Supports – Brackets – Specially mounted or attached
Reexamination Certificate
1999-06-10
2001-01-30
Ramirez, Ramon O. (Department: 3632)
Supports
Brackets
Specially mounted or attached
C005S503100, C248S229160, C248S229260, C248S219400, C403S374100
Reexamination Certificate
active
06179260
ABSTRACT:
FIELD OF THE INVENTION
The present invention is directed to a coupling device for connecting a rolling IV stand to a patient transport device, such as, a bed, gurney or wheelchair.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
Hospital patients are frequently transferred from one area of a hospital to a different area. To perform that transfer, a patient is placed on a gurney or wheelchair and a medical assistant pushes the patient to a desired destination. Frequently, a patient receives intravenous fluids from an IV assembly. The IV assembly can include a rolling IV stand having a vertical pole with one or more IV bags and drip lines leading to the patient. Transferring the IV assembly along with the patient has presented a number of challenges. For example, a second medical assistant is sometimes used to push the IV assembly at the same pace as the gurney. A different patient transfer approach involves turning off each IV and moving each of the IV bags from the support stand to a second stand attached to the gurney. However, turning off an IV for critical care patients greatly increases the risks to their health. In addition, there is a risk that a busy medical assistant may forget to turn an IV back on or establish an improper drip rate. Also, whenever IV bags are handled, there is a risk that a bag may be dropped and potentially explode. In the case of some critical care patients, there can be five or more IV lines connected to a patient. These multiple lines can easily become entangled and crossed when patients are transferred from a gurney to a table or a bed, and vice versa. Moreover, infusion pumps are often clamped to the IV pole and need to be turned on and off and properly transferred from one pole to another, which further complicates patient transfers.
The increased labor requirements for transferring IV bags from one IV pole to another IV pole and/or independently moving an IV pole along side a gurney greatly increases medical costs. In addition, patient safety is potentially jeopardized every time an IV assembly is transferred between poles.
Recently, connecting devices have been proposed that interconnect a gurney or wheelchair with an IV assembly. However, the known devices do not provide easy attachment and removal to a gurney or wheelchair. Nor do the known devices provide a redundant securing feature that prevents unwanted detachment of the IV pole from the connecting device.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
The present invention provides a coupling device for interconnecting a rollingly supported medical stand having a pole to a patient transport device, such as a gurney, a bed or a wheelchair. The coupling device has a base that includes an attachment portion for attaching the device to the patient transport device. An extension arm is connected to the base and terminates at a pole receiver portion. The receiver portion preferably has a generally cylindrical hollow housing with a vertical slot sized to receive an IV pole on the IV medical stand. Further, an anti-rotation feature, for example, a thumb screw or a liner is optionally provided on the receiver portion to tightly retain the pole in the housing preventing pole rotation. Additionally, a locking door is provided which removably closes the slot for preventing accidental removal of a medical stand pole from the pole receiver portion. The locking door is slidably received within a pair of opposing grooves to close the slot and prevent removal of the IV pole from the housing. The slot and the opposing grooves are generally vertical for generally parallel alignment with a medical stand pole.
When the anti-rotation feature is a thumbscrew, it also provides for primary positive retention of a medical stand pole and the locking door provides secondary positive pole retention for redundantly retaining a medical stand pole to a patient transport.
A further embodiment of the present invention includes a liner attached to an inner surface of the pole receiver portion, in place of a thumb screw, to grip and retain the IV pole against rotation. A still different embodiment of the present invention provides a hinged connection between the extension arm and the base, allowing folding, pivoting motion from an extended service position to a folded storage position.
A still further embodiment of the present invention includes a telescopically collapsing extension arm that permits the receiver portion to be extended to a service position or retracted to a compact storage position.
The present invention is also directed to a coupling bracket for rigidly interconnecting a rollingly supported medical stand having a pole to a patient transport, the coupling bracket comprising a base that includes an attachment portion for attaching the coupling bracket to a patient transport. An extension arm is provided having first and second ends, the first end being connected to the base. A pole receiver portion is connected to the second end of the extension arm and includes a generally hollow housing with a slot dimensioned for receiving a medical stand pole. A fastener is located on the receiver portion for tightly engaging a medical stand pole when positioned in the housing for preventing pole rotation and unwanted removal. The fastener is preferably a thumbscrew that is located in a side of the pole receiver portion for radially engaging a medical stand pole. The extension rod can be a generally cylindrical rod and can alternatively be pivotally connected to the base for folding storage or telescoping for collapsing storage.
The coupling bracket device according to the present invention provides a rigid connection between a patient transport device and an IV stand to allow their simultaneous movement without the need for an extra medical assistant to push the IV stand. Thus, the present invention reduces the amount of labor required to move a patient from one area of a hospital to another area. Further, there is no need to transfer IV bags and infusion pumps from one IV stand to another IV stand, since a single IV stand can be readily coupled to or detached from the patient transport device. Thus, the present invention increases patient safety by eliminating the need to turn off IVs as required when transferring bags from one IV stand to another.
In addition, the coupling bracket device can be easily attached or removed from one patient transport and connected to a different patient transport. Alternatively, other embodiments of the present invention can remain attached to a same patient transport and the extension arm and receiver portion can be moved to compact storage positions so as not to interfere with movement of the patient transport device or medical personnel.
Accordingly, the present invention reduces the labor required to move patients and thereby reduces medical costs for treating those patients Patient safety is also greatly increased. Moreover, the coupling bracket of the present invention enables easy installation and removal from a patient transfer device as well as compact storage. Further, a redundant securing system ensures that an IV pole will not be inadvertently separated from the bracket.
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Rader & Fishman & Grauer, PLLC
Ramirez Ramon O.
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