Beds – Having safety device
Reexamination Certificate
2000-01-19
2002-12-03
Trettel, Michael F. (Department: 3673)
Beds
Having safety device
C005S425000, C005S427000, C005S428000, C005S512000
Reexamination Certificate
active
06487735
ABSTRACT:
BACKGROUND AND SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
This invention relates to patient restraints and in particular to enclosures for beds in care giving facilities which restrict a patient's activities to the bed while allowing free movement of the patient within the bed.
Many patients in health care facilities suffer from mental or physical conditions which require that they be restricted to their beds for their own and others' safety. Generally, patients that require restraints are non-cognizant, injury prone, or excessively active as in the case of seizure patients. Patients who present aggressiveness, cognizant impairment, susceptibility to falls, and night time confusion are likely candidates for restriction. One commonly practiced restrictive procedure is to provide such patients with a full-time sitter who can prevent the patient from attempting to leave the bed or move about the room. This, of course, can result in a substantial increase in the health care costs resulting from increased labor charges. Alternatives to a full-time sitter are physical or chemical restraints which inhibit patient movement from the bed. Physical and chemical restraints can adversely affect the physical and mental condition of a patient being so restrained which can inhibit healing.
An alternative restrictive procedure is to provide a bed enclosure which allows free movement of the patient within the bed but prohibits the patient from leaving the bed. Patients diagnosed with Alzheimer's disease, closed head injuries, neurological defects, and strokes often benefit from bed enclosures as they are protected from injury caused by bed falls, entrapment in side rails, and accidents occurring while wandering from the bed. Presently available bed enclosures are typically free-standing mesh type cages with zippered flaps which may be unzipped and thrown on the roof of the enclosure to allow care giver access to the patient. Such enclosures inhibit movement of the bed to a different location, interfere with the articulation of the bed, interfere with raising and lowering the bed, interfere with medical devices being used to provide care to the patient (especially drainage devices such as foley catheters from which the patient must be disconnected to exit the bed enclosure), interfere with the patient's control of the bed, and/or are difficult for the care giver to configure so that care can be provided to the patient.
Caregivers in health care facilities would welcome a patient restraint system which provides the patient with free movement within the bed but limits the patient's movement to the bed yet allows movement of the bed from location to location, height adjustment of the bed, and articulation of the bed by the patient and caregiver. Health care facilities and caregivers would also welcome a bed enclosure which would not inhibit the use of medical devices necessary for providing patient care and is configurable to provide only the restraint necessary for the particular patient.
According to the present invention, the bed enclosure includes a series of sidewalls extending upwardly from the bed frame and a roof. At least one sidewall of such bed enclosure includes a vertically adjustable curtain which is configurable between a closed position, an open position, and a plurality of intermediate positions. Curtain includes a top fastener for securing the curtain in the closed position. In preferred embodiments the bed enclosure is mounted to the frame of the bed.
According to the present invention, a bed enclosure for use with a hospital bed having a frame, an intermediate frame vertically adjustable relative to the frame, an articulating deck pivotally mounted to the intermediate frame, and a mattress, comprises a shell and a skeletal structure supporting the shell and being attached to the intermediate frame of the bed. The shell includes a roof, a bottom panel, a wall connected to and extending between the bottom panel and the roof, and a curtain formed in the wall. The curtain is movable relative to a remainder of the wall between a lowered position to form an opening providing access between the interior and exterior of the shell and a raised position in which the shell forms a complete enclosure. The bottom panel of the shell may rest on and extend across the articulating deck with the mattress resting on the bottom panel while the curtain is movable between the lowered position in which a top edge of the curtain is below a top surface of the mattress of the bed to which the bed enclosure is attached and the raised position in which the shell forms a complete enclosure within which the mattress is received. The enclosure may include an I.V. slot formed in the wall of the shell adjacent to the movable curtain to allow a patient with an I.V. attached to enter and exit the bed to which the shell of the bed enclosure is attached without removal of the I.V. from the patient. Closure of the shell may be accomplished with a zipper having a first row of teeth attached to the top edge of the curtain and a second row of teeth attached to the remainder of the wall so that the zipper secures the top edge to the remainder of the wall when the curtain is in the raised position. A sensor for producing an illumination signal when the zipper is not fully closed and a light coupled to the shell which is illuminated when the sensor produces the illumination signal may also be provided. The skeletal structure may include telescoping cross-members configured to alter the length of the skeletal structure in response to an alteration in the length of the intermediate frame.
According to another embodiment of the present invention the bed enclosure for use with a hospital bed to restrain movement of a patient includes a shell located over the bed to restrain the patient, a timer coupled to the shell, and a reset button for reinitializing the timer. The timer may count up from zero each time the reset button is pressed.
A bed enclosure for use with a hospital bed to restrain movement of a patient in accordance with the present invention includes a shell having a side wall, an access curtain, and a zipper for securing the access curtain to the side wall so that the enclosure is in a closed state, and a light indicating the state of the enclosure. The enclosure may include a sensor for producing an illumination signal when the zipper is not fully closed and a light coupled to the sensor so that the light is illuminated when the sensor produces the illumination signal. The enclosure may include a first and second opposite side walls, each side wall including an access curtain coupled to the side wall by a zipper, and first and second lights located adjacent the first and second side walls to indicate the state of the enclosure and first and second sensors located adjacent the first and second zippers for producing illumination signals when the zippers are not fully closed, the first and second lights being coupled to each of the first and second sensors so that both the first and second lights are illuminated when either of the first or second zippers is open.
A bed enclosure for use with a hospital bed to restrain movement of a patient in accordance with the present invention includes a shell located over the bed to restrain the patient, the shell including a side wall and an access curtain coupled to the side wall. The curtain is movable relative to a remainder of the wall to form an opening to provide access to an interior region of the shell. The curtain is formed to include a patient access port and a mechanism for closing the patient access port. The patient access port may be closed by a zipper. A pad may be connected to the inside of the curtain to block patient access to the zipper. Also, the patient access port may have an arcuate shaped opening.
In accordance with another aspect of the invention, a bed enclosure for use on a hospital bed includes a shell a shell located over the bed to restrain a patient on the bed. The shell includes a wall and a curtain coupled to the wall. The curtain is mov
Branson Gregory W.
Jacques, II William L.
Koenig John W.
Kramer Kenneth L.
Bose McKinney & Evans LLP
Hill-Rom Services Inc.
Trettel Michael F.
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