GB2387540A

GB2387540A - An anti-decubitus device

Info

Publication number: GB2387540A
Application number: GB0305859A
Authority: GB
Inventors: Morten Lodberg Petersen
Original assignee: IMMEDIA AS
Current assignee: IMMEDIA AS
Priority date: 2002-03-15
Filing date: 2003-03-14
Publication date: 2003-10-22
Anticipated expiration: 2023-03-14
Also published as: SE522561C2; DK175342B1; GB0305859D0; SE0300727D0; GB2387540B; SE0300727L; DK200200410A

Abstract

The anti-decubitus device is designed for a bed with a mattress (5) and comprises an inflatable anti-decubitus mattress (10) of the kind containing air-filled cells or compartments and is manufactured from a resilient material as well as a first sheet (6) adapted to be retained on the mattress (5) of the bed and comprising an upwards facing low-friction side, a second sheet (8) with a downwards facing low-friction-side and retained to the underside of the anti-decubitus mattress (10), the anti-decubitus mattress (10) having a width of at least 1 metre. The device allows a patient lying in bed to be easily turned.

Description

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The present invention relates to an anti-

decubitus device for a bed with a mattress, compris-

ing an inflatable anti-decubitus mattress placed on top of said mattress and being of the kind containing 5 air-filled cells or compartments and being manufac-

tured from a resilient material.

A well-known complication, when a person is confined to bed, is decubitus or pressure sores. Many ways of treating and/or preventing decubitus are 10 known.

A preventive measure is to place a patient on a À. so-called antidecubitus mattress, which is a mat-.

tress placed on top of the usual mattress of a bed and which is in particular suitable for distributing 15 the pressure from the patient to the base. The anti decubitus mattresses being the subject matter of the present invention have a length making it possible for the patient to lie at full length thereon, i.e. by and large the same length as the bed, for which 20 they are intended to be used. Furthermore, the sur-

face is also preferably flexible, so that the size of the shear stress on the skin of the patient is re-

duced. Anti-decubitus mattresses are manufactured with a width fitting the width of -a hospital bed or 25 an operation bed, i.e. 60 - 85 cm. In addition to said air-filled anti-decubitus mattresses also water filled mattresses are known. These water-filled mat tresses are, however, not suitable for use in connec tion with the present invention.

30 Another way of preventing decubitus is to regu larly turn a patient confined to the bed in such a manner that a prolonged pressure on the skin is avoided. Several devices for fac

- ing are known, said devices being based on several layers placed under the patient and comprising two layers with low-friction surfaces facing one another, a superacent layer being easily displaceable from 5 one side to the other, when the patient is placed thereon. At the same time, the patient is rolled and thus remains lying in the middle of the bed, but is turned from one side to the other. Such a system is for instance known from WO-A-96/27357 and from US-A-5 10 638 558. The superjacent layer may be padded or wad-

ded, but it is far away from the quality required by an anti-decubitus mattress.

These two solutions may advantageously be used in combination, but the problem is that the effect of 15 an anti-decubitus mattress is reduced by every layer,...

- which is put on top of it.

The object of the invention is to provide a so-. *I.

lution to this problem...

An anti-decubitus device according to the in 20 vention is therefore characteristic in a first sheet adapted to be retained on the mattress of the bed and comprising an upwards facing low-friction side, a se-

cond sheet with a downwards facing low-friction-side and retained to the underside of the anti-decubitus 25 mattress, the anti-decubitus mattress having a width of at least 1 metre, preferably at least 1.2 m, and further preferably approximately 1.4 m.

Thus, according to the invention an anti-

decubitus mattress is provided, which has a width ex 30 ceeding the width of the bed, as it is not convenient from a practical point of view that a patient requir-

ing anti-decubitus treatment is lying in a double bed. The entire antidecubitus mattress is displaced

when turning the patient, which is hitherto unknown and only practically possible on account of the con siderable width, without which the patient, when turned, would roll off the mattress.

5 In a preferred embodiment the second sheet, the anti-decubitus mattress and a superjacent, preferably stretchable sheet are releasably connected into a unit. Such a unit is convenient in practice to the caregivers and may be disassembled for the washing of 10 the sheets.

In an advantageous embodiment the second sheet and the superjacent sheet are releasably connected at points through holes in the anti-decubitus mattress, and in particular the second sheet and the superja 15 cent sheet are releasably connected by means of snap fasteners. In an advantageous embodiment one of the first and the second sheets has a section facing the second one of the two sheets, said section having a high 20 friction against the second one of the sheets, and said one sheet is provided with a piece having low friction against the second one of the two sheets, said piece being provided with a handle, by means of which it may be moved between two positions, in which 25 the piece covers and uncovers, respectively, said section. In this manner a kind of locking is pro-

vided, which prevents the two subjacent sheets, and consequently the antidecubitus mattress, from unintentionally displacing themselves from one 30 anothehe anti-decubitus mattress may comprise a foamy material.

The invention will now be explained in detail in the following by means of an ex

ment with reference to the schematic drawings, in which Fig. 1 is an exploded perspective view of a bed with an anti-decubitis device according to the 5 invention, and Fig. 2 is a view of the bed seen from the ga-

ble, the gable having, however, been removed.

The figures show a bed with a bed frame 1, four legs 2 provided with wheels 3 and gable pieces 4. In 10 the bed a mattress 5 is positioned.

On the mattress a first sheet 6 has been placed, which by means of resilient straps 7 is re-

tained to the mattress 5. The sheet 6 is preferably of nylon and has a downwards facing side with high 15 friction against the mattress 5, thus preventing it A,, from being inclined to be displaced relative to the mattress, and an upwards facing side with low fric-...

tion against a second, superjacent sheet 8....

The second sheet 8 is along its edge provided 20 with first snap fastening members 9, its underside having low friction against the first sheet 6 and its upper side having high friction against a superjacent anti-decubitus mattress 10.

At the centre, the second sheet 8, which is 25 preferably of nylon, is on the under side provided with a section 11 with high friction against the sub-

jacent sheet 6. A piece 13, preferably of nylon, has been sown by a seam 12 along the section 11, said piece having low friction against the subjacent sheet 30 8. The piece 13 is at the end opposite the seam 12 provided with a band 14 extending at either side be-

yond the edge of the sheet 8 and being at the ends provided with a handle 15.

The anti-decubitus mattress 10 is in the exam-

ple of the embodiment an inflatable air mattress with longitudinal channels, and it is made from a biaxi-

ally stretchable PU sheet. Mattresses of this kind, 5 dimensions 178 cm x 78 cm, are sold under the name Repose_ by Frontier Therapeutics ltd. The mattress 10 is along the edge provided with through-going holes 16. Over the anti-decubitus mattress 10 a biaxially 10 stretchable cotton sheet 17 with other snap fastening members 18 along the edge is provided.

In Fig. 2 the second sheet 8, the anti -. decubitus mattress 10 and the cotton sheet 17 are mu-

tually connected, the snap fastening members 9 being.., 15 connected with the snap fastening members 18 through.3e - the holes 16 and thus forming a unit 19.

This unit 19 may, as indicated in Fig. 1, when the piece 13 covers the section 11, be easily dis-

placed in the bed on account of the low friction 20 against the first sheet 6. In this manner, a patient lying in the bed may easily be turned to lie on his/her side or turned from one side to the other.

When the patient is lying on its side, the excess part of the unit 19 may be rolled up behind the back 25 of the patient to make it possible to mount or raise bed staves, if any.

By pulling the handles 15 in the direction of the arrow 20 (Fig. 1), the section 11 is uncovered and brought in contact with the first sheet 6. On ac 30 count of the high friction between the section 11 and the first sheet 6, the unit 19 will now not be in-

clined to displace itself in the bed. When the pa

tient is to be turned again, the handles 15 are pulled in the opposite direction, following which the piece 13 is once more covering the section ll.

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Claims

- C L A I M S

1. An anti-decubitus device for a bed with a mattress (5), comprising an inflatable anti-decubitus mattress (10) placed on top of said mattress (5) and 5 being of the kind containing air-filled cells or com-

partments and being manufactured from a resilient ma-

terial, c h a r a c t e r i z e d by a first sheet (6) adapted to be retained on the mattress (5) of the bed and comprising an upwards facing low-friction 10 side, a second sheet (8) with a downwards facing low-

friction-side and retained to the underside of the anti-decubitus mattress (JO), the anti-decubitus mat-

tress (10) having a width of at least 1 metre.

2. An anti-decubitus device according to claim 15 1, c h a r a c t e r i z e d in that the anti-

decubitus mattress (1O) has a width of at least 1.2 m, preferably 1.4 m.

3. An anti-decubitus device according to claim 1 or 2, c h a r a c t e r i z e d in that the second 20 sheet (8), the anti-decubitus mattress (10) and a su-

perjacent sheet (17) are releasably connected to form unit (19).

4. An anti-decubitus device according to claim 3, c h a r a c t e r i z e d in that the superjacent 25 sheet (17) is stretchable.

5. An anti-decubitus device according to claim 3 or 4, c h a r a c t e r i z e d in that the second sheet (8) and the superjacent sheet (17) are releas-

ably connected at points (9, 18) through holes (16) 30 in the antidecubitus mattress (1O).

6. An anti-decubitus mattress according to claim 5, c h a r a c t e r i z e d in that the sec-

ond sheet (8) and the superjacent sheet (17) are re

- leasably connected by means of snap fasteners (9, - 18).

7. An anti-decubitus device according to any of claims 1-6, c h a r a c t e r i z e d in that one 5 (8) of the first and the second sheets has a section (11) facing the second one (6) of the two sheets, said section (11) having a high friction against the second one (6) of the sheets and that said one sheet (8) is provided with a piece (13) having low friction 10 against the second one (6) of the two sheets, said piece (13) being provided with a handle(15), by means of which it may be moved between two positions, in which the piece (13) covers and uncovers said section À. ' (11), respectively..

15

8. An anti-decubitus device according to any of e-.

claims 1-7, c h a r a c t e r i z e d in that the À' À anti-decubitus mattress comprises a foamy material..,