CA1113652A - Apparatus for treating a patient by means of water sprays - Google Patents

Abstract

APPARATUS FOR TREATING A PATIENT BY MEANS OF WATER SPRAYS

ABSTRACT

Apparatus for treating a patient by means of water sprays which includes a horizontal cylinder (10) which is open at one end and closed at the other. Nozzles (20,30 and 34) are provided for directing sprays of water and/or steam into the interior of the vessel. A pump (78), a water heater (80) and a steam generator (82) are Provided and are connected to the nozzles by tubing. The patient lies on a trolley (40) which has a wheeled base (46). Vertical columns (44) at one end of the base support two elongate side members (42) which overlie the base and between which a mesh (52) or synthetic plastics sheet extends to support a prone patient. The trolley is oscillated horizontally to move the patient relatively to the nozzles by means of a crank arrangement (60,62) driven by an electric motor (56).

Description

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THIS INVENTION relates to appara-tus for treating a patient by ~eans of water sprays.

It is known to immerse patients in na-tura:L spring water, or water with chemical agents added thereto, ~or the purpose of treating certain ailments. A problem wi-th this method of treatment is that upwards of a hundred litres of water are used for each patient and the water can be used only once before being pumped away. Where the water contains additives these mus-t be added in sufficient quantitles to raise the concentration to the requisite level. The additives are lost after each treatment which is of si~nifi-cance where the additives are expensive.

If the patient is crippled, overweight or burned there are great difficulties in getting him into and out of the treatment ba~h.

Applicant is aware that trea-tment baths are commercially available, and that some of these have impellers located at below water level for causing the water in the bath to circulate.Sprays at below water level have also been proposed to set the water circulating.

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3~ii2 ' !' The present invention see~s to provide a treat-ment apparatus in whlch only a relatively small amount of water is used for each patient, and in which the dif-ficulties involved in handling the patient are minimised.
The present invention in one aspect thus pro-vides apparatus for treating a patient with water sprays, the apparatus comprising:
(a) a horizontally elo:ngate vessel which is open at one end and which is adapted to receive a patient in a prone position;
~b) a plurality of water nozzles for directing water jets at a patient lying within the vessel;
and (c) a trolley on which the patient is movable into lS and out of the vessel, the trolley comprising:
a wheeled base; a vertical column at one end of the base; and a patient support ex~ending ~ horizontally from and supported cantilever - fashion by the vertical column, the arrangement being such that when the-said trolley is wheeled : up to the vessel, the patient support enters the vessel and the wheeled base passes underneath :
the vessel.
In accordance with another aspect of this invention there is provided a trolley adapted to form part of apparatus for treating a patient by means of water sprays, such apparatus comprising a horizontally elongate vessel which is open at one end and which is adapted to .
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-3a-receive a patlent in a prone position and a plurality of water nozzles for direc-ting water jets at a patient lying within the vessel, said trolley comprising, a wheeled base, a vertical column at one end of the base, and a patient support extending horizontally from and supported cantilever fashion by the vertical column, the arrangement being such that when the trolley is wheeled up to the vessel the patient support enters the vessel and the wheeled base passes underneath the vessel.
The patient support may include a pair of spaced side members with mesh between them.
Means can be provided for oscillating said trolley so that a patient supported on the patient support moves relativel~v to said nozzles.

~36S2 --'1--~ p~lir c,f parall~l, spac~l rails c~n hc provided for yuidin~3 movem~nt of sald trolley with respect to said vessel. Saicl rails can be secured to leys which form part of a supporting frame for said vessel.

The means for oscillating said trolley can comprise a crank disc and a crank, the end of the crank remote from said disc being connected to the trolley, and the drlve means for said crank can be mounted on said supporting frame.

The crank can be releasably connected to said trolley so tha-t, when disconnec-ted, the trolley can be wheeled away from the vessel to withdraw said side members and said mesh support from the vessel.

The vessel can be in the form of a horizontally elongate cylinder which is closed at one end and open at the other. The vessel can be of opaque, transluscent or trans-paxent synthetic plastics materlal, of stainless steel or other suitable material.

Water inlet pipes can lead to said nozzles from a pump and water heater, and a drain can be provided at the lower end of the vessel for leading water back to the water ~; heater.

A steam generator can be provided which maintains a body of water at just below boiling point, and which is heated to pr~duce steam after a patient has heen placed in the vessel.

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lhc vessel can be prov:ided with an off switch and a call siyncl:l button or: the .L:i.ke withLrl rcach of a patient in the vessel.

A control unit can be provided for producing an 5 initlal flow of steam into the vessel and subsequently a period of water flow through -the nozzles, the trolley beiny oscilla-ted for at least the period that water is flowing through said nozzles. An alternative contro]. unit can be used which detects the temperature at one of the nozzles, cuts off flow when the temperature rises above a predeter-; mined value and restarts ~low when -the temperature drops to a predetermined value so that flow is in-termittent.

For a be-tter understanding of the present inven-tion, and to show how the same may be carried into effect, reference will now be made, by way of example, -to the accom-panying diagrammatic drawings in which:
Figure 1 is a side elevation of hydro-massage apparatus in accordance with the invention, Figure 2 is a diagrammatic end elevation of the apparatus of Figure 1, Fi~ure 3a is a plan view o~ a trolley, Figure 3b is a section on the line III-III of Figure 3a, and Figure 4 is a detail o~ a latching arrangement.

: 25 The hydro-massage appar~tus illustrated comprises a ~` horizontal cylinder 10 which is open at one end, the right ,~ ~ ... .. .

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~,--harld ~nd ~s viewc~cl ln i;'igure l, ~nd closed at the other end.
The cylincler ls supportecl on a pair of arcuate bands L2 which are themselves mounted at the upper ends of legs 14. Two L-shaped, para:L:le.l, spaced-apart rails 16 are attached to the S legs 14 and extencl in the direction of the lenyth of the cylinder 10. These rails form part of a supporting frame for the cylinder 10.

A p~ir of parallel wa-ter pipes 18 extend through the closed end of the cylinder 10 and each of -them carries a series of upwardly direc-ted nozzles 20. In the illustrated form each pipe 1~ carries four nozzles but it will be understood tha-t this number, and the spacing of the nozzles, can be varied as desired. ~ tap 22 is provided in each pipe 18 externally of the cylinder 10, and the pipes 18 connect to a pump and a ho-t water supply arrangement as will be described.

A further water pipe 24 runs along the top of the cylinder 10 externally thereof although it can be within the cylinder 10 if desired. The pipe 24 leads to two nozzle arrangements 26 and 28. The nozzle arrangement 26 comprises a tee-piece, the free end of the upright of the tee being connected to the pipe 24 and there being a nozzle 30 at each end o the cross-bar of the tee-piece. The nozzles 30 protrude downwardly thXou~h the wall af the cylinder 10 and ~5 are arranged generally vertically as can be seen from Figure 1. The pipe 24 terminates in an inclined portion 24.1 which communicates with a cross pipe 32. Fou~ n~zzles 34 extend ~-.: .
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downwarclly E~{)ITI the cross p-lpe 32 and throucJh the wall of the cyl.:inde:r. ~s wi]L clearly be seen f:rom Figure 1, these no~zles are :Lncl.lnecl so that the jetso~ wat:er ernerying frorn them converye with the jets of water emerging from the nozzles 30.

A tap 36 is provided in the pipe 24.

The reference 38 indicates a control box wh:ich is moun-ted on -the cylinder 10. The cycle performed by the apparatus is controlled by thls box.

A trolley 40 supports the patient to be treated in the cylinder 10, it beiny understood -that khe cylinder 10 does not support any part of the mass of the patient. The trolley 40 comprises two horizontally elongated side members 42 whlch are supported cantilever ashion by vertical 15 columns 44 provided at one end of a wheeled base 46. The .-base 46 has ~our wheels 48, which are preferably castor wheels.

If reference is made to ~igures 3a and 3b it will be seen that the trolley comprises, in addition to the side members 42, two cross members 50 which join the side members 42. A net 52 extends between the members 42, the net extending both above and below the members 4~ so as to have upper and lower runs (Figu~e 3b). The patient lies C.~n the upp~r run and it wll~ be understood that the net ~oe~ not obstruct the water jets emerging ~rom the nozzles 2~ whlch thus impinge on the patient.

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~ rnotor pl.atform 54 :~orms part of the SUpporti.nCJ
frc~rne of Lhe cyl.incler 10. ~n elc~ct:ric motor 56 and a recluction ~earbox 5~ are mountcd on th~ platform 54, and the output shaft of the gearbox 5~ drives a crank disc 6~. A
crank 6~ is conrlected to the disc 60 adjacent its periphery.

The side members of the wheeled base 46 are refer-enced 64 and are joined by a plurali-ty of cross bars one of which is shown at 66. ~t the centre of the cross bar 6~
there is a pair of bracke-ts 68 (Fi~ure 4) which support a 10 short hori20ntal rod 7~. The free end of -the crank 62 has a ramp 72 secured to the underside thereof, the ramp termin-ating in a downwardly open semi-circular latch element 74.
In the position shown in Figure 4 the rod 70 is engayed in the element 74 so that, as -the crank oscill.ates, the cross bar 66 and hence the en-tire trolley are oscillated with the crank. By lifting the crank 62 about its pivotal mounting : on the crank disc 6U, the rod 70 and element 74 can be detached one from the other. A foot pedal and lever (not shown) can be provided for lifting the crank 62.

The members 42 lie parallel to, and vertically above, the horizontal members 64 constituting the wheeled base 46. ~nly the members 42 of the trolley and its net . have been shown in Figure 2.

Externally ~f the cylinder 10 the pipes 1~ and 24 are connected to a pump 78 and a water heater 8Q. Also provided is a steam generator 82. This ~enerator is .: , .

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3~;~2 _ 9_ maintain~d, ~y means of a thermosta~., at a ~emperature just below th~ boilincJ poirl~ o:E water unti.l such time as steam is required. rhereupon the the:rmostatlc control is overridden so that steam is generated.

While the apparatus, is designed to per~orm an automatic cycle o~ steam injection and water spraying, a-t least the water spraying being accompanied by oscillation of the -trolley 40, -the patient is provided wLth certain con-trols which are within reach. Thus, a thermostat is shown at ~4 in order that the patient can control the water temperature, a ca].l button is shown at 86, and an off switch is shown at ~8.

A drain pipe 90 leads from the bottom of the vessel 10 back to the water heater 80 1~ In use of the apparatus the end o~ the crank 6~
remote from the disc 60 is li~ted to release the element 74 rom the rod 70. Thereafter, the trolley is wheeled away from the cylinder 10 (to the right as illustrated in Figure 1) and the patient placed on the net 52. The trolley is then wheeled to the left so that the patient enters the cylinder 10 ~eet first. The rod 70 encounters the ramp 72 which at this time is resting on the ~loor. The rod 70 pivots the crank 62 ~nd ~amp 72 upwardly until it enters the latch element 74.

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, (, ~ he steam clncl water in-jection cycle of ~he apparatus is therl 1nitLa~ed. Ttle water cycle can inclu~e a hot water staqe and a cold water StaCJe~ ~ter each StaCJe the used water is pumped out ancl fresh water taken in.

The nozæles can be replaceable so that dlfferent spray patterns can be achieved. Roses such as are used in showers can be used in place of the single jet noz~les.
Also the nozzles of differen-t sizes can be used -to provi~e coarse or fine sprays.

The incoming water can be treated so as -to be enriched with oxygen or carbon dioxide, or can be passed throu~h an ionising ~rc.

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Galvanic pads can be applied to the patient before he is placed in the cylinder.

, If the apparatus is to be used to treat burned patients the nozzles 20 are removed and urther inwardly directed nozzles incorporated on -the side walls of the cylinder lO. The net 52 is covered by, or replaced by, a sheet o~ synthetic plastics material to prevent injury to the patient by strands o~ the net.

In this orm o~ the apparatus there can be an adjustable temperatuxe regulator for cont,rolling the temperature o~ the water in the heater 80. AdditionallY, " ~
~~' there is a l:hermocouple or othex tempera-tUre detector .

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a~ oci~ltc~c~ wlt~ rlo~ 3 ~ tilc~rln~coupl~ L~, connect~d to .~n adj~ls~ble unit ~Jhich operates in response to clet~ction by th~ th~rrnocouple of the temper~tu~e for which th~ ur~it ls ~,~t. ~s soon as the u~it oper~t~s -th~
pump 78 is swi-tched-olf and comes on again when the temperature at the thermocouple drops. Thus the patlent is sprayed intermittently rather -than continuously. Addition--ally, a timer can be prov:idecl for switching the pump on an~
off for precle-termined, adjustable inter~als. The pump is thus off for a predetermined period ancl -then on for ~lnother predetermined period, and while on operates intermittently as described above.

If mains pressure is sufficient the pipes 18, 24 can be connec-ted direc-tly -to hot and cold taps and -tlle pipe 90 to a drain. In this form somewha-t more water is u~ed per patient than in the recirculating form, but less than is required for a bath, In a modified form o~ the apparatus the steam generator 82 is of a type which contains only a small quantity of water and which has a large wattage heating element, Thus, instead of continuously maintaining the water hot, the water remains at ambient temperature until required whereupon it is rapidly heated, Totreat burns i-t is possible -to provide a hot water bath in-to which a container comprising s-terilized wa-ter and ,~, ,.......
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-].2-meclicament :is placed. The container ls connec-ted -to -the suc-tion inlet of the pump and,, when i-ts contents are at the correct -ternperature, the pump is s-tar-ted to spray the s-terilized water onto the pa-tien-t. The used water is not recirculated bu-t runs -to was-te down the drain pipe 90.

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Claims (9)

The embodiments of the invention in which an exclusive property or privilege is claimed are defined as follows:

1. Apparatus for treating a patient by means of water sprays comprising:
(a) a horizontally elongate vessel which is open at one end and which is adapted to receive a patient in a prone position;
(b) a plurality of water nozzles for directing water jets at a patient lying within the vessel; and (c) a trolley on which the patient is movable into and out of the vessel, the trolley comprising:
a wheeled base; a vertical column at one end of the base; and a patient support extending horizontally from and supported cantilever fashion by the vertical column, the arrangement being such that when the said trolley is wheeled up to the vessel, the patient support enters the vessel and the wheeled base passes underneath the vessel.

2. Apparatus as claimed in Claim 1 in which the patient support includes a pair of spaced side members with mesh between them.

3. Apparatus as claimed in Claim 1, in which displacing means are provided for moving the water jets and trolley relatively to each other.

4. Apparatus according to Claim 3 and in which the displacing means includes oscillating means for oscillating the trolley so that a patient supported on the patient support moves relatively to the nozzles.

5. Apparatus according to Claim 4, in which the oscillating means comprises a crank disc and a crank, the end of the crank remote from the disc being connected to the trolley.

6. Apparatus as claimed in Claim 1, in which the vessel is in the form of an elongate cylinder, which being open at one end, is closed at the other end.

7. Apparatus as claimed in Claim 1, which includes water supply means adapted to supply water under pressure to the nozzles, and in which water flow control means are provided at or near the open end of the vessel to be operable by a patient when lying inside the vessel on the trolley.

8. Apparatus as claimed in Claim 1, which includes water flow control means for causing the water jets to spray the patient intermittently.

9. A trolley adapted to form part of apparatus for treating a patient by means of water sprays, such apparatus comprising a horizontally elongate vessel which is open at one end and which is adapted to receive a patient in a prone position and a plurality of water nozzles for directing water jets at a patient lying within the vessel, said trolley comprising, a wheeled base, a vertical column at one end of the base, and a patient support extending horizontally from and supported cantilever fashion by the vertical column, the arrangement being such that when the trolley is wheeled up to the vessel the patient support enters the vessel and the wheeled base passes underneath the vessel.