Portable and modular transportation unit with improved transport capabilities
AssigneeMaquet Cardiovascular LLC
InventorsYefim Kaushansky, Edmund Pacenka, Robert Hamilton
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
A medical device, such as an intra-aortic balloon pump or carrier with an extendable wheel track and handle configured to be removably carried and integrated with a cart. The wheel track is configured to extend upon extension of the handle and to return to its original position upon retraction of the handle.
Claims25
An intra-aortic balloon pump configured for tilted wheel transport, comprising:
- a frame, a pump comprising a pump body, the pump disposed within the frame, a display device associated with the pump, a control unit configured to control the pump, a handle assembly connected to the frame and comprising a handle grip, and a wheel assembly connected to the frame, wherein the wheel assembly comprises a first and second wheel, each movable linearly between (i) a retracted position defining a first wheel track in which the wheels are spaced apart a predetermined distance and orientation, and (ii) an extended position defining a second wheel track larger than the first wheel track in which the wheels are spaced apart a distance greater than the predetermined distance yet have essentially the same predetermined orientation;
- wherein linear movement of the wheels from the retracted position to the extended position is manually controlled by linear movement of at least a portion of the handle assembly from a first position to a second position, the second position spaced apart from the first position and wherein the first and second wheels are located towards a vertical side of the pump body and to accommodate tilted wheel support to the pump body along a horizontal and flat surface when the pump body is maintained in a tilted orientation with respect to the horizontal and flat surface and gripped at the handle grip by a user.
A method for enhancing the stability of an intra-aortic balloon pump during transport, the intra-aortic balloon pump comprising a frame, a pump disposed within the frame, a control unit configured to control the pump, a handle assembly connected to the frame, and a wheel assembly connected to the frame and to the handle assembly, the wheel assembly provides for an adjustable wheel track and comprises a first wheel and a second wheel, each movable linearly, the method comprising the step of:
- moving the first wheel and the second wheel from (i) a retracted position defining a first wheel track in which the wheels are spaced apart a predetermined distance, to (ii) an extended position defining a second wheel track larger than the first in which the wheels are spaced apart a distance greater than the predetermined distance,
- wherein linear movement of the wheels from the retracted position to the extended position is manually controlled by linear movement of the handle assembly.
A modular portable intra-aortic balloon pump, comprising:
- (a) a wheeled cart with at least one caster for rolling on a ground surface, and
- (b) a pump unit,
- the pump unit comprising a frame, a pump disposed within the frame, a display device in electronic communication with the pump unit, a control unit configured to control the pump, a wheel assembly connected to the frame, wherein the wheel assembly comprises a first and second wheel, each manually movable between (i) a retracted position defining a first wheel track in which the wheels are spaced apart a predetermined distance and (ii) an extended position defining a second wheel track larger than the first wheel track in which the wheels are spaced apart a distance greater than the predetermined distance, wherein the first and second wheels are configured to provide wheeled support to the pump unit along a horizontal and flat ground surface in both the extended and retracted positions when the pump unit is in a tilted orientation with respect to the horizontal and flat ground surface, wherein the first wheel and the second wheel in the first position sharing a common axis with the first wheel and the second wheel in the second position, the common axis having an orientation that is fixed with respect to the frame and the axels of the first and second wheels extend from the wheels to the frame and are connected to the frame,
- wherein the wheeled cart is configured with a cavity to removably and securely house and transport the pump unit and the wheel assembly such that the pump unit is elevated at a fixed height with respect to the ground surface when at least partially enclosed by the cavity, wherein the wheeled cart is further configured to transport the pump unit using the at least one caster but without use of the first and second wheels, and wherein the pump unit is also transportable independently in the tilted orientation via the first and second wheels when removed from the cavity of the wheeled cart.
An intra-aortic balloon pump (IABP) system, comprising:
- an IABP pump unit comprising a frame, a handle assembly comprising a handle, a pump disposed within the frame, a control unit configured to control the pump, a display device in electronic communication with the IABP, and a wheel assembly connected to the frame and operatively associated with the handle assembly,
- wherein the wheel assembly of the IABP pump unit comprises a first and second wheel, each comprising an axel and an a respective axis having a fixed orientation with respect to the frame and movable between (i) a retracted position defining a first wheel track in which the wheels are spaced apart a predetermined distance and (ii) an extended position defining a second wheel track larger than the first wheel track in which the wheels are spaced apart a distance greater than the predetermined distance, the first and second wheels moving along their respective axis when alternating from the retracted position to the extended position;
- and
- a wheeled cart, wherein the IABP pump unit is removably mountable to the cart, and wherein movement of the first and second wheels from the retracted position to the extended position is manually controlled by linear movement of at least a portion of the handle assembly from a first position to a second position, wherein the entirety of the handle in the second position is spaced apart from the entirety of the handle in its corresponding first position.
A carrier configured for tilted wheel transport, comprising:
- a frame;
- a handle assembly connected to the frame and comprising a moveable handle grip;
- and
- a wheel assembly connected to the frame, wherein the wheel assembly comprises a first wheel and a second wheel, wherein each wheel is movable linearly between a retracted position defining a first wheel track in which the first and second wheels are spaced apart a predetermined distance and orientation, and an extended position defining a second wheel track larger than the first wheel track in which the wheels are spaced apart a distance greater than the predetermined distance yet have essentially the same predetermined orientation;
- wherein linear movement of the wheels from the retracted position to the extended position is manually controlled by linear movement of the handle grip from a first position to a second position, wherein the second position is linearly spaced apart from the first position and wherein the first wheel and the second wheel are located towards a vertical side of the frame and to accommodate tilted wheel support of the frame along a horizontal and flat surface when the frame is maintained in a tilted orientation with respect to the horizontal and flat surface and gripped at the handle grip by a user.
A method for enhancing the stability of a carrier for tilted wheel transport comprising a frame, a handle assembly connected to the frame and comprising a moveable handle grip, and a wheel assembly connected to the frame and to the handle assembly, the wheel assembly provides for an adjustable wheel track, wherein the wheel assembly comprises a first wheel and a second wheel, wherein each wheel is movable linearly between a retracted position defining a first wheel track in which the first and second wheels are spaced apart a predetermined distance and orientation, and an extended position defining a second wheel track larger than the first wheel track in which the wheels are spaced apart a distance greater than the predetermined distance and have essentially the same predetermined linear orientation;
- the method comprising the step of:
- moving the first wheel and the second wheel from (i) a retracted position defining a first wheel track in which the wheels are spaced apart a predetermined distance, to (ii) an extended position defining a second wheel track larger than the first in which the wheels are spaced apart a distance greater than the predetermined distance, and
- tilting the carrier onto the first wheel and the second wheel,
- wherein linear movement of the wheels from the retracted position to the extended position is manually controlled by linear movement of the handle grip from a first position to a second position, wherein the second position is linearly spaced apart from the first position, and
- wherein the first wheel and the second wheel are located towards a vertical side of the frame and to accommodate tilted wheel support of the frame along a horizontal and flat surface when the frame is maintained in a tilted orientation with respect to the horizontal and flat surface and gripped at the handle grip by a user.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.