Patient support

A patient support comprising:

• an air flow system for directing air flow into the patient support;
• a bladder layer formed from an upper sheet and a lower sheet joined together to form a plurality of fluid pressurized bladders, each bladder having an internal chamber and an upwardly facing surface for facing and supporting a patient, said layer configured to allow air flow to flow from the air flow system through at least one of said sheets forming said fluid pressurized bladders external to said chambers to facilitate moisture management;
• and
• a cover over the fluid pressurized bladders, the cover having an upwardly facing patient surface and a bladder layer facing surface, the upwardly facing patient surface for forming a patient support surface on the support and forming a patient interface, and the bladder layer facing surface lying on the upwardly facing surfaces of the bladders wherein the cover and the bladder layer are free of any intermediate cushioning layer, and the cover comprising a moisture vapor permeable, but generally liquid impermeable cover to allow moisture vapor flow through the cover into a space beneath said cover and either in the bladder layer or above the bladder layer, wherein the bladder layer forms a reservoir for the moisture vapor passing through the cover, and the air flow from the air flow system directing moisture vapor flow out of the cover at a location other than the interface so that together the cover and the bladder layer will transport away moisture from the patient's body at the interface, wherein each of the chambers is in fluid communication with its adjacent chambers via conduits, and the conduits forming a network of fluid flow passageways between the bladders, the network of fluid passageways being adapted to maintain the fluid in the chambers at a minimum pressure and release fluid from the chambers when the collective pressure in the chambers exceeds a maximum pressure, and the network further being adapted to redistribute fluid pressure between the chambers so that when one or more of the bladders are compressed by a part of a patient's body, the increase in pressure in the fluid in the compressed bladder or bladders will be redistributed to the chambers surrounding the compressed bladder or bladders and to redistribute the increase in pressure in the surrounding bladders to their surrounding bladders so that the bladders that surround the compressed bladder or bladders will allow the patient to immerse into the bladder layer and envelope that part of the patient's body to thereby distribute the weight of that part of the patient's body over a greater contact area than just the facing surface of the bladder or bladders that are compressed by that part of the body.

A patient support comprising:

• a cushioning layer formed from a plurality of discrete, spaced cushioning elements, each cushion element comprising a chamber and having an upwardly facing surface for facing and supporting a patient, said cushioning layer having a network of fluid passageways between said chambers to allow pressure redistribution between surrounding chambers, the network of fluid passageways being adapted to maintain the fluid in the chambers at a minimum pressure and release fluid from the chambers when the collective pressure in the chambers exceeds a maximum pressure, and the network further being adapted to redistribute fluid pressure between the chambers so that when one or more of the cushioning elements are compressed by a part of a patient's body, the increase in pressure in the fluid in the compressed cushioning element or cushioning elements will be redistributed to the chambers surrounding the compressed cushioning element or cushioning elements and to redistribute the increase in pressure in the surrounding cushioning elements to their surrounding cushioning elements so that the cushioning elements that surround the compressed cushioning element or cushioning elements will allow the patient to immerse into the cushioning layer and envelope that part of the patient's body to thereby distribute the weight of that part of the patient's body over a greater contact area than just the facing surface of the cushioning element or cushioning elements that are compressed by that part of the body;
• said cushioning layer configured to allow air flow to flow there through to facilitate moisture management;
• and
• a cover over the cushioning layer, the cover having an upwardly facing patient surface and a cushioning layer facing surface, the upwardly facing patient surface for forming a patient interface, the cushioning layer facing surface lying on the upwardly facing surfaces of the cushioning elements wherein the cover and the cushioning elements are free of any intermediate cushioning layer there between, and the cover comprising a moisture vapor permeable, but generally liquid impermeable cover to allow moisture vapor flow through the cover into a space beneath the cover and either in the cushioning layer or above the cushioning layer, wherein the cushioning layer forms a reservoir for the moisture vapor passing through the cover, and the air flow directing moisture vapor flow out of the cover at a location other than the interface so that together the cover and the cushioning layer will transport away moisture from the patient's body at the interface.