Fluid handling – Line condition change responsive valves – Pilot or servo controlled
Reexamination Certificate
2000-08-07
2002-07-09
Buiz, Michael Powell (Department: 3753)
Fluid handling
Line condition change responsive valves
Pilot or servo controlled
C137S596170, C137S625650, C005S173000
Reexamination Certificate
active
06415814
ABSTRACT:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
Therapeutic percussors and vibrators are known and used to stimulate expectoration of mucous from the lungs. It has been found that by applying undulating or vibratory action to the area of the body adjacent to the thoracic cavity, postural draining or coughing up of sputum is induced thereby reducing the amount of mucous that lines the inner walls of the alveoli.
Various pneumatic and mechanical types of percussors are known in the art. For example, U.S. Pat. No. 4,580,107 to Strom et al. discloses a pneumatic percussor for stimulating the expectoration of mucous. Similarly, U.S. Pat. No. 3,955,563 to Maione discloses a pneumatic percussor useful in the therapeutic treatment of cystic fibrosis and other lung disorders.
Low air loss patient support structures or beds are also known in the medical field. The structures essentially consist of a plurality of inflatable sacs disposed on a frame structure. The patient's weight is uniformly distributed over the supporting surface area of the inflatable sacs. Low air loss beds are known in the art claiming therapeutic value in pulmonary and circulatory care. Low air loss beds are also considered helpful in preventing and treating pressure-sores. Exemplary low air loss beds relating to wound care management and prevention include the Flexicair and Restcue beds provided by Support Systems International, Inc.
Alternating pressure low air loss beds are also known in the art. For example, U.S. Pat. No. 5,044,029 to Vrzalik discloses a low air loss bed having first and second sets of air bags. alternating positioned in an interdigitated fashion. Valves and circuitry are provided for alternately changing the pressure in each of the sets of bags to selectable maximum and minimum pressure above and below a predetermined baseline pressure in repetitive and cyclical fashion. Low air loss beds are also known for turning or rotating a patient from side to side in a cyclic fashion, for instance the Biodyne bed by Kinetic Concepts, Inc.
Support Systems International, Inc. markets the Restcue bed having the ability to operate in a first static mode, a second pulsation mode, and a third patient turning mode. The Restcue Bed employs a uniquely designed inflatable sac, as disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 4,949,414, to operate in any one of the three modes.
Until now, the vibratory therapeutic treatment of lung disorders, such as cystic fibrosis, has not been combined with the benefits of low air loss technology. Previously, a patient restricted to a low air loss bed, such as the Restcue bed, who also required percussive chest therapy to induce mucociliary clearance required an external mechanical or pneumatic type vibrator, such as the Strom device. This device would be applied directly to the patient's upper torso to loosen the mucous.
It is also known in the art to provide vibratory pads or similar supports upon which a patient can lie or sit. U.S. Pat. No. 4,753,225 to Vogel, for example, discloses an oscillator plate on which a body can sit, lie, or stand. The oscillator plate is made to oscillate by sound waves. U.S. Pat. No. 4,583,255 to Mogaki et al. discloses a massage mat having a plurality of juxtaposed air chambers. A repeated rhythmic wave motion is induced over the entire surface, of the mat or in a local surface by repeating a succession of feeding and discharging of compressed air into and from the air chambers. U.S. Pat. No. 4,551,874 to Matsumura et al. discloses a similar pneumatic massage mat.
The patient care industry has become sensitive to the rising cost of health care in this,country. Sophisticated therapy devices such as the low air loss beds described, although very effective in their method, can amount to significant expense if the patient requires sustained use of the bed. The more versatile these beds can be made, the more the expense of the bed can be spread among a wider patient basis. For example, a low air loss bed also incorporating a vibratory therapy mode of operation could be used to treat a first patient suffering from pressure ulcers and a second patient suffering from a lung disorder. The present invention provides such a unique and versatile patient support system and marks a significant advance in the art of low air loss specialty hospital beds.
OBJECTS AND SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
It is a principal object of the present invention to provide a vibratory patient support system to aid in the treatment of lung disorders.
It is a further object of-the present invention to combine the benefits of low air loss therapy with therapeutic vibratory means for treating lung disorders.
Still a further object of the present invention is to provide an inflatable patient support system having a vibration capability useful in pressure sore/wound care and respiratory therapy aspects.
Yet another object of this invention is to provide a multi-mode low air loss patient support system having a vibrational therapy capability in any one of its operational modes.
It is also an object of this invention to provide a versatile inflatable patient support system capable of supporting a patient at a predetermined pressure profile while simultaneously applying vibrational forces to a patient's upper torso.
And still another object of the present invention is to provide a versatile low air loss inflatable sac having internal vibrational means.
It is also an object of the present invention to provide an improved patient support system comprising a plurality of pressurizable multi-chamber inflatable sacs in which combinations of adjacent sacs define body support zones that support different regions of the patient at differing sac pressures, at least one such zone having a vibrational means providing percussive or vibrational therapy in that zone.
It is a further object of the present invention to provide an improved patient support system which permits automatically turning a patient in a first operational mode, alternating and relieving pressure points in a second operational mode, maintaining a patient at a predetermined relatively static pressure profile in a third operational mode, and providing vibrational therapy to the general area of a patient's upper torso in any one of the three modes of operation.
Additional objects and advantages of the invention will be set forth in part in the description which follows, and in part will be obvious from the description, or may be learned by practice of the invention. The objects and advantages of the invention may be realized and attained by means of the instrumentalities and combinations particularly pointed out in the appended claims.
To achieve the objects and in accordance with the purpose of the invention, as embodied and broadly described herein, the vibratory patient support system of the present invention preferably includes a rigid support frame that carries the other components of the system. The frame is mounted on castors for ease of movement and preferably has a plurality of articulatable sections that can be lifted by conventional hydraulic lifting mechanisms and articulated by conventional articulation devices.
In accordance with the present invention, a plurality of inflatable sacs are supported upon the rigid support frame. The sacs are preferably disposed transversely across the patient support system but, may be disposed lengthwise thereto. Each sac may comprise a single internal chamber but preferably has four uniquely defined chambers, including two opposite end chambers and two intermediate chambers. The inflatable sacs of the present invention are uniquely designed so that the patient support system can operate in any one of three operational modes with at least one portion or region of the inflatable sacs having a vibratory capability.
The present invention further comprises means for pressurizing and maintaining the inflatable sacs at a predetermined pressure. The predetermined pressure may be a patient height and weight specific profile which can be varied or adjusted accordingly vibrating means are further provided separate from
Chambers Kenith W.
Hand Barry D.
Novack Robert C.
Stolpmann James R.
Williamson Donald E.
Bose McKinney & Evans LLP
Buiz Michael Powell
Hill-Rom Services Inc.
Krishnamurthy Ramesh
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