Hospital bed and matress having a retractable foot section

#The present invention relates generally to adjustable beds and more specifically to a bed having an improved adjustable foot section.

#There are many known bed designs that have adjustable foot sections. On beds that convert from a planar bed configuration to an upright chair configuration, the foot section is generally shortened as the foot section rotates from a horizontal to a vertical position. There are also beds having adjustable lengths wherein an attendant physically repositions the head or foot section of the bed to the desired length. These designs include a sliding telescopic foot section as well as a folding foot section equivalent to a “lazy boy” design. It is also known to deflate the foot section of the mattress when converting from a bed to a chair. For short occupants, there exists a need for adjustment of the foot prop or board in the chair position shorter than that attended by adjusting the length of the foot section.

#The ability to adjust the length of the foot section independent of converting from a bed to a chair is also important. This would assist in maneuvering the bed in a confined locations during patient transport. It also allows the bed length to be customized to a patient's size. If a foot prop is provided at the end of the foot section, the adjustment of the foot section and the prop would prevent patient migration across the support surface of the bed. It would also provide support for the feet to thereby improve the patient's feeling of security. It could also be used in the prevention of peripheral neuropathy (“foot drop”). Positioning the end of the mattress relative to the patient substantially increases the ability to provide heel management. Heel management is wherein the heel is supported by the thigh and the calf and the heel has reduced pressure contact with the mattress.

#A detailed description particularly refers to the accompanying figures in which:

#FIG. 1 is a schematic view of a patient on a bed with the foot section/portion fully extended;

#FIG. 2 is a schematic view of a patient on a bed with the foot section/portion adjusted and illustrating the heel management according to the principles of the present disclosure;

#As illustrated in the Figures, the bed will be discussed with respect to a deck 10 and a mattress 20 thereon. As illustrated in FIG. 4, the deck 10 includes a seat section 12, a thigh section 14 and a foot section 16 mounted to a frame 18. The deck would also include, but not shown, a head section also connected to the frame 18. Since the present disclosure is directed specifically to the foot section 16, the other portion will not be described in detail. The foot portion 16 may be used on any deck structure.

#The retracting foot section of the present disclosure can be retracted while the bed is in its horizontal bed position. This permits the caregiver to adjust the overall length of the bed in either the bed position or the chair position as shown in FIGS. 19 and 20. The overall bed length can be shortened by about 12-14 inches to facilitate transport of the bed. In other words, the retracting foot section reduces the bed length so that the bed can fit into smaller elevators. The shorter bed also has a smaller turning radius. The foot section can also be moved to its retracted position to save space during storage of the bed.

#The retracting foot section of the present disclosure also decreases patient migration since the foot prop location may be adjusted to the height of the patient. Therefore, the bed size can be customized for the patient. The bed also includes a shearless pivot linkage disclosed in copending application Ser. No. 08/511,711, filed Aug. 4, 1995, the specification of which is incorporated herein by reference. The combination of the shearless pivot with the retracting foot section and foot prop reduces patient migration toward the foot end of the bed as the bed articulates.