is such that a patient's body is supported without touching the bottom in an area where the patient normally sits. 15 A baffle member is disposed below the support, and the buffle member is combined with the wall of the container to form a plurality of filling chambers corresponding to the cross-sectional shape of the support, and The baffle member is constructed to allow only a predetermined fluid flow rate to pass therethrough, thereby providing a different controlled flow within each filling chamber in order to cause proper fluidization of the granular material above each filling chamber. 15. The fluidized bed patient support structure of claim 14, wherein the fluidized bed patient support structure provides a fluid flow rate and fluid pressure of approximately 100%. 16. The fluidized bed patient support structure of claim 15, wherein at least some of the baffle members have orifices. 17. The fluidized bed patient support structure of claim 16, wherein said orifice has a cooperating orifice adjustment device. 18. The fluidized bed patient support structure of claim 17, wherein said orifice adjustment device is operable from outside said container.