An air-support mattress comprises an elastomeric plate having upper and lower faces flanking a central neutral surface. This plate is formed with a network of passages which lie between the lower face and the neutral plane and are adapted to be connected to a source of fluid under pressure. The plate is further formed with an array of vents each extending from the passage across the surface and terminating at respective mouths at the upper surface. A pair of lips in each of the vents meet tangen...

A patient support system has a fluidizable surface formed by air fluidizing a mass of fluidizable material and a surface formed by a plurality of inflatable sacks disposed on an articulatable member. The two surfaces are disposed end to end so that the inflatable sacks support the head, chest and upper torso of the patient, and the fluidized material supports the buttocks, legs and feet of the patient. The fluidizable material is contained by a member which is at least partially collapsible so a...

A patient support system has a fluidizable surface formed by air fluidizing a mass of fluidizable material. The fluidizable surface preferably is formed by a plurality of fluidizable cells disposed and attached atop an air permeable support with the aid of anchoring flaps, attachment flaps, and attachment mechanisms such as airtight zippers or mating elastomeric members. Each of these cells contains a discrete mass of fluidizable material and is manually, detachably removable from the support, w...

A cushion for reducing the incidence of decubitus ulcers in immobilized patients has upper and lower sheets peripherally seamed together to form an enclosure which contains a quantity of small plastic spheres or beads. A baffle system is arranged within the enclosure for maintaining the beads in an even distribution throughout the enclosure. The material of the baffle system and upper sheet is permeable to air flow, while the lower surface is not, whereby air may be forced to flow through the en...

A patient's head, chest and upper torso are supported on a first surface formed by a plurality of inflatable sacks disposed on an articulatable member. The patient's lower torso, buttocks, legs and feet are supported on a second surface formed by air fluidizing a mass of fluidizable material. A blower inflates the sacks and the fluidizable material via a network including manifolds, valves, and flexible tubing. A microprocessor controls actuation of the articulatable member, the various valves, ...

A patient support system has a first surface formed by one or more of a choice of structures. A fluidizable surface formed by air fluidizing a mass of fluidizable material is disposed adjacent the first surface. Examples of structures suitable for the first surface include a conventional mattress, with or without springs, polyurethane foam, and a plurality of inflatable sacks. The structure forming the first surface can be disposed on an articulatable member. The two surfaces are disposed end to...

The invention is a modular inflatable/air fluidized patient bed suitable for in-home use. The bed includes a double walled, molded plastic base formed from two pedestals and a connecting midsection. A blower compartment containing the electrical and mechanical components needed to operate the bed is formed in one of the pedestals. The bed optionally includes a plurality of block-shaped spacers that can be positioned under the pedestals to increase the height of the bed. A series of pilot operate...

A system for fluidizing a plurality of fluid beds is shown. The system is characterized by an air supplying unit for providing all the fluid beds with pressurized air via pressurized-air supplying pipes. The supply of pressurized air to the fluid beds is controlled by manually or electrically actuated valves. The valves may be selectively opened or closed, or they may be automatically controlled to periodically open and close.

The invention relates to a fluidized medical bed. According to the invention, the receptacle (3) of this bed comprises: a lower wall (4); a porous bottom (5) disposed close to the lower wall, covered by a layer of granular constituents (22) and formed in several parts, the upper surfaces of which are inclined towards a waste collector (6, 7) which comprises a reservoir placed below the porous bottom, connected to the lower part of one of said parts (5) of the porous bottom, and comprising a firs...

A device for supporting a human body includes a mat having an upper layer of porous elastic material with fine particles mixed therein and a lower layer of porous elastic material. Air is blown through the mat from the lower layer, through the upper layer, and is discharged through an air permeable sheet covering the upper surface of the upper layer.