Apparatus and methods for elevating a patient to facilitate X-ray photography
OwnerRoss L. Bremer, David A. Claymaninventors
Life of this patent
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Abstract
An inflatable bladder is formed of translucent material and includes a plurality of longitudinally extending tubes seamed one to the other in side-by-side generally parallel relation. End tubes extend at right angles to the longitudinally extending tubes, with all of the tubes being in fluid communication one with the other. The longitudinally extending tubes and the end tubes are sized and/or connected one to the other such that, upon inflation, the inflated bladder is supported by the inflated end tubes, with the underside of the longitudinally extending tubes elevated above the surface supporting the end tubes sufficiently to define a recess for receiving an X-ray plate or cassette. Manual movement of the patient is entirely avoided.
Claims13
Inflatable apparatus for elevating a patient from a surface sufficiently to insert an X-ray plate under the patient, comprising:
- a plurality of generally parallel, longitudinally extending inflatable tubes disposed in side-by-side relation relative to one another;
- a pair of inflatable end tubes at the respective opposite ends of said plurality of tubes and extending laterally thereof, said end tubes having a shape, when inflated, such that portions of said end tubes lie below the undersides of said plurality of tubes to define a recess between said end tubes, the undersides of said plurality of tubes and the surface accessible from at least one side of said apparatus and sufficient in size to receive an X-ray plate;
- and
- means for inflating said tubes, said tubes being formed of a radiolucent material.
A method of elevating a patient from a surface without manually lifting the patient to locate an X-ray plate under the patient, comprising the steps of:
- locating an inflatable mat on the surface, said mat having inflatable longitudinally extending side-by-side generally parallel tubes and inflatable end tubes extending generally perpendicular to said longitudinally extending tubes;
- placing a patient above the uninflated mat;
- inflating the mat to elevate the patient relative to said surface including inflating the end tubes to elevate the longitudinally extending tubes above the surface to define a recess below the longitudinally extending tubes between said longitudinally extending tubes and the surface accessible from one side of said mat;
- and
- inserting an X-ray plate into said recess for taking an X-ray picture.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.