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US 12,533,274 B2Granted
Patient repositioning system and method
AssigneeLarand LLC
InventorsRandall J Slaboch, Lara Pertile
Life of this patent
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Abstract
A patient repositioning system intended for a patient confined to a bed for an extended time period. The repositioning system includes a sling attached to a frame with side poles having head and foot segments that passively fold between a flat/supine position and sitting positions. The frame pivotally mounts to a frame base that is anchored or affixed to a bed. The frame can be pivotally lifted off of a bed mattress, either uniformly by a single-actuator lifter raising both frame poles by the same angle, or so as to tilt the frame to assist with turning a patient by a dual-actuator lifter raising the frame poles to different angles.
Claims16
A human patient repositioning lifter system comprising
- a lifter;
- a patient support frame;
- the lifter comprising:
- a lifter frame;
- a pair of linear actuators, each linear actuator comprising an elongate fixed member and an elongate extension member, the linear actuator being operable to extend and retract by moving the extension member in opposed linear extension and retraction directions to extended and retracted positions;
- the linear actuator fixed members being mounted to the lifter frame at laterally spaced apart locations and so that the extension direction of each extension member is oriented upward;
- an elongate suspension bar, the linear actuator extension members being connected to the suspension bar at laterally spaced apart extension member connection points on the suspension bar;
- the patient support frame being connected to a bed frame and positioned over a mattress on the bed frame, the bed frame having a length and a width, the length extending in a longitudinal forward direction to a foot end and in a longitudinal rearward direction to a head end opposite the foot end, and the width extending between opposite lateral sides in a transverse horizontal direction perpendicular to the longitudinal direction;
- the patient support frame comprising:
- a base, the base being affixed to a foot end of the bed frame;
- a pair of elongate, lateral support members, the lateral support members having foot ends pivotally connected to the base for pivotal movement in a vertical longitudinal plane;
- and
- a head board, the lateral support members having head ends affixed to laterally spaced apart connection points on the head board;
- the lifter frame being horizontally movable on a floor surface to a use position, the suspension bar in the use position being disposed above and spanning the width of the bed frame, and the bed frame width being disposed medially between the linear actuators in the use position;
- the suspension bar comprising a pair of load connection points, each load connection point being connected to a respective one of a pair of lateral support members of the patient support frame, so that when the linear actuators extend to raise the suspension bar, thereby raising the load connection points, the respective lateral support members are pulled upwardly so as to pivot the lateral support members upwardly and forwardly in the vertical longitudinal plane.
12 more elements
A method of repositioning a human patient supported on a mattress using a human patient repositioning lifter system, the method comprising:
- affixing a base of a patient support frame of the human patient repositioning lifter system to a foot end of a bed frame so that a pair of elongate lateral support members of the patient support frame are oriented horizontally and disposed on a top side of a mattress on the bed frame, the bed frame having a length extending in a longitudinal horizontal direction from a foot end to a head end and a width extending between opposite lateral sides in a transverse horizontal direction perpendicular to the longitudinal direction,
- wherein the human patient repositioning lifter system comprises a lifter and the patient support frame, the lifter comprising a lifter frame, a pair of linear actuators, each linear actuator comprising an elongate fixed member and an elongate extension member, the linear actuator being operable to extend and retract by moving the extension member in opposed linear extension and retraction directions to extended and retracted positions, the linear actuator fixed members being mounted to the lifter frame at laterally spaced apart locations and so that the extension direction of each extension member is oriented upward, and an elongate suspension bar, the linear actuator extension members being connected to the suspension bar at laterally spaced apart extension member connection points on the suspension bar, the patient support frame comprising the base, the pair of elongate lateral support members, a head board, and a sling, the lateral support members having foot ends pivotally connected to the base for pivotal movement in a vertical longitudinal plane and head ends connectable to laterally spaced apart connection points on the head board, the sling comprising a flexible sheet disposed between a pair of lateral sides, a head end, and a foot end, each lateral side of the sling being removably attachable to one of the lateral support members and the head end of the sling being removably attachable to the head board;
- positioning the sling between the mattress and a patient supported on the mattress so that the flexible sheet extends longitudinally over a back side of the patient's body from below the patient's buttocks to above the patient's head;
- attaching the lateral sides of the sling to the lateral support members and the head of the sling to the head board;
- connecting each of the lateral support members to a corresponding load connection point on the suspension bar;
- extending at least one of the linear actuators so as to raise the elevation of at least one of the load connection points on the suspension bar, so as to raise the elevation of at least a portion of the corresponding lateral support member and the corresponding lateral side of the sling, so as to increase upward pressure on the patient's body from an area of the flexible sheet, so as to reduce downward pressure from the patient's body to an area of the mattress underlying the area of the flexible sheet.
3 more elements
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.