Abstract:
The present invention relates to a structurally rigid, X-ray translucent backboard for transporting an injured person from the scene of an injury to a treatment center. The backboard comprises a planar top side which contacts the patient and a bottom side forming a single curvilinear shape that provides structural support to the planar top side. A hollow, foam filled core formed between the planer top side and the curved bottom side helps provide sufficient X-ray translucence and structural support to the backboard.

Description:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
   1. Field of the Invention 
   The present invention relates to an improved backboard for transporting a patient. 
   2. Prior Art 
   Backboards may be used to transport patients who have suffered severe trauma, such as a spinal cord injury, that may develop into partial or total paralysis if the patient is moved improperly. Therefore, it is imperative that backboards have sufficient rigidity with a low rate of deflection and not flex or bend under the patient&#39;s weight in order to prevent unnecessary patient movement. To further minimize the patient&#39;s movement, it may be desirable that the patient remain on the backboard when being X-rayed at a treatment center. However, if the patient remains on the backboard when being X-rayed, the backboard must be substantially X-ray translucent in order to enable a high quality, medically acceptable X-ray of the patient to be obtained. 
   However, prior art backboards either have a high degree of X-ray translucence while not being substantially stable, or are structurally stable without being sufficiently X-ray translucent. In particular, backboards of the prior art that are completely planar on both sides have a high degree of X-ray translucence, but are not sufficiently rigid when supporting a patient due to a lack of structural supporting members located within the board. Other prior art backboards may provide structural strength by providing supporting members within the backboard or by molding a series of ridges into the bottom side of the backboard. Although these design features provide structural rigidity, the stiffening rods and/or molded ribs appear on X-rays and can adversely affect the backboard&#39;s X-ray translucence. 
   Therefore, there appears a need in the art for a backboard that is lightweight, cost effective to manufacture, and sufficiently rigid to adequately support a patient while being substantially X-ray translucent. 
   OBJECTS AND SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
   Accordingly, the primary object of the present invention is to provide a lightweight, sufficiently rigid backboard for patient transport that is substantially X-ray translucent and inexpensive to manufacture. 
   Another object of the present invention is to provide a substantially X-ray translucent, lightweight backboard that has enough structural rigidity to support a patient without undue flexing or bending of the backboard under the patient&#39;s weight during transport. 
   A further object of the present invention is to provide a substantially X-ray translucent backboard that is constructed from a unitary piece of material with an interior core filled with an X-ray translucent material. 
   Yet another object of the present invention is to provide a sufficiently rigid backboard that does not require stiffening members or the like which may reduce the X-ray translucence of the backboard. 
   Another further object of the present invention is to provide a backboard having a continuous curvilinear shape along one side thereof that provides substantial X-ray translucence and structural rigidity. 
   These and other objects of the present invention are realized in the preferred embodiment of the present invention, described by way of example, and not by way of limitation, which provides for a rigid, substantially X-ray translucent backboard comprising a single curvilinear shaped bottom surface and an opposing planar top surface that contacts a patient with a foam-filled supporting member formed therebetween. 
   In brief summary, the present invention overcomes and substantially alleviates the deficiencies in the prior art by providing a sufficiently rigid and substantially X-ray translucent backboard for transporting a patient. The improved backboard comprises a planar top surface adapted to contact the patient that is structurally supported by an opposing curvilinear shaped bottom surface. Specifically, the bottom surface has a single curvilinear shape that extends the entire length of the backboard in order to provide sufficient structural support, while forming an angular orientation which provides substantial X-ray translucence to the backboard. In addition, a foam material fills the interior space between the upper planar surface and the curvilinear shaped bottom surface that allows the backboard to remain lightweight and inexpensive to manufacture without sacrificing either the X-ray translucence or structural rigidity of the backboard. 
   Additional objects, advantages, and novel features of the invention will be set forth in the description that follows and will become apparent to those skilled in the art upon examination of the following more detailed description and drawings in which like elements of the invention are similarly numbered throughout. 

   
     BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
       FIG. 1  is a perspective view of the backboard depicting the single curvilinear shaped bottom surface according to the present invention; 
       FIG. 2  is a cross-sectional view taken along line  2 — 2  of  FIG. 1  depicting the single curvilinear shaped bottom surface and planar top surface defining an interior portion filled with foam according to the present invention; 
       FIG. 3  is a perspective view of the backboard depicting the opposing planar top surface according to the present invention; 
       FIG. 4  is a table comparing the deflection rates of the backboard of the present invention to several prior art backboards; and 
       FIG. 5  is a graph illustrating rigidity vs. X-ray translucence of the backboard according to the present invention relative to other prior art backboards noted in  FIG. 4 . 
   

   DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION 
   Referring to the drawings, the preferred embodiment of the backboard is illustrated as  10  in  FIG. 1 . Backboard  10  according to the present invention provides a means for transporting a patient that has a high degree of structural rigidity, while being substantially X-ray translucent. 
   As shown, backboard  10  comprises a unitary, substantially rectangular shaped member that defines a front portion  12 , a rear portion  14 , two opposing side portions  16 , and opposing top and bottom sides  20  and  22 . Top side  20  provides a planar top surface adapted for supporting a patient and a single, continuous curvilinear shaped bottom side  22  with a hollow core  24  formed therebetween. In the preferred embodiment, hollow handles  18  are integrally formed along opposing side portions  16 , front portion  12 , and rear portion  14  that enable backboard  10  to be easily handled by one or more persons. Preferably, backboard  10  may be 71″ long as measured from front portion  12  to rear portion  14  and 15.75″ inches wide as measured from one side portion  16  to the opposing side portion  16 . However, the present invention contemplates that any suitable length and width of backboard  10  that is substantially x-ray translucent and structurally rigid is felt to fall within the scope of the present invention. 
   Referring to  FIG. 2 , hollow core  24  is preferably filled with a foam material  25  which permits backboard  10  to be extremely lightweight and sufficiently rigid while remaining substantially X-ray translucent. The applicant defines the language “substantially X-ray translucent” herein to mean that structural element(s) of backboard  10  other than a faint outline of the body of the backboard  10  will not appear in a medically acceptable X-ray of the patient being supported by backboard  10 . Specifically, this level of substantial X-ray translucence is completely free of all foreign artifacts, such as supporting rods, ridges, other objects, or design elements used to provide structural support to prior art backboards. Foam material  25  also enables backboard  10  to float and support a person weighing up to 70 pounds fully above water. Preferably, backboard  10  is capable of maintaining the face of a two hundred pound person above water and can also be used as a water rescue device, if desired. The use of foam material  25  is highly advantageous because the nature of the material contributes to the substantial X-ray translucent nature of backboard  10 . Preferably, a light weight foam material  25  is utilized, however, the present invention contemplates that any suitable X-ray translucent material inside hollow core  24  is felt to fall within the scope of the present invention. 
   Referring back to  FIGS. 1 and 2 , bottom side  22  forms a curvilinear portion  26  extending from front portion  12  to rear portion  14  of backboard  10 . Curvilinear portion  26  is formed from first and second symmetrical curved sides  27 A and  27 B having a trough  28  formed between opposed peaks  29 . Preferably, the angle between each peak  29  and trough  28  of curvilinear portion  26  is 45°, although the present invention contemplates that other angular orientations between peak  29  and trough  28  may be in the range of between 30°–60°, although any suitable angular orientation that does not interfere with the substantial X-translucence of backboard  10  is felt to fall within the scope of the present invention. The angular orientation of curvilinear portion  26  is configured to make backboard  10  substantially X-ray translucent, yet provide sufficient structural support to top side  20  as explained in greater below. 
   As further shown, curvilinear portion  26  comprises structural regions  24 A and structural region  24 B that extend from front portion  12  to rear portion  14  of backboard  10  and extend parallel to trough  28 . Preferably, both structural region  24 A and structural region  24 B are positioned equidistant relative to trough  28 . Since hollow core  24  is completely filled with foam  25 , structural regions  24 A and  24 B contain significantly more foam  25  than the portion of hollow core  24  located directly above peak  28 . Accordingly, the extra mass of foam  25  within structural region  24 A and structural region  24 B provides improved structural support to backboard  10  due to the extra mass of foam  25  along equidistant locations from trough  28 . It has been found that the curvilinear portion  26  also provides backboard  10  with a structural strength and rigidity having a low deflection rate capable of supporting a 1000-pound load when carried by four people as discussed below. This low deflection rate is extremely advantageous because it shows that the patient will not bend or deflect the body of backboard  10  and is therefore not subjected to unnecessary movement when transported. 
   This low deflection rate is measured along the middle of the body of backboard  10  in inches as depicted in  FIG. 4 . As shown, when backboard  10  is used to transport a one hundred pound patient and is carried by two people along front and rear portions  12  and  14 , respectively, backboard  10  has been found to have a deflection rate of only 1.53 inches. The deflection rate for a 200 pound patient has been found to be 2.43 inches when backboard  10  is similarly supported by two people along front and rear portions  12  and  14 . 
   It has also been found that if backboard  10  is carried by four people, the deflection rates are even further reduced as illustrated in  FIG. 4 . Preferably, four people hold backboard  10  by grasping a specific set of handles  18  denoted as  18 A and  18 B located along side portions  16 . For example, two people could each hold handles  18 A and two other people could grasp handles  18 B to achieve the lower deflection rates found in  FIG. 4 . 
   As can be seen in  FIG. 5 , the increased rigidity of backboard  10  does not hinder its substantially X-ray translucent nature.  FIG. 5  is a graph that compares the X-ray translucence of backboard  10  with the prior art backboards noted in  FIG. 4 . As shown, backboard  10  is the most structurally rigid and X-ray translucent backboard compared to the prior art backboards. Therefore, backboard  10  is capable of being substantially X-ray translucent while maintaining a high degree of structural rigidity. 
   It should be understood from the foregoing that, while particular embodiments of the invention have been illustrated and described, various modifications could be made thereto without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention. Therefore, it is not intended that the invention be limited by the specification; instead, the scope of the present invention is intended to be limited only by the appended claims.