Patent ID: 11877966
Assignee: ONWAI, LLC
Field: Medical technology (Instruments)
Classification: CPC A | IPC A

Claim 17:
18. A method for showering a patient, the method comprising:
providing a personal hygienic system configured to be portable and to be placed under a patient on a bed or reclined surface, the personal hygienic system comprising:
a portable and inflatable shower comprising a textile-reinforced polymeric wall material defining an inner cavity sealed by a filling valve and configured to receive a filling medium comprising at least one fluid, at least two folds discretizing at least two wall segments of an outer wall, the at least two wall segments arranged substantially vertically, the at least two folds and the at least two wall segments extending substantially longitudinally from an upper end to a bottom end,
a slope defined within an inner space and declining from the upper end toward the bottom end, a top surface of the inner space having one or more body segments discretized by one or more longitudinal folds extending a predetermined depth into the top surface, the one or more longitudinal folds being configured to direct the washing fluid towards the bottom end,
one or more body segments comprising a head and/or neck portion, the head and/or neck portion having an upper surface that is generally coplanar with an upper surface of the slope, the head and/or neck surface being defined by top and bottom transverse folds and one or more longitudinal folds configured to facilitate drainage of fluid away from a patient's head and/or neck, and
a drain portion arranged proximate the bottom end and defining a recess;

bringing the portable and inflatable shower to a collapsed configuration or verifying that the portable and inflatable shower is in a collapsed state;
placing the portable and inflatable shower underneath the patient;
inflating the portable and inflatable shower using a pressure-altering mechanism in fluid communication with the filling valve;
providing a washing fluid to the inner space of the portable and inflatable shower to wash the patient; and
removing spent washing fluid from the portable and inflatable shower using the drain portion and a washing fluid valve, the washing fluid valve being a venturi valve configured to provide washing fluid while simultaneously providing suction for removing the spent washing fluid using a positive pressure of the washing fluid.