WO2023121621A2

WO2023121621A2 - Functional patient transfer stretcher

Info

Publication number: WO2023121621A2
Application number: PCT/TR2022/051516
Authority: WO
Inventors: Adnan Akkurt; Emre ICLI
Original assignee: Gazi Universitesi Rektorlugu
Priority date: 2021-12-22
Filing date: 2022-12-16
Publication date: 2023-06-29
Also published as: WO2023121621A3

Abstract

The present invention is a functional patient transfer stretcher that automatically provides the transfer of the patient from the existing stretcher to the stretcher to be transferred or to the patient bed during the emergency transfer between the operating room and similar units in the hospital by means of a conveyor belt and lateral transfer systems integrated on the stretcher; and consists of; carrier steel frame integrated with each other by means of female and male connection elements, conveyor table system consisting of conveyor upper table with transverse rail system, conveyor lower table with transverse channel system and table locking latch parts, conveyor motor, conveyor belt system, side protection bars with bar distance adjustment mechanism, drawer with telescopic rail, serum hanger apparatus, and upper console systems with push bar configuration.

Description

FUNCTIONAL PATIENT TRANSFER STRETCHER

Technical Field of the Invention

The present invention relates to a medical stretcher that automatically provides the transfer of the patient from the existing stretcher to the stretcher to be transferred or to the patient bed during the emergency transfer between the operating room and similar units in the hospital by means of a conveyor belt and lateral transfer systems integrated on the stretcher.

In particular, the present invention relates to a stretcher with a lateral transfer and conveyor belt system developed to ensure the safe transfer of the patient.

State of the Art

Stretchers are used in hospitals, for the transfer of patients between units or for transfers between health institutions. The use of stretchers is important regarding the general health status of the patient. Stretchers are of vital importance especially for paralyzed patient groups who cannot get out of bed, or for groups of patients who are in a coma who should not move after surgery. Moving these patients or changing their position while being transported may cause secondary injuries and pain. The positions of the patients need to be changed in the transports performed by manual methods. In addition, labor fatigue is high for healthcare personnel.

Available stretchers and transfer systems provide the transfer of patients with one-way movement. The transfer of said patients from one stretcher to another is tried to be carried out by human power using sheets or rollboards (patient slide mats). These methods are very laborious and far from technology in terms of patient comfort.

Patient transfer with rollboards comprises the process steps of; bringing the surfaces such as the stretcher or patient bed to the same plane, longitudinal opening of the patient transfer mat in the direction that the patient will be transferred, tilting the patient 45 degrees opposite the direction in which the patient transfer mat is placed, sliding the patient transfer mat under the patient, laying the patient flat on the patient transfer mat, and providing the sliding process with two personnel.

One of the two personnel who will provide the shift provides the transfer of the patient by pushing the patient towards the place where the patient will be transferred and pulling the patient on the other side. Said method carries a risk that may cause the patient to fall and cause greater injuries in an unfavorable situation during the transfer of the patient.

Another method is to ensure the transfer of the patient by using a sheet or cover. With this method, a transfer sheet is applied under the bed sheet of the patient lying flat on his/her back up to the level of his/her spine, and two people pull the patient's sheet towards the stretcher where the patient will be carried, and the patient is carried to the stretcher by means of his/her own bed sheet.

In the state of the art, the stretchers used during the transfer of the patient are laborious and their mechanisms are useless and cause a loss of time during the transfer. With the development of technology, various stretchers have been developed in order to ensure a safer transfer of the patient.

The patent application numbered "2016/03195" was examined in the state of the art. In the abstract section of the invention, there is information that reads; “The present invention relates to a patient transfer stretcher that is used in hospitals during the transfer of a patient from one stretcher to another. In particular, the invention relates to the patient transfer stretcher that comprises; locking disc that is used to interlock two stretchers and unlock the locking mechanism of the lying surface, locking disc arm, which is connected to the lock disc and enables the lock disc to rotate around itself with the applied force, sliding surface roller that provides comfortable sliding of the bearing surface with the bearing inside, side rail used to prevent the patient from falling, polyurethane handle that absorbs shock with its flexible structure and provides comfortable grip, female connection element used in the center of the stretchers and used to join the two stretchers, male connection element used in the center of the stretchers and again used to assemble the stretcher, and the lying surface, which is the part that provides comfortable transfer of the patient." Said invention discloses the bearing system and the movement mechanism that allows the patient to pass from one stretcher to another, and the platform on which the patient lies to slide easily. In said system, there is no automatic conveyor structure that provides movement and there is no system that provides lateral movement.

The patent application numbered "CN108670588A" was examined in the state of the art. In the abstract part of the invention that is the subject of the application, there is information that reads; “The invention discloses a transport system for severe patients. The transport system comprises an emergency ambulance stretcher and a transport trolley used in hospitals. The emergency ambulance stretcher structurally comprises a lower stretcher capable of sliding on the ground, an emergency equipment storage rack for storing emergency equipment is arranged at the top of the lower stretcher. An upper stretcher allowing patients to lie is arranged at the top of the emergency equipment storage rack. The transport trolley can be butted with the lower stretcher of the emergency ambulance stretcher and is developed to carry the emergency equipment storage rack and the upper stretcher of the emergency ambulance stretcher. By said invention, emergency equipment does not put pressure on severe patients during the transport process and facilitates the emergency treatment of severe patients. In the present invention, there is no automatic system that provides movement.

In the state of the art, The methods used during the transfer of the patient may cause loss of time and damage to the patient due to transportation, even the patient's being fall and even loss of life as a result of falling. The ineffectiveness of the mechanisms used in the state of the art may cause problems such as malfunction, snagging, and deterioration during transfer. In this case, maintenance, repair, time and cost increase, and re-use times are prolonged. The fixed size of the stretchers in the state of the art also makes it difficult for obesity patients to be transported.

Consequently, the disadvantages disclosed above and the inadequacy of available solutions in this regard necessitated making an improvement in the relevant technical field.

Objects of the Invention

The most important object of the present invention is to develop a multifunctional stretcher system that allows healthcare teams to perform transfer safely and easily by keeping the comfort of the patients at the highest level while transferring between the stretchers.

The functional patient transfer stretcher, which is the subject of the present invention, has a system that provides the transfer of the patient in two different ways as belt conveyor and linear rail system, unlike the stretchers that perform the transfer of the patient in one direction. In addition, the width of the bed can be adjusted according to the physical characteristics of the patient. In order to carry the devices and equipment connected to the patient on the stretcher, the telescopic rail drawer system is integrated and provides superiority to the available systems.

Conveyor systems are systems that are used in the transportation of various loads and materials and are used in every branch of the industry as a continuous transportation vehicle. Belt conveyor systems, on the other hand, are systems that carry the load on belts moved by a motor. The engine speed is reduced by means of a gearbox, the movement is made from the drive pulley at the destination end of the conveyor, and the loads are pulled through the belt. The transfer of the patient to the conveyor belt system developed in the present invention, in which four cylinders are positioned, is provided automatically, independently of the patient's physical condition.

The linear rail system described in the present invention has been developed to provide lateral transfer of the patient. In said system, rail and channel systems positioned transversely on the tables were integrated and slipped over each other. Thus, it has gained superiority over the patient rollboard system in the state of the art.

The present invention provides superiority to available systems by allowing obesity patients to be transported comfortably with the horizontally expandable structure of the stretcher.

Description of the Figures

FIGURE -1 is the left perspective view of the stretcher.

FIGURE -2 is the back view of the stretcher.

FIGURE -3 is the top view of the stretcher.

FIGURE -4 is the perspective view of belt transfer from conveyor stretcher to standard stretcher.

FIGURE -5 is the perspective view of the channel slide system utilized to realize lateral transfer.

FIGURE -6 is the perspective view of the stretcher using the conveyor belt system.

FIGURE -7 is the technical drawing that illustrates the working principle of the conveyor motor.

FIGURE -8 is the technical drawing of the ball movable push bars on the carrier steel.

Reference Numerals:

1000. Carrier steel frame

1100. Female and male connection elements

2000. Conveyor belt system

2100. Conveyor motor

2110. Control Box

2120. Nurse Control Panel

2130. Power input

2140. Connection cable

2200. Conveyor table system

2210. Conveyor lower table

2211. Transverse channel system 2220. Conveyor upper table

2221. Transverse rail system

2230. Table locking latch

3000. Side protection bars

3100. Bar distance adjusting mechanism

4000. Telescopic rail drawer

5000. Serum hanger apparatus

6000. Upper console systems

6100. Push bar

Description of the Invention

The functional patient transfer stretcher, which is the subject of the present invention, is provided with two systems that allow the patients to be transferred between the stretchers to be used safely by the healthcare teams, and has the parts of; carrier steel frame (1000) integrated with each other via female and male connection elements (1100), conveyor table system (2200) consisting of conveyor upper table (2220) with transverse rail system (2221 ), conveyor lower table (2210) with transverse channel system (2211 ) and table locking latch (2230) parts, conveyor motor (2100), conveyor belt system in which four rollers are positioned (2000), side protection bars (3000) with bar distance adjustment mechanism (3100), and upper console systems (6000) with telescopic rail drawer (4000), serum hanger apparatus (5000) and push bar (6100) configuration.

The carrier steel frame (1000) is the main component on the transfer stretcher. There is a ball-bearing structure on the thrust channels of the carrier steel frame (1000), which provides back and forth movement and provides aquaplaning.

One of the two systems described in the present invention is the conveyor belt system (2000) that provides longitudinal movement. By transmitting (belt pulley model) the motion of the conveyor belt system (2000), which has four rollers positioned on the carrier steel frame (1000), to the rollers, from the conveyor motor (2100) located in the lower left part of the conveyor belt system (2000), it provides the transfer of the patient by moving the conveyor belt system (2000). Belt pulley model is thin and flat beltshaped belts designed to work on cylindrical pulleys. The operation of the conveyor motor 2100 can be from electrical energy with a power input (2130) and a connecting cable (2140), and it can also be controlled by a battery-backed control box (2110) and a nurse control panel (2120) and a hand control.

In cases where the conveyor motor (2100) power is not used, the movement of the conveyor belt system (2000) and the conveyor table system (2200) positioned on the conveyor belt system (2000) has been developed to be provided manually on the carrier steel frame (1000). In this development, forward and backward movement of the movable push bars (6100) is provided by using movable systems so as to minimize friction in a channel. Push bars (6100) are included in the upper console system and are movable elements that slide on the carrier steel frame (1000). Mechanism that will ensure the frictionless sliding of the push bars (6100) is used since the ball structure on the carrier steel frame (1000) channels can easily move these push bars (6100) back and forth. In summary, this structure on the thrust channels of both carrier steel frames (1000) reveals the working principle of the system. While performing the transfer, the carrier steel frames (1000) are integrated with each other via female and male connection elements (1100) positioned at the connection points of the carrier steel frames (1000).

Conveyor table system (2200) consists of two parts as conveyor lower table (2210) and conveyor upper table (2220). Lateral movement described in the present invention is provided by the transverse channel system (2211 ) on this conveyor lower table (2210) and the transverse rail system (2221 ) on the conveyor upper table (22220). Figure 5 illustrates the system providing lateral transfer, transverse rail systems (2221 ) that move on the transverse channel systems (2211 ) of the two stretchers of the present invention in the same plane. After the transfer between the stretchers is provided, the table positioned at the head part of the conveyor table system (2200) is locked by means of the locking latch (2230).

The functional patient transfer stretcher of the present invention has been developed in a structure with a telescopic rail drawer (4000) and serum hanger apparatus (5000) to enable the transport of the equipment connected to the patient. The serum hanger apparatus (5000) has a structure that can be attached and removed on the push bar (6100) and can be positioned in different places. Said telescopic rail drawer (4000) is designed to be facing the patient's head and positioned between the push bars (6100) and is used to carry some necessary equipment thereon such as breathing apparatus when necessary.

The present invention has a movement mechanism that can expand and contract the side protection bars (3000) positioned in the upper console systems (6000) according to the physical condition of the patient. Said movement is provided by the bar distance adjustment mechanism (3100) placed in the middle of the side protection bars (3000), and its wide and narrow versions are shown in Figure 2.

The functional patient transfer stretcher, which is the subject of the present invention, provides adaptation to the stretchers currently used by means of the upper console system (6000). The upper console system (6000) consists of movable push bars (6100) for providing longitudinal movement and linear rail tables opened on two compact materials working on each other and providing transfer on two stretchers side by side. System movement is provided by the channels opened on the lower table and the small sliding wheels on the corresponding upper table. Thus, the transfer of a patient on different types of stretchers or patient beds will be performed in a quite simple manner. The only thing required for this is that the equivalent of the compact material is on the other stretcher.

The functional Patient Transfer Stretcher of the present invention has two systems developed to provide patient transfer in length and width. Said longitudinal transfer is provided by the conveyor belt system (2000). The movement in the system activates the rollers and the rollers the conveyor belt system (2000) with the power taken from the conveyor motor (2100) and provides the transfer of the patient on the carrier steel frame (1000). By means of the present invention, lateral transfer is provided over the linear rails of the conveyor lower table (2210) and the conveyor upper table (2220), which form the conveyor table system (2200). The transverse rail system (2221 ) on the conveyor upper table (2220) provides its movement by sliding over the transverse channel system (2211 ) on the conveyor lower table (2210). In order to ensure safety after patient transfer, the conveyor table system (2200) is locked with the table locking latch (2230). The side protection bars (3000) described in the present invention can be expanded or narrowed by means of the bar distance adjustment mechanism (3100) according to the physical condition of the patient. The telescopic rail drawer (4000) provides space for positioning patient-attached equipment. The serums attached to the patient can be placed on the upper console systems (6000) via the push bar (6100) with the serum hanger apparatus (5000).

Claims

CLAIMS Functional patient transfer stretcher that automatically performs transferring the patient from the current stretcher to the stretcher or patient bed to which the patient will be transferred by means of the transfer systems that provide longitudinal movement and horizontal movement, characterized by comprising;

• Conveyor belt system (2000), which provides patient transfer with the power taken from the conveyor motor (2100) in order to provide the longitudinal movement of the conveyor table system (2200) on the carrier steel frame (1000),

• Conveyor lower table (2210), and transverse channel system (2211 ) positioned on the conveyor lower table (2210), the conveyor upper table (2220), and the transverse rail system (2221 ) positioned on the conveyor upper table (2220), and table locking latch (2230) to fix the conveyor table system (2200), in order to provide the lateral movement of the conveyor table system (2200),

• Side protection bars (3000) with a bar distance adjustment mechanism (3100) that allows it to be expanded and narrowed according to the patient's physical condition,

• Telescopic rail drawer (4000) that is positioned to the head of the patient and between the push bars (6100) and that is used to carry the breathing apparatus and equipment thereon when necessary, for positioning the equipment attached to the patient,

• Serum suspension apparatus (5000) that enables the positioning of the serum attached to the patient,

• Upper console system (6000) that has movable push bars (6100) to provide longitudinal movement, that consists of linear rail tables opened on two compact materials working on each other and providing transfer on two stretchers side by side.

Functional patient transfer stretcher according to Claim 1 , characterized by comprising the upper console system (6000) that provides the system movement by means of the channels opened on the lower table and the sliding wheels on the corresponding upper table. Functional patient transfer stretcher according to Claim 1 , characterized by comprising push bars (6100) that allow sliding on the carrier steel frame (1000), and that provide forward and backward movement by using movable systems in a channel to minimize friction. Functional patient transfer stretcher according to Claim 1 , characterized by comprising ball-bearing structure on the thrust channels of the carrier steel frame (1000) that provides back and forth movement and provides aquaplaning.