# US 12,758,455 B2 · Kyphotic lift for MRI imaging bed > Agents: this data is available as JSON from the patentgrep API and MCP server — see https://patentgrep.com/llms.txt - Number: US 12,758,455 B2 - Document ID: US12758455B2 - Status: Granted - Kind: B2 - Application number: 17/680,662 - Filed: 2022-02-25 - Published: 2022-09-08 - Granted: 2026-10-13 - Earliest claimed: 2021-02-25 - Assignees: University of Utah Research Foundation - Applicants: University of Utah Research Foundation - Inventors: Brandon Bruce Johnson - Web page: https://patentgrep.com/patent/US12758455B2 ## CPC - A61G 13/06: raising or lowering of the whole table surface (A61G13/04 takes precedence) - A61B 5/055: involving electronic [EMR] or nuclear [NMR] magnetic resonance, e.g. magnetic resonance imaging - A61B 5/704: {Tables} - A61G 13/08: the table being divided into different adjustable sections - A61G 13/122: {Upper body, e.g. chest} - A61G: TRANSPORT, PERSONAL CONVEYANCES OR ACCOMMODATION SPECIALLY ADAPTED FOR PATIENTS OR DISABLED PERSONS (appliances for aiding patients or disabled persons to walk A61H3/00); OPERATING TABLES OR CHAIRS; CHAIRS FOR DENTISTRY; FUNERAL DEVICES (embalming corpses A01N1/00) - A61B: DIAGNOSIS; SURGERY; IDENTIFICATION (usefulness limited to only animals A61D) ## Abstract A kyphotic lift can comprise a support base, and a body support secured to the support base. The body support can be movable away from the support base and can be operable to support at least an upper body of the patient during use. The kyphotic lift can also comprise a lift mechanism operable to raise and lower the body support away from and back towards the support base to position and align a head of the patient with a magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) head coil. ## Claims ### Claim 1 A kyphotic lift, comprising: a support base, wherein the support base is a planar substrate that is adapted to be positioned onto an existing MRI bed; a body support including a first end secured to the support base and a second end opposite the first end, the body support including a torso support segment and a hip support segment, the body support being movable away from the support base and being operable to support at least a chest and an abdomen of a patient during use; and a lift mechanism operable to raise and lower the second end of the body support away from and towards the support base to a position where the hip support segment is above the torso support segment such that hips and thighs of the patient are above the torso and to position and align a head of the patient with a magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) head coil. ### Claim 2 (depends on 1) The lift of claim 1, further comprising a shoulder support operable to support shoulders of a patient during use and wherein the shoulder support is formed integrally with the support base. ### Claim 3 (depends on 1) The lift of claim 1, wherein the support base comprises an upper surface that shares a common surface area with a lower surface of the body support, and wherein when the lift mechanism lowers the body support towards the support base, the body support is lowered to be adjacent to the support base, the support base being a solid planar support base. ### Claim 4 (depends on 1) The lift of claim 1, wherein the support base and the body support are flexibly connected to one another. ### Claim 5 (depends on 1) The lift of claim 1, wherein the support base is rigid, the body support is planar and rigid, and the support base is rotationally connected to the first end of the body support via a hinge. ### Claim 6 (depends on 1) The lift of claim 1, wherein the body support comprises a torso support segment and a hip support segment, and wherein the torso support segment is flexibly connected to the hip support segment. ### Claim 7 (depends on 1) The lift of claim 1, wherein the body support further comprises raised side edges. ### Claim 8 (depends on 1) The lift of claim 1, wherein the lift mechanism is an inflatable assembly having an inlet and outlet; the inflatable assembly having a deflated state in which the second end of the body support is adjacent to the support base, and an inflated state in which the second end of the body support is raised away from the support base, wherein the inlet and outlet are either a common opening or two separate openings. ### Claim 9 (depends on 8) The lift of claim 8, wherein the inflatable assembly includes a plurality of independently inflatable cushions. ### Claim 10 (depends on 9) The lift of claim 9, wherein the body support comprises a torso support segment and a hip support segment, wherein the torso support segment is flexibly connected to the hip support segment, and wherein the plurality of independently inflatable cushions comprises at least one hip support cushion disposed below the hip support segment and at least one torso support cushion disposed below the torso support segment. ### Claim 11 (depends on 9) The lift of claim 9, wherein two or more of the plurality of independently inflatable cushions are stacked on top of one another. ### Claim 12 (depends on 9) The lift of claim 9, wherein the inflatable assembly is removably attached to the body support and/or the support base. ### Claim 13 (depends on 9) The lift of claim 9, comprising a cutout in the second end of the body support and/or the support base such that the inlet and/or outlet is not between the body support and the support base in the deflated state of the inflatable assembly. ### Claim 14 (depends on 9) The lift of claim 9, comprising an air supply and control system for controlling the amount of air into the inflatable assembly, and wherein the air supply and control system is a hand pump or foot pump that is removably attached to the inflatable assembly. ### Claim 15 (depends on 8) The lift of claim 8, wherein the inflatable assembly comprises a collapsible housing. ### Claim 16 (depends on 8) The lift of claim 8, wherein the body support comprises a hollowed-out portion on a lower side thereof, and wherein the inflatable assembly is disposed within the hollowed-out portion of the body support in the deflated state. ### Claim 17 (depends on 8) The lift of claim 8, wherein the inflatable assembly is a truncated cone. ### Claim 18 (depends on 17) The lift of claim 17, wherein the inflatable assembly is an oblique truncated cone, wherein a top of the oblique truncated cone and a bottom of the oblique truncated cone are substantially concentric in the deflated state. ### Claim 19 (depends on 1) The lift of claim 1, wherein the lift mechanism comprises a scissor assembly having a lowered state in which the body support is adjacent to the support base, and a raised state in which the body support is raised away from the support base. ### Claim 20 (depends on 19) The lift of claim 19, wherein the body support comprises a hollowed-out portion on a lower side thereof, and wherein the scissor assembly is disposed within the hollowed-out portion of the body support in the lowered state. ### Claim 21 (depends on 1) The lift of claim 1, further comprising patient belt straps oriented to secure a patient to the body support. ### Claim 22 (depends on 1) The lift of claim 1, comprising at least one hole adjacent the edge of body support or support base for gripping the kyphotic lift for positioning on the MRI machine or for transport of the kyphotic lift. ### Claim 23 (depends on 1) The lift of claim 1, wherein the lift mechanism is configured to contact and provide lifting force against only a subsection of the body support. ### Claim 24 (depends on 23) The lift of claim 23, wherein the subsection is disposed closer to the second end of the body support than the first end of the body support. ### Claim 25 A method of supporting a patient with kyphosis during magnetic resonance imaging (MRI), the method comprising: placing a patient on a body support of a kyphotic lift having a lift mechanism, wherein the body support is operable to support an upper body of the patient including at least a chest and an abdomen of the patient; lifting the body support away from an MRI bed with the lift mechanism to raise hips of the patient to a position where the hips and thighs of the patient are above the torso; positioning a head of the patient to align with an MRI head coil; performing MRI imaging using the MRI head coil to produce a patient image; and lowering the body support toward the MRI bed with the kyphotic lift to lower the hips of the patient toward the MRI bed. ### Claim 26 (depends on 25) The method of claim 25, wherein air is pumped into an inflatable assembly as part of the lift mechanism lifting the body support away from an MRI bed and air is released from the inflatable assembly for lowering the body support toward the MRI bed. ### Claim 27 A kyphotic lift, comprising: a rigid support base, wherein the support base is a planar substrate that is adapted to be positioned onto an existing MRI bed; a planar, rigid body support including a first end rotationally secured, via a hinge, to the support base and a second end that is free to lift relative to the support base, the body support including a torso support segment and a hip support segment, the body support being movable away from the support base by rotating at the hinge and being operable to raise at least a chest and an abdomen of the a kyphotic patient during use; and a lift mechanism disposed between the support base and the body support and configured for lifting the second end of the body support relative to the support base, via rotation at the hinge, to a position where the hip support segment is above the torso support segment such that hips and thighs of the kyphotic patient are above the torso and such that the head of the kyphotic patient is positionable in an MRI head coil. ### Claim 28 (depends on 27) The lift of claim 27, wherein the lift mechanism is configured to contact and provide lifting force against only a subsection of the body support. ### Claim 29 (depends on 28) The lift of claim 28, wherein the subsection is disposed closer to the second end of the body support than the first end of the body support.