WO2006021065A1

WO2006021065A1 - Hygienic litter for bedridden patients

Info

Publication number: WO2006021065A1
Application number: PCT/BR2005/000174
Authority: WO
Inventors: Edgardo René Pecorelli; Edgardo Luis Pecorelli
Original assignee: Gregorio, Miguel Angel
Priority date: 2004-08-24
Filing date: 2005-08-24
Publication date: 2006-03-02

Abstract

The hygienic litter for bedridden patients basically consists of a single washtub piece with fixed side walls at the headboards and hinged ones at the sides, the whole structure comprises a perimeter edge on which leans a perforated board or with openings where the patient is to be made hygienic, the used water being drained into a collector reservoir that takes up half the litters under surface, which content is drained through a drain provided at one of its ends. The other half of the double bottom of the litters under surface is taken up by a clean water reservoir at an adequate temperature, connected to a showerhead. The complete body of the litter is supported by a support structure made of rounded pipes which height can be adjusted and is moved on four 360° rotary wheels

Description

HYGIENIC LITTER FOR BEDRIDDEN PATIENTS

Technical field of the invention

This invention refers to a hygienic litter for bedridden patients, particularly, a height adjustable hygienic litter, to be positioned at the same level as that of the bed to transfer the patient from the bed to the litter, or from this height to the litter, and therefore, be able to proceed to make the patient hygiene, keeping the bed dry and clean.

The main subject matter of the invention being, a litter for the complete hygiene of bedridden patient's bodies to be used, both in private houses, hospitals, nursing homes or homes for the aged, and including particular structural features to carry out said cleaning, without the patient suffering physical discomfort and extremely bothersome movements, such as those undergone during hygiene in bed.

Prior Art

Periodical cleansing of bedridden patients is troublesome due to the lack of motor functions, or muscular insensitivity and in general hygiene is carried out in bed, where the patient is prostrated, which causes a lot of drawbacks because the bed gets wet with part of the liquid used to make the patient hygiene, and having to change the beddings, in spite of the care with which it is done, causing additional discomfort to the patient.

Several embodiments have referred to this issue with varying results, resorting to different technologies. The first examples consisted in big and heavy structures including water installed in them such as US 4,055,863 that discloses a bathing apparatus with a body enclosure with lowerable side panels defining a space to bath the patient with a water tubing system including a heater.

Within these kind of documents is US 5,678,257 that discloses a portable bathing apparatus comprising an elevator means to transfer the patient. Also, AT 405 133 B of similar characteristics falls within this big structure group.

This kind of litters for cleansing bedridden patients, which in a first instance provides a solution to a bath in situ, in practice has shown that it has suffered from operative problems due to the complexity of its size, great weight and troublesome working. Other more simple litters that also refer to the issue mentioned above were developed in the past, such as US Patent 3,822,421 that simply consists in a litter with dismountable walls with a pendent to drain the liquid; Publication EP 0 617 944 A1 of similar characteristics and the German Publication DE 41 35 356 A1 comprising a litter with an auxiliary structure connected to it containing two water reservoirs. These structures are simpler than the former group; notwithstanding, showing autonomy inconveniences, such as those mentioned in US Patent '421 that does not have a water installation and finding it difficult to assemble and disassemble the detachable perimeter walls. Publication DE '356 having the need of an additional auxiliary gurney to be able to provide the water installation and Publication EP '944 aims to solve the correct draining of the used water, but is addressed to an impermeable cover laid on the beds mattress, which is raised by inflatable chambers placed below it. This specific bed is not thought out to transport the patient to bath him, but in fact it is the patients permanent bed showing the immobility characteristics already referred to, for which reason it would be very expensive to provide the population of a hospital with the above beds. Moreover, by bathing the patient in the same bed where he lays, the risk of wetting the mattress is run if the impermeable cover is not correctly placed or if it is damaged or has moved. Other completely different technologies used by prior art documents consist in hermetically enclosing the patient's body in a balloon or inflatable chamber and later provide water and soap within said chamber to hygiene the bedridden patient. Some of such documents are JP 2001-161776, JP 8-33696 and US Patent 4, 935,971. Although these inflatable structures solve the bathing problem in situ without the need of special beds, practice has shown that these systems are nor economically viable, as the chambers are disposable and can be used for only one bath. This procedure demands more work than the bathing of the patient himself, for which reason they have not been very successful on the market.

Other inflatable chambers, although not hermetic, are disclosed in US Patent 6,543,068, comprising a similar structure to that of a life saver boat provided with a water outlet with a shower head and a drain to drain the used liquid. This embodiment is not autonomous (it is connected to running waterworks, same as the used water), and does not provide a support structure, for which reason it is necessary to use a second bed to place the inflatable chamber. Other portable beds to make invalids hygienic is that described by US Patent

6,088,848 comprising a very similar structure to those of known canvas pools with assembly pipes and an impermeable liner with reinforced edges through which the pipes are inserted that will make the structure rigid (modular frame). This embodiment seems to be the most troublesome and uncomfortable of all the above, as it is not autonomous (it is connected to the running waterworks, as is the used water) and the structure is difficult to assemble, whilst if it is to be kept assembled, this is very impractical due to its great size and the amount of space taken up. Furthermore, the liner is difficult to clean once the patient has been made hygienic. This job demands more work than the cleansing of the patient, for which reason this type of solution has not been very successful on the market. Lastly and as the nearest document in prior art, US Patent 6,421 ,853 issued to this

Applicant comprising a structure with bearing means for its transfer, comprising an upper frame for attaching a perforated board or with openings where the patient to be cleaned is placed, said board being placed over a reservoir for collecting liquids, which inlet edge perimeter contours the boards lower surface edge. The gurney in a first embodiment, is especially apt for houses with elevators, comprises a structure formed by a board upper frame support and a container having projections at the ends of its opposing longitudinal sides, with U-shaped portions placed below the frame to allow the laminar material piece to be folded, these portions having free arms with notches to lock the upper edge of said piece. These arms at the end of the frame, have grasps to position the gurney and retractable bars for a thermal container to contain liquid connected to a tube having a shower head; and the opposite ends of the frame are joined by a push handle.

In a second embodiment practically set, not foldable, to be used in hospitals, nursing homes or homes for the aged, the gurney has a frame with end handles parallel to its shorter sides, the longer sides having vertical bars with rows of notches adjacent to the shorter sides, to lock the upper edge of the laminar material piece. This frame is joined to obliquely disposed bars and jointly attached to a lower frame with rotating supports with wheels, one of the bars being articulated to the frame and provided with a screw for a threaded rod with a manual actuation lever supported on an arm of the frame. Object of the invention

To overcome the issues disclosed in the prior art documents, the present invention proposes a litter especially designed to hygiene bedridden patients out of their bed, that can be adjusted to bed height, is self sufficient, easy to manoeuvre and clean. The litter proposed is basically made up by one piece such as a washtub with fixed headboards and sides walls hingedly opened and closed, the complete structure comprises a perimeter edge on which a perforated board or with openings leans where the patient to be made hygienic is placed, the used water draining into a double bottom that collects liquid, this double bottom occupying half the under surface of the litter, which content is drained through an outlet provided at one end. The other half of the double bottom of the litters under surface is taken up by a reservoir of clean water at an adequate temperature, connected to a shower head. The complete body of the litter is upheld by a support structure of round pipes which height can be adjusted and moves on four 360° rotating wheels. Brief description of the drawings

Figure 1 is a side elevation view of the hygienic litter for bedridden patients.

Figure 2 is a perspective view of the slightly rotated litter.

Figure 3 is a perspective view of the litter from a higher view and rotated 45°.

Figure 4 is a perspective view similar to that of Figure 3, but from the head of the litter. Figure 5 is an elevation view at one of the headboards showing the elevation means thereof.

Figure 6 is a perspective view from above showing the litter with the dismountable cover, revealing the double bottom. Figure 7 shows a perspective view of the bottom of the litter, showing the wastewater drain and the showerhead connection.

Figure 8 is a detailed section view of the attachment of the litter body to the supporting perimeter frame. Detailed description of the invention

According to the drawings, the litter comprises a main body (1), a generally conformed rectangular perforated board (2) to support the patient lying down during hygiene and a support structure (3).

The support structure (3) totally made of steel pipes treated with epoxy paint, comprises two clearly different parts: the upper perimeter frame (4), to lean or attach the main body (1 ) and the rectangular framework (7) provided with four rotary wheels (8). Said upper frame (4) comprises two jointly involved lower branches (5) at a height near the headboards that are welded to two crossbars (6), forming part of the framework (7) providing the necessary rigidity. The framework (7) is completed with fold curved projections (9) that at floor level lead to two straight bars (10) that provide rigidity to the base of the framework, the complete set leaning on four rotary wheels (8) comprising locking brakes.

The complete support structure (3) can be adjusted to the desired height through a crank (11) jointly involved to a longitudinal axis (12) connecting both parts of the support structure (3): the upper perimeter frame (4) and rectangular framework (7). The user simply and effortlessly, will rotate the crank (11), causing the axis (12) to move the crossbars (6) which being welded to the lower branches (5) of the perimeter frame (4), will transmit movement to the litter supported by the whole structure, which will be raised or lowered, according to the users need, to the height of the patient's bed to transfer him. The main body (1 ) of the litter, entirely manufactured in fiberglass-reinforced plastic (FGRP) of sanitary resins, comprises pivotable side walls (13) by a pair of metallic hinges (14). Said hinges (14) also secure and immobilize the litter (1) to the perimeter frame (4), which is possible by means of the four metallic small plates (15) welded to said frame coinciding inside the litter with the position of the hinges (14) outside thereof. By using passing screws (32), the whole structure is secured, so that the litter (1) cannot slide or shift from the perimeter frame (4) that supports the litter along its entire perimeter.

As to the working of the litter proposed in the present invention, the litter has a double bottom comprising a 20 litres clean water reservoir (16) at an adequate temperature, which is equivalent to two baths for bedridden patients. This reservoir is filled through an upper port, covered by a lid (21) that projects out of an opening made in the perforated board (2), which is also manufactured of fiber glass reinforced plastic (FGRP) of sanitary resins, as the remaining litter (1) is.

A shower head (17) is connected to the bottom of the reservoir (16) by a flexible tube (18), said shower head (17) is actuated by the user pushing a pneumatic push-button (19) located at one of the corners of the litter (1 ). All the shower head (17) actuation system is controlled by a rechargeable autonomous 12V battery, connected to a small pump, which is also connected to the push-button. When the user pushes the push-button (19) the pump fed by the rechargeable battery is actuated, providing the shower head (17) with running water till the user pushes the pneumatic push-button (19) again. Once the bath has ended, the user can place the shower head (17) in a carrier (20) located in the opposite corner to that of the pneumatic push-button (19).

Both the pump and the battery are hidden under the litter structure at one of the headboards, between the sidewall and the clean water reservoir. The battery has a seven- hour autonomy, which is enough to provide for forty baths, the battery being rechargeable by connecting to a 110V source.

Said perforated board (2) where the patient is laid down to be made hygienic, is fitted on a perimeter edge (22) of the litter (1 ), so that it is fitted exactly without sliding. Said board (2) has rounded edges and comprises a series of perforations (23) disposed on its surface so that the used water to make the patient hygiene filters therethrough. The used water will flow due to a pendent into said double bottom comprising a used water collector reservoir (24) bigger than the clean water reservoir, so that the used water can never overflow. This collector reservoir (24) has a drain (30) at the bottom, which is connected to a hose or flexible tube (31) quite a few meters in length comprising a socket wrench at the end. Therefore, when the user desires to drain the used water, may do so by opening the socket wrench at the end of the hose, emptying the reservoirs content into the appropriate drain (grate or outdoor basin). Take note that when the litter is being used the flexible drainage hose is rolled up and place in a wire tray or basket (25) attached to the support structure (3), below the litters (1 ) double bottom.

Once the collector reservoir has been emptied (24) the litter can be easily cleaned and disinfected removing the perforated board (2), by introducing fingers in a series of slits (26) that the litter's perimeter edge (22) can comprise and easily remove the board (2).

Other additional elements provided by the present invention are a pillow (27) used to lay the patients head on and a height adjustable vertical tube (28), to hold serum and probes, inserted at its base in a round tube appendix (29) in the perimeter frame (4) specially prepared for this. The advantages of the present invention as compared to above prior art are evident. None of prior art embodiments required practically nil maintenance nor are as hygienic, easy and quick to clean and disinfect. The hygienic litter for bedridden patients proposed is self sufficient, i.e., it does not need to be connected to a running waterworks as it has its own clean water reservoir, and does not use electric current to work as it has a pneumatic system fed by a battery. These characteristics allow the litter an advantageous autonomy as compared to known designs, if it to be used in homes for the aged, nursing homes and hospitals, where the optimisation of the use of space is at a premium.

This proposed litter is easy to transport and its dimension and configuration provide an optimum rotation radius for passages and narrow doorways.

Amongst the users operative advantages provided by this invention, mainly nurses, notably the following easy transfer of patients avoiding accidents due to improper postures (e.g., placing the patient upright), does not affect probes or tubes that the patient has connected by having its own holding means and avoids unnecessary effort for the personnel, diminishing their work time when making bedridden patients hygiene. When putting the hygienic litter for bedridden patients described and exemplified into practice, amendments and/or various embodiments could be introduced, all of which should be considered as included within the scope of the present invention; this scope is basically determined by the text of the following claims.

Claims

1. A hygienic litter for bedridden patients comprising a perforated board (2) to lay the patient and a height adjustable support structure (3) with support wheels (8), characterized in comprising a main body (1) where said perforated board (2) fits comprising pivotable side walls (13) and a double bottom made up of a clean water reservoir (16) connected to a shower head (17) and a used water collector reservoir (24) connected to a flexible hose (31) provided with a socket wrench a its end; the main body (1 ) being supported by said support structure (3), which comprises two jointly involved parts: an upper perimeter frame (4) to place or fix the main body (1 ) and a rectangular framework (7) provided with rotary wheels.(8).

2. The hygienic litter for bedridden patients according to claim 1 , characterized in that said support structure (3) comprises in said upper frame (4) two lower branches (5) that are welded to two crossbars (6), that are part of the framework (7), which is completed with fold curved projections (9) that lead to two straight bars (10) that provide rigidness to the frameworks base, the whole set leaning on four rotary wheels (8) comprising locking brakes.

3. The hygienic litter for bedridden patients according to claims 1 and 2, characterized in that said support structure (3) whose height can be adjusted as desired through a crank (11 ) jointly involved to a longitudinal axis (12) connecting both parts of the support structure (3): the upper perimeter frame (4) and the rectangular framework (7).

4. The hygienic litter for bedridden patients according to claim 1 , characterized in the pivotable side walls (13) comprise a pair of hinges (14) that are additionally secured to the main body (1 ) of the litter's perimeter frame (4) through metallic plates (15) welded to said frame coinciding inside the litter with the position of the hinges (14) outside thereof using passing screws to join the hinges (4) with the plates (15).

5. The hygienic litter for bedridden patients according to claim 1 , characterized in that said clean water reservoir (16) is filled by an upper port covered by a lid (21 ) that projects through a coinciding opening made in the perforated board (2) which fits on the main body (1 ) by a perimeter edge (22) having a series of slits (26) to introduce fingers and allow to easily remove the board (2).

6. The hygienic litter for bedridden patients according to claim 1 , characterized in that the shower head (17) is actuated by pushing a pneumatic push¬ button (19) located on one of the corners of the main body (1) of the litter, all the shower head actuation system (17) being controlled by a rechargeable autonomous battery connected to a small pump, both hidden under one of the litters main body structure headboards.

7. The hygienic litter for bedridden patients according to claim 1 , characterized in that the double bottom is designed so that the pendent of the collector reservoir (24) and the pendent of the clean water reservoirs (16) roof cause the used water to flow towards the drain (30) connected to a flexible hose (31 ), which is rolled up and placed in the wire tray or basket (25) attached to the support structure (3) underneath the litters main body (1) double bottom.

8. The hygienic litter for bedridden patients according to claim 1 , characterized in that the litters main body (1 ) comprises a carrier (20) for the shower head (17) and a height adjustable vertical tube (28) to hold serum and probes which base is inserted in an appendix (29) prepared for this in the perimeter frame (4).