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US 8,090,478 B2Granted
Control for pressurized bladder in a patient support apparatus
AssigneeHill-Rom Services, Inc.
InventorsAndrew F. Skinner, Sandy M. Richards, David P. Lubbers, Steven A. Dixon, Richard B. Stacy, Aziz A. Bhai
Life of this patent
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Abstract
An apparatus for supporting a patient, such as a hospital bed, is provided. The apparatus includes a patient support surface and at least one fluid containing bladder. A pressure control assembly is operably coupled with the bladder. When the fluid pressure within the bladder falls outside of an acceptable range of pressure values, the active adjustment of the pressure within the bladder is initiated by the pressure control assembly if the pressure does not return to the acceptable range of pressure values within a time period, e.g., a time delay, that has a variable length.
Claims34
A patient support comprising:
- at least one fluid containing bladder, the at least one bladder positioned to provide support for a patient when the patient is positioned on at least a portion of the patient support;
- and
- a pressure control assembly operably coupled to the at least one bladder to regulate a fluid pressure within the at least one bladder, the pressure control assembly including a programmable controller, the controller being programmed to monitor sensed pressure values of the fluid pressure within the at least one bladder and adjust the fluid pressure within the at least one bladder wherein:
- an acceptable range of pressure values is defined and the controller initiates adjustment of the fluid pressure within the at least one bladder when one of the sensed values is located outside the acceptable range of pressure and a time period following the sensing of the sensed value has elapsed without the fluid pressure within the at least one bladder returning to the acceptable range of pressure, the time period having a variable length;
- wherein the time period has a length that is a function of the difference between the sensed value and a value defining the acceptable range of pressure;
- wherein the time period has a length that is determined by a selected one of a plurality of different algorithms, selection of the selected one algorithm being a function of the difference between the sensed value and the value defining the acceptable range of pressure;
- wherein a first algorithm is selected when the difference between the sensed value and the value defining the acceptable range of pressure does not exceed a first window value;
- and
- wherein a second algorithm is selected when the difference between the sensed value and the value defining the acceptable range of pressure exceeds the first window value;
- and wherein the time periods determined by the first algorithm have a first maximum value and the time periods determined by the second algorithm have a second maximum value, the first maximum value being greater than the second maximum value.
7 more elements
The patient support of claim of 16 wherein the acceptable range of pressure values for the second bladder is a function of the position of the first section of the articulating patient support surface and the predefined angular amount is sized wherein the controller initiated inflation is occurable without a change in the acceptable range of pressure values for the second bladder.
A patient support comprising:
- at least one fluid containing bladder, the at least one bladder positioned to provide support for a patient when the patient is positioned on at least a portion of the patient support;
- and
- a pressure control assembly operably coupled to the at least one bladder to regulate a fluid pressure within the at least one bladder, the pressure control assembly including a programmable controller, the controller being programmed to monitor sensed pressure values of the fluid pressure within the at least one bladder and adjust the fluid pressure within the at least one bladder wherein:
- an acceptable range of pressure values is defined and the controller initiates adjustment of the fluid pressure within the at least one bladder when one of the sensed values is located outside the acceptable range of pressure and a time period following the sensing of the sensed value has elapsed without the fluid pressure within the at least one bladder returning to the acceptable range of pressure, the time period having a variable length;
- a first fluid containing bladder, the first bladder disposed proximate the head end of the patient support surface and positioned to provide support for the patient when the patient is bearing on a portion of the patient support proximate the head end;
- and
- a second fluid containing bladder, the second bladder disposed substantially centrally between the head end and the foot end of the patient support and positioned to provide support for the patient when the patient is bearing on a portion of the patient support proximate a midpoint between the head end and the foot end;
- wherein the pressure control assembly is operably coupled with the first and second bladders and regulating a first fluid pressure in the first bladder and a second fluid pressure in the second bladder, the pressure control assembly including a programmable controller, the controller being programmed to monitor sensed pressure values of the first and second fluid pressures and separately adjust the first and second fluid pressures and wherein:
- an acceptable range of pressure values is determined for each of the first and second bladders and the controller initiates adjustment of one of the first and second fluid pressures when one of the sensed pressure values is located outside the respective one of the acceptable ranges of pressure values and a time period following the sensing of the sensed value has elapsed without the fluid pressure within the respective one of the first and second bladders returning to the respective one of the acceptable ranges of pressure values, the time period having a variable length;
- wherein, for each of the first and second bladders, a first algorithm is selected when the difference between the sensed value and a value defining the acceptable range of pressure does not exceed a first window value and a second algorithm is selected when the difference between the sensed value and the value defining the acceptable range of pressure exceeds the first window value;
- and
- wherein the time periods determined by the first algorithms have a first maximum value and the time periods determined by the second algorithms have a second maximum value, the first maximum values being greater than the second maximum values.
9 more elements
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.