Abstract:
A height-adjustable pillow for supporting a patient&#39;s head. The pillow includes a casing of flexible material defining a casing volume and a volume of filler material partially occupying in said casing volume. The casing volume is compressible and expandable. The casing volume includes a support portion positioned above a base portion. An air valve is associated with the casing for introducing air into and evacuating air from said casing volume.

Description:
CROSS-REFERENCES TO RELATED APPLICATIONS 
     The instant application is a continuation application which claims the benefit PCT Application PCT/US15/38878 filed Jul. 1, 2015, entitled “Height Adjustable Pillow for Use in Surgery,” which claims the benefit of non-provisional U.S. patent application Ser. No. 14/321,637 filed Jul. 1, 2014 also entitled “Height Adjustable Pillow for Use in Surgery.” 
    
    
     STATEMENT REGARDING FEDERALLY-SPONSORED RESEARCH OR DEVELOPMENT 
     Not applicable. 
     BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
     1. Field of the Invention 
     The present invention relates to medical devices. More specifically, the present invention is a height-adjustable pillow for supporting the head of patient during a medical procedure. 
     2. Description of the Related Art 
     In the field of surgical headrests, the current approach to position a patient&#39;s head for a surgical procedure using standard, one-size-fits-all pillows, despite that patients come in all sizes and shapes from pediatrics to the largest of patients. Such headrests complicate the airway management process by facilitating a difficult view of the larynx. This demands extraordinary maneuvers by a healthcare provider to secure the airway. 
     SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
     The present invention is a height-adjustable pillow for supporting a patient&#39;s head, either directly or with a headrest. The pillow includes a casing of flexible material defining a casing volume and a volume of filler material partially occupying the casing volume. The casing volume is compressible and expandable and includes a support portion positioned above a base portion. The base portion defines a first volume. The support portion defines a second volume. An opening between the support position and the base portion allows the filler material to pass between the volumes. An air valve is associated with the casing for introducing air into and evacuating air from said casing volume. 
     The present invention also provides a method of adjusting and supporting the position of a patient&#39;s head with an adjustable pillow. The method includes the steps of positioning a casing below a patient&#39;s head, the casing having a base portion having a first volume and a support portion having a second volume; introducing filler material into the casing; introducing air into the casing; compressing the first volume; and moving the filler material from said first volume into said second volume. 
     The present invention places every patient in the perfect ramped-up, sniffing position, thereby lining up the patient&#39;s laryngeal axis, the pharyngeal axis, and the axis of the mouth completely independent of the patient&#39;s body mass index. The present invention can be molded to support the patient in the lateral and the prone position specific to individual patient habitus. This application of correct anatomical positioning for airway management improves the ability of the healthcare provider to secure the airway and thus improves patient care by causing less stress and trauma to the patient&#39;s throat. Moreover, the invention improves the provider&#39;s ability to secure a “difficult” airway. 
     In addition, the present invention has a lower economical and environmental cost. For one, the present invention allows a single apparatus that customizes to the height of the small prone headrest. Competitors, however, often use nine inches of foam as a prone pillow, which is more expensive than embodiments of the present invention. Moreover, because of the great difference in headrest size, the various embodiments of the invention, along with the prone headrest, have smaller ecological footprints in landfills when ultimately discarded. 
    
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
         FIG. 1  is an isometric view of an embodiment of the present invention. 
         FIG. 2  is a reverse isometric view of the embodiment. 
         FIG. 3  is a partial sectional view of the embodiment in a first state. 
         FIG. 4  is a partial sectional view of the embodiment in a second state. 
         FIGS. 5-6  are partial sectional views of the embodiment in a third state. 
         FIG. 7  is a partial sectional view of the embodiment in a fourth state. 
         FIG. 8  is a partial sectional view of the embodiment in a fifth state. 
     
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION 
       FIGS. 1-2  show a first embodiment  20  having the features of the present invention. The embodiment  20  includes a casing  22  made of pieces of flexible material connected together. Preferably, the flexible material is PVC Tarpaulin having a 0.4 mm thickness, with the pieces being heat-welded together. However, other methods of connecting the pieces of flexible material may be used. 
     The casing  22  includes is a base portion  26  and a support portion  30 . Preferably, the base portion  26  has a generally-rectangular cuboid shape formed of a generally rectangular bottom  32  (see  FIG. 2 ) and four sidewalls. The four sidewalls include a first pair of opposing sidewalls  34  and a second pair of opposing sidewalls  36 . Each sidewall  34 ,  36  has the same height. Each of the first pair of sidewalls  34  has a first length L1. Each of the second pair of sidewalls has a second length L2. Referring specifically to  FIG. 1 , first and second top pieces  40 ,  42  are each attached to the first pair of sidewalls  34  and one of the second pair of sidewalls  36 . Referring specifically to  FIG. 2 , the bottom  32  is attached to the first pair and second pair of sidewalls  34 ,  36 . 
     The support portion  30  is made up of a first pair of trapezoidal pieces  44 , a second pair of trapezoidal pieces  46 , and a top piece  48 . Each of the first pair of trapezoidal pieces  44  has a bottom edge  45  attached to the first pair of sidewalls  34  opposite the bottom  32 . Each of the second pair of trapezoidal pieces  46  has side edges  49  attached to the first pair of trapezoidal pieces  44  and bottom edges  47  attached to the first and second top pieces  40 ,  42 . The top piece is attached to the small bases of the trapezoidal pieces  46 ,  48 . 
     The preferred embodiment  20  may include a headrest  50  having a planar bottom surface  52  (see  FIG. 2 ), a planar top surface  54 , and side surfaces  56  adjacent to, and at a right angle from, the bottom surface  52  and top surface  54 . A concave curved surface  58  adjacent to the top surface  54  and one side surface  56 . The headrest is preferably made from a foam or other soft material. 
     The preferred embodiment  20  may include two side panels  60  positioned outside and adjacent one of the pairs of opposing sidewalls  36 . Each side panel  60  is made of a rigid material, such as steel or hard plastic, and has an L-shaped profile formed from a bottom plate  62  attached to a side plate  64  at a right angle. 
     The preferred embodiment  20  may include a material piece  70  attached to the bottom  32 , to foam a pocket. A support plate  74  is positioned below and adjacent the base portion  26  within the pocket. Preferably the support plate  74  is a piece of polypropylene plastic, but may be any other rigid material. 
     An air valve  80  may be attached to one of the sidewalls  34 . The air valve  80  establishes a normally-closed but selectively-openable fluid communication path through the casing  22 . 
       FIG. 3  shows the embodiment  20  in a first state and positioned on a table  88 . The side panels  60  are in contact with the second pair of sidewalls  36 . The support plate  74  is within the pocket formed between the bottom  32  and material piece  70 . The base portion  26  has a first volume  84  and the support portion  30  has a second volume  86 . An opening  87  extends between the first volume  84  and the second volume  86 . Collectively, the first volume  84  and second volume  86  make up an enclosed casing volume. 
     The casing  22  contains air and a volume of filler material  82  made up of polystyrene beads and plastic beads. Preferably, the ratio of polystyrene beads to plastic beads is seven to three. In  FIG. 3 , the filler only occupies the first volume  84 . In this first state, the base portion  26  is fully expanded and the support portion  30  is fully compressed. 
       FIG. 4  shows the embodiment  20  in a second state where the length of the base portion is less than in the first state. Thus, the magnitude of the first volume in  FIG. 4  is less than the magnitude of the first volume shown in  FIG. 3 . Some of the filler material  82  occupies the second portion  86 . 
       FIGS. 5-6  show the embodiment  20  in a third state wherein the support portion  30  is fully expanded into the general shape of a frustum and air has been evacuated from the casing through the air valve  80 . The magnitude of the first volume  84  in  FIGS. 5 and 6  is less than the magnitude of the first volume shown in  FIG. 4  because of further compression of the base portion  26 , which causes folds  90  in the casing  22 . Notably, the user may select any position between the first and third states shown in  FIG. 3  and  FIG. 5 , respectively, depending on the preference of the user and needed positioning of the patient. 
     Use of the embodiment  20  is initially described with reference to  FIG. 3 , with the casing  22  containing the filler material  82  and air. The casing  22  is positioned below a headrest  50  and on a table  88 . The side panels  60  are positioned adjacent to the second pair of sidewalls  36  with the bottom plates  62  in contact with the bottom  32  of the casing  22 . 
     Referring to  FIG. 4 , the side panels  60  are moved inward causing the length of the base portion  26  to decrease and therefore the magnitude of the first volume  84  to decrease. A portion of the filler material  82  is thereby displaced through the opening  87  into the second volume  86  causing the second volume  86  to expand and thereby causing the position of the top piece  48  of the support portion to be raised. This, in turn, lifts the headrest  50  away from the table  88 . 
     Referring to the  FIGS. 5-6 , the side panels are moved further inward to a third state causing compression of the first volume  84 , which, in turn, causes a larger quantity of filler material  82  to move through the opening  87  into the second volume  86 . As a result, second volume  84  is expanded further (relative to  FIG. 4 ) and the top piece  48  of the support portion  50  is raised further. This, in turn, causes the headrest  50  to raise further. 
     Alternative embodiments may not include the side panels  60 . In such embodiments the base portion  26  is longitudinally compressed directly by the practitioner. 
     The headrest  50  may be selectively positioned anywhere between the first state shown in  FIG. 3  and the third state shown in  FIGS. 5-6  depending on the user&#39;s preference. When the desired head position is obtained, air is evacuated from the casing  22  through the air valve  80 . The resultant different of pressure between the outside and inside of the casing  22  forces the casing  22  against the filler  82  and causes the casing  22  to hold its shape. This results in a frictional engagement of the top piece  48  with the bottom surface  52  and possibly the side surfaces  56  of the headrest  50 , which frictional engagement inhibits movement of the headrest  50  relative to the casing  22 . If a position change is later desired, air can be reintroduced into the casing  22  to equalize the inside and outside pressure, allowing the filler to be moved between volumes to change the height of the headrest  50 . 
       FIG. 7-8  shows the embodiment  20  being used without the headrest  50  described with reference to  FIGS. 1-6 . In  FIG. 7 , a patient&#39;s head H is positioned directly on the support portion  30  at a first height relative to the table  88 . If, upon inspection by the healthcare provider, the first height does not allow for optimal alignment of the patient&#39;s laryngeal axis, the pharyngeal axis, and the axis of the mouth for a medical procedure, the support portion  30  may be adjusted as described supra for such optimal position. For example,  FIG. 8  shows the same patient&#39;s head H with the support portion  30  of the embodiment  20  having been repositioned to a second height relative to the table  88 . 
     The present invention is described in terms of a preferred embodiment in which a specific apparatus and method is described. Those skilled in the art will recognize that alternative embodiments of such an apparatus and method can be used in carrying out the present invention. Other aspects and advantages of the present invention may be obtained from a study of this disclosure and the drawings, along with the appended claims.