Surgery: kinesitherapy – Kinesitherapy – Device with applicator having specific movement
Reexamination Certificate
1999-08-10
2001-06-05
Brown, Michael A. (Department: 3764)
Surgery: kinesitherapy
Kinesitherapy
Device with applicator having specific movement
C601S028000, C601S134000, C601S146000
Reexamination Certificate
active
06241695
ABSTRACT:
TECHNICAL FIELD
This invention relates to an apparatus and method for alleviating or preventing excessive pressure, and therefore pressure sores, from developing on a contacted body area.
BACKGROUND ART
A pressure sore is any lesion caused by excessive, unrelieved pressure on an area of the body. When pressures above normal homeostatic pressure are applied to a body region and its associated blood vessels, the blood vessels can partially or fully collapse, thereby disrupting normal circulation. As a result, the affected area becomes devoid of blood supply, which prohibits oxygen and nutrients from being delivered to the surrounding tissue. Pressure sores often occur over bony prorninences, and can range in severity from partial thickness skin loss to full thickness skin loss with tissue necrosis and damage to underlying muscle and bone.
Pressure sores are a common and costly problem in bed and chair-bound individuals, as well as in patients having an impaired ability to reposition themselves, such as those on ventilators or under anesthesia. In such individuals, various areas of the body may be permanently or almost permanently in contact with the support surface of the bed or chair, resulting in excessive pressure, lack of air circulation, and often increased shear between the contacted body area and the support surface.
Various systems have been proposed to reduce or prevent pressure sores. Among the most common prevention systems are mattresses, cushions, or pads that include some type of raised members extending from a flat base as shown, for example, in U.S. Pat. No. 5,153,956 issued to Nold. The raised members are spaced apart and designed to contact the body at numerous points in an attempt to lower the pressure between the affected body area and the support surface and equalize the pressure over the entire surface of the body. In order to be effective in this capacity, the raised members are designed to be of a height sufficient to maintain the body away from the base. However, upon the application of pressure by contact with the body, the raised members tend to bend and collapse into contact with the base, such that the body is resting against a substantially flat surface with broad points of contact. This action negates any lowering of pressure of the affected area, while also decreasing aeration and increasing the potential for shear between the body member and the pad.
DISCLOSURE OF INVENTION
Therefore, it is an object according to the present invention to provide an apparatus and method for pressure management, including alleviating or preventing excessive pressure development on a contacted body area.
It is a further object according to the present invention to provide an apparatus and method for alleviating or preventing excessive pressure development on a body area that function reliably regardless of the pressure applied by the contacted body area.
It is a still further object according to the present invention to provide an apparatus and method for alleviating or preventing excessive pressure development on a body area wherein the apparatus is embodied in a cushion or the like.
Accordingly, an apparatus for alleviating, and preferably preventing, excessive pressure development on a body area is provided. The apparatus includes a bottom surface and a top surface which is spaced from the bottom surface, and where the top surface has a plurality of channels formed therethrough. A compressible inner layer is disposed between the top and bottom surfaces, and a plurality of elongate, inflexible members are supported by the inner layer and disposed at least partially within the channels. The members have first ends that extend at least partially through the channels to project beyond the top surface, and in the absence of pressure the members are located at a neutral position. In operation, pressure applied to the first ends by contact with the body area causes the members to be displaced axially along the channels away from the neutral position and toward the bottom surface without deformation.
In a preferred embodiment, the members are longer than the distance between the top and bottom surfaces, such that the members extend beyond the top surface independent of the applied pressure in order to maintain a plurality of point pressures on a body area. In addition, the members include second ends located beneath the top surface, where each second end preferably includes an enlarged base operable to limit the distance that each member projects beyond the top surface. These second ends can be attached to the inner layer, which is preferably operable to return the members to the neutral position upon removal of the applied pressure.
In further accordance with a preferred embodiment of the present invention, the members have rounded first ends for added comfort when in contact with the body area. At least a subset of the channels are preferably densely spaced in order to provide a plurality of point pressures to the contacted body area. In terms of materials, the top and bottom surfaces are preferably constructed from a material, such as plastic, that is rigid relative to the inner layer. Additionally, the inner layer is preferably constructed of a foam material and the members can be constructed from either a rigid plastic or metallic material. In a preferred embodiment, the apparatus includes fasteners affixed thereto that are operable to removably attach the apparatus to another object, such as a standard chair, wheelchair, mattress, or to a part of the human body such as the heel or elbow.
Correspondingly, a method for alleviating or preventing excessive pressure development on a body area is provided. The method includes providing an apparatus which has a bottom surface, a top surface which is spaced from the bottom surface and has a plurality of channels formed therethrough, and a compressible inner layer which is disposed between the top and bottom surfaces. The method also includes providing a plurality of elongate, inflexible members which are supported by the inner layer and disposed at least partially within the channels, the members having first ends that extend at least partially through the channels to project beyond the top surface, such that in the absence of pressure the members are located at a neutral position. The method further includes applying pressure to one or more of the first ends by contact with the body area, thereby creating a plurality of point pressures on the body area. Still further, the method includes displacing the members axially along the channels away from the neutral position and toward the bottom surface without deformation so as to maintain the plurality of point pressures and prevent excessive pressure from developing on the body area.
In a preferred embodiment, the method further includes returning the members substantially to the neutral position by removing contact of the body area with the one or more first ends. Furthermore, displacing the members axially is preferably limited by compression of the inner layer and the bottom surface. Still further, the method preferably includes removably attaching the apparatus to another object, such as a chair, wheelchair, or mattress, or to a part of the body such as the heel or elbow.
The above objects and other objects, features, and advantages of the present invention are readily apparent from the following detailed description of the best mode for carrying out the invention when taken in connection with the accompanying drawings wherein like reference numerals correspond to like components.
REFERENCES:
patent: 1982516 (1934-11-01), Holmested
patent: 3107665 (1963-10-01), Nordgren
patent: 4037591 (1977-07-01), Sarno
patent: 4509510 (1985-04-01), Hook
patent: 4967433 (1990-11-01), Neal
patent: 5153956 (1992-10-01), Nold
patent: 5327598 (1994-07-01), Liou
patent: 5820573 (1998-10-01), Ramos
Brooks & Kushman P.C.
Brown Michael A.
Hamilton Lalita M
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