Portable mattress for treating decubitus ulcers

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

1. A portable patient support system comprising: a mattress unit having therein inflatable bladder means and having operational and collapsed states in which said bladder means is respectively inflated and deflated, wherein said mattress has an exterior surface which includes an upwardly facing top surface portion in said operational state, has at one end a foot section, has in said foot section a portion of said bladder means and has means defining in said foot section below said portion of said bladder means a recess which opens through said exterior surface of said mattress unit; a control unit having a size and shape permitting it to be removably received in its entirety within said recess; and means operatively coupling said control unit to said bladder means within said mattress unit to facilitate control by said control unit of a pressure within said bladder means.

2. A system according to claim 1, wherein said control unit and said recess are substantially identical in size and shape.

3. A system according to claim 2, wherein said control unit and said recess are each generally rectangular; wherein said recess opens through a bottom surface portion, an end surface portion, and a side surface portion of said exterior surface; and wherein said control unit has a bottom surface portion, a side surface portion and an end surface portion thereon which, when said control unit is in said recess, are respectively substantially flush with said bottom surface portion, said side surface portion and said end surface portion of said exterior surface of said mattress unit.

4. A system according to claim 1, wherein said means for operatively coupling includes means for effecting a releasable coupling between said control unit and said mattress unit.

5. A system according to claim 4, wherein said bladder means includes a plurality of separate zones which are free of fluid intercommunication, wherein said mattress unit includes a plurality of conduits which are equal in number to and which each communicate with a respective one of said zones in said bladder means, wherein said control unit includes a plurality of second conduits which are equal in number to said first conduits, and wherein said means for releasably coupling effects only fluid communication between each of said first conduits and a respective one of said second conduits.

6. A system according to claim 1, wherein said bladder means has a further portion in a section of said mattress unit other than said foot section, said portion of said bladder means in said further section having a greater vertical height than said portion thereof in said foot section.

7. A system according to claim 1, wherein said recess opens through a bottom surface portion and a side surface portion of said mattress unit.

8. A system according to claim 7, wherein said control unit has a side surface facing in the same direction as said side surface portion of said mattress unit through which said recess opens, including a control panel having means for facilitating manual control of said control unit by an operator, including a cable extending from said control panel to said control unit and entering said control unit through said side surface thereof, and including a power cord which enters said control unit through said side surface thereof.

9. A system according to claim 1, wherein said control unit has thereon a handle and rotatably supported wheels, and including means for supporting said mattress unit on said control unit when said mattress unit is in said collapsed state.

10. A system according to claim 1, including power supply means for supplying electrical power to said control unit, said power supply means including a rechargeable battery within said control unit, a power cord extending from a location inside said control unit to a location outside said control unit, and a power supply circuit operatively coupled to said power cord and said battery.

11. A portable patient support system, comprising: a mattress unit having inflatable bladder means therein, and having operational and collapsed states in which said bladder means is respectively inflated and deflated, wherein in said operational state said mattress unit has a downwardly facing bottom surface, said mattress unit having at one end thereof a foot section, and having means defining in said foot section a recess which opens through said bottom surface; a control unit having a size and shape permitting it to be received in its entirety within said recess, said control unit having means for facilitating transport thereof in a non-operational state thereof, said means for facilitating transport including wheels rotatably supported on said control unit; and means for operatively coupling said control unit to said bladder means within said mattress unit to facilitate control by said control unit of a pressure within said bladder means.

12. A system according to claim 11, wherein said control unit has a manually graspable handle thereon.

13. A system according to claim 12, wherein said handle is supported on said control unit for movement between an operational position and a retracted position.

14. A system according to claim 12, including means for supporting said mattress unit on said control unit when said mattress unit is in said collapsed state.

15. A system according to claim 11, wherein said means for operatively coupling includes means for effecting a detectable coupling of said control unit to said mattress unit.

16. An apparatus, comprising: a mattress unit having an external cover made of flexible material, a containment part provided within said cover, said containment part having therein a plurality of transverse horizontal first-mentioned openings, a pocket containing foam material located below said first-mentioned openings, said containment part further having at a foot end thereof a plurality of further openings which extend horizontally and transversely, which have a lesser vertical height than said first-mentioned openings and which each have removably disposed therein an elongate bladder, and including below said further openings a further pocket having further foam therein.

17. An apparatus according to claim 16, including a control unit, and wherein said mattress has means defining in an underside thereof below said further foam a recess having a size and shape permitting said control unit to be received in its entirety within said recess, and means for operatively coupling said control unit to each of said bladders within said mattress unit.

18. An apparatus according to claim 17, wherein said means for coupling includes releasable coupling means for releasably coupling said control unit to said mattress unit, said releasable coupling means including a first coupling part provided on said mattress unit within said recess and a second coupling part provided on said control unit and releasably engageable with said first coupling part.

19. An apparatus according to claim 17, wherein said containment part has first and second separate zippers which each provide access to a respective one of said pockets.

20. A mattress system, comprising: an inflatable bladder, a control unit which is operationally coupled to said inflatable bladder and which controls a pressure in said inflatable bladder as a function of a plurality of control parameters, and a control panel which is physically separate from and operationally coupled to said control unit and which facilitates manual setting of said control parameters, said control panel being a self-contained unit of flat and thin shape having manually operable keys on one side thereof, and having two straps secured to a housing of said control panel at spaced locations thereon, and fastening means for releasably coupling one end of each said strap to an opposite end thereof.

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FIELD OF THE INVENTION

The present invention relates to a mattress system for treating or for avoiding development of decubitus ulcers and, more particularly, to such a mattress system having an inflatable bladder and a control unit for controlling a pressure within the bladder.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

Decubitus ulcers, commonly known as bedsores, typically develop when a patient is required to spend a relatively long period of time recuperating in bed with a minimal amount of movement. Various different types of beds and mattresses have been designed to avoid the development of decubitus ulcers and/or to treat decubitus ulcers which have already developed. One known type of system uses a mattress containing an inflatable bladder arrangement with a number of separate zones, and a control unit which separately controls the pressure in each zone. While units of this type have been generally adequate for their intended purposes, they have not been satisfactory in all respects.

First, at least where there are a plurality of zones, the mattress unit is often an integral part of an entire bed, as opposed to a separate component which can be moved from bed to bed. Further, the mattress unit can be relatively difficult to clean, in that all air bladders must be individually removed and laundered, and can be damaged if laundered at the wrong temperature or by the wrong procedure. Moreover, the procedure required to program the unit for the needs of a particular patient can be relatively complex. Those who do not program such systems on a regular basis must refer to an instruction manual, and even then may not achieve optimum settings for the particular circumstances.

As a result of these considerations, hospitals typically do not purchase mattresses/beds of this type. Instead, when a doctor prescribes use of such equipment, the hospital contacts a local rental company which brings over an entire bed, puts it in place, sets it up, and programs it for the particular patient. When the patient's need for the better mattress is completed, the rental company comes and takes it away, and does the necessary maintenance and cleaning. At a large hospital doing a reasonable rental volume of such beds, it is not unknown for a full-time employee of the rental company to have an office at the hospital itself. A further consideration is that the control unit for the mattress is a relatively large unit which either sits on the floor, making it difficult to transport the bed because the control unit must be separately moved with the bed, or is mounted on a footboard of the bed, giving the bed and the control unit a combined length longer than the interior dimensions of existing elevators in the hospital.

It is therefore an object of the present invention to provide an inflatable mattress system for avoiding or treating decubitus ulcers, which is easily transportable and does not include a bed as an integral part thereof.

It is a further object to provide such a mattress system which can be easily and quickly cleaned and sterilized by wiping the exterior with common antiseptics, and which can be easily and quickly set up and programmed without the use of a instruction manual and with little or no special training.

It is a further object to provide such a mattress system in which the mattress unit has a recess that receives the control unit, so that the control unit is within the overall envelope of the mattress shape, and in which a single simple connection arrangement is provided for operatively coupling the mattress unit and the control unit.

A further object is to provide such a mattress system having a separate small control panel which is flat and can be mounted on a footboard or side rail of the bed without interfering with maneuverability of the bed through hallways and elevators.

A further object of the invention is to provide such a mattress system in which the arrangement of keys and indicia on the control panel are substantially self-explanatory, to permit quick and accurate programming by a person who has limited training.

Still another object of the invention is to provide such a mattress system in which the control unit has wheels and a handle, and an arrangement is provided to support the control panel and the deflated mattress unit on the control unit for transport to or from a bed.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

The objects and purposes of the invention, including those set forth above, are met according to one form of the invention by providing a portable patient support system which includes: a mattress unit having therein an inflatable bladder arrangement and having operational and collapsed states in which the bladder arrangement is respectively inflated and deflated, wherein the mattress has an exterior surface which includes an upwardly facing top surface portion in the operational state, has at one end a foot section, has in the foot section a portion of the bladder arrangement and has in the foot section below the portion of the bladder arrangement a recess which opens through the exterior surface of the mattress unit; a control unit having a size and shape permitting it to be removably received in its entirety within the recess; and an arrangement operatively coupling the control unit to the bladder arrangement within the mattress unit to facilitate control by the control unit of a pressure within the bladder arrangement.

According to a different form of the invention, a portable patient support system includes: a mattress unit having an inflatable bladder arrangement therein, and having operational and collapsed states in which the bladder arrangement is respectively inflated and deflated, wherein in the operational state the mattress unit has a downwardly facing bottom surface, the mattress unit having at one end thereof a foot section, and having in the foot section a recess which opens through the bottom surface; a control unit having a size and shape permitting it to be received in its entirety within the recess, the control unit having an arrangement for facilitating transport thereof in a non-operational state thereof, the arrangement for facilitating transport including wheels rotatably supported on the control unit; and an arrangement for operatively coupling the control unit to the bladder arrangement within the mattress unit to facilitate control by the control unit of a pressure within the bladder arrangement.

Still another form of the present invention involves an apparatus which includes: a mattress unit having an external cover made of a flexible material, a containment part provided within the cover and having therein a plurality of transverse horizontal openings, and a plurality of elongate inflatable bladders each removably disposed within a respective opening.

A different form of the invention involves a mattress system which includes: an inflatable bladder, a control unit which is operationally coupled to the inflatable bladder and which controls a pressure in the inflatable bladder as a function of a plurality of control parameters, and a control panel which is physically separate from and operationally coupled to the control unit and which facilitates manual setting of the control parameters, the control panel being a self-contained unit of flat and thin shape having manually operable keys on one side thereof, and having an arrangement thereon facilitating a removable support of the control panel on a bed.

Yet another form of the present invention involves a mattress system which includes: an inflatable bladder arrangement, a control unit which is operationally coupled to the bladder arrangement and which controls a pressure therein as a function of a plurality of control parameters, and a control panel which is operationally coupled to the control unit and which facilitates manual setting of the control parameters, wherein the control panel includes a plurality of regions which each have at least one manually operable key for adjusting a respective control parameter and which have respective sequencing indicia therein that indicate a sequence for adjustment of the control parameters through operation of the manually operable keys.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

A preferred embodiment of the present invention is described in detail hereinafter with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which:

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a mattress system which embodies the present invention, supported on a conventional hospital bed;

FIG. 2 is a block diagram of the mattress system of FIG. 1;

FIG. 3 is a front view of a control panel which is part of the mattress system;

FIG. 4 is a perspective rear view of the control panel;

FIG. 5 is a perspective view of a control unit of the mattress system, with broken lines showing how a mattress unit of the system can optionally be mounted on the control unit for transport;

FIG. 6 is a perspective view of the control unit from a different angle;

FIG. 7 is a perspective view of the mattress unit with a cover removed for clarity; and

FIG. 8 is an exploded perspective view of the mattress unit, with air bladders and the cover omitted for clarity.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

FIG. 1 shows an apparatus 10 which includes a conventional hospital bed 11 and a mattress system 12, the mattress system being supported on the bed and embodying the present invention.

The conventional bed 11 has a base 16 movable on four casters 17, and uprights 18 support a support section 21 on the base 16. The support section 21 has an upwardly facing surface 22. A headboard 23 is mounted at one end of the support section 21 and has near its upper end a pair of horizontal slots 26, and a footboard 27 is mounted at the opposite end of the support section 21 and has a pair of slots 28 near its upper end. Two collapsible side rails 31 and 32 are supported on opposite sides of the support section 21 for movement between the raised position shown in FIG. 1 and a lowered position. Since the bed 11 is entirely conventional, it is not described here in further detail.

The mattress system 12 has three main components, in particular a control unit 41, a mattress unit 42, and a control panel 43 which is electrically coupled to the control unit 41 by a cable 44.

The mattress unit 42 has a cover 47 with an upper portion 48 and a lower portion 49 releasably coupled to each other by a zipper 51. The cover 47 has been omitted in other figures for clarity, but it is intended that the cover 47 would be present at all times when the mattress system 12 is in operational use. The upper and lower portions 48 and 49 of the cover are preferably made of a conventional and commercially available moisture impermeable fabric.

The mattress unit 42 has an exterior surface which includes an upwardly facing top surface 34, a downwardly facing bottom surface 35, outwardly facing side surfaces on opposite sides thereof, one of which is indicated at 36, and outwardly facing end surfaces at opposite ends thereof, one of which is indicated at 37. The side surfaces are generally perpendicular to the top and bottom surfaces, and the end surfaces are generally perpendicular to the side surfaces and the top and bottom surfaces.

The mattress unit 42 has at one corner of its foot end a recess 52, which receives the control unit 41 when the mattress system 12 is configured on a bed for operational use, as shown in FIG. 1. The recess 52 opens through the bottom surface 35, the side surface 36, and the end surface 37.

FIG. 2 is a block diagram of the mattress system 12, including the control unit 41, mattress unit 42, control panel 43, and cable 44. The internal configuration of the control unit 41 is generally conventional, and is described only briefly in order to facilitate an understanding of the present invention.

More specifically, the control unit 41 includes a microprocessor-based control circuit 56, which is coupled through cable 44 to the control panel 43. A power supply 57 supplies power to the control circuit 56, and to other internal components and the control panel 43. The power supply has a power cord 58, through which it receives standard 120 VAC power from a conventional wall outlet during normal operation. From time to time, it may be necessary to temporarily disconnect the power cord 58 from the wall outlet in order to move the bed 11, and while the bed is in transit the mattress system 12 can continue to operate without interruption using electrical power from a rechargeable battery 59 disposed in the control unit 41.

The control circuit 56 selectively controls an electrically actuated blower 63, which supplies air to a manifold 64 and which is preferably a variable speed blower. The manifold 64 can in turn supply air through respective solenoid valves 66-69 to respective conduits 71-74. The solenoid valves 66-69 are conventional components, and are independently controlled by the control circuit 56. Four pressure sensors 76-79 each communicate with a respective one of the conduits 71-74, and are each electrically coupled to the control circuit 56.

The conduits 71-74 extend to a connector part 81 which is mounted on an external surface of the control unit 41 and which can be releasably coupled to a connector part 82 on the external surface of the mattress unit 42. The connector parts 81 and 82 are conventional and commercially available parts. When the connector parts 81 and 82 are releasably coupled, the conduits 71-74 are respectively in air-tight fluid communication with respective conduits 86-89 in the mattress unit 42.

The mattress unit 42 has twenty separate inflatable bladders 91-110 along the length thereof. The bladders 91-106 are identical to each other, and the bladders 107-110 are identical to each other and are similar to the bladders 91-106, except that the bladders 107-110 have a smaller vertical height. The bladders 91-110 are arranged in four sections or zones, namely a head section or zone which includes four bladders 91-94, a torso section or zone which includes five bladders 95-99, a leg section or zone which includes five bladders 100-104, and a foot section or zone which includes six bladders 105-110. Each of the bladders includes an L-shaped tube, as indicated at 113, which communicates with the interior of the bladder and permits air to be introduced into or removed from the bladder.

Each section or zone corresponds to a respective one of the conduits 86-89. For example, the conduit 86 has an end portion 116 which splits or branches into four upright sections 121-124 each corresponding to a respective one of the bladders 91-94. The upright section 121 has at its upper end a connector 126, which releasably and airtightly couples the upright section 121 to the tube 113 for bladder 91. The upright sections 122-124 each have an identical connector at their upper ends. Likewise, the conduits 87-89 each have an end section which splits into upright sections that each end in a connector releasably coupled to the L-shaped tube of a respective one of the bladders 95-110. The conduits 86-89 normally carry respective pressures which are each associated with a respective section or zone, the bladders within each section or zone all being maintained at a common pressure associated with that section or zone.

FIGS. 3 and 4 depict the control panel 43 in more detail. As evident from FIG. 4, the housing of the control panel 43 has a relatively flat shape, and in particular has a thickness which is substantially less than either its width or height. In the preferred embodiment, the thickness of the control panel is less than one inch, and is preferably about one-half to three-quarters of an inch. Two flexible straps 136 and 137 each have at one end a fastener part 138 which is fixedly secured to the rear of the housing 43 near a respective side edge thereof, and have at the opposite end a fastener part 139 which can releasably engage the fastener part 138 so that the strap 136 or 137 effectively forms a loop. The stra