Abstract:
A patient transfer kit including an inflatable mattress, alternatively with a rigid top board with a patient restraint system on which a patient can be placed, when patient immobilization is required. A portable cart is included with a chamber for storage of a plurality of mattresses. The cart also has a gas/air blower and power supply system for powering the blower. The power system includes provision for drawing power from line AC/DC, and has a rechargeable battery and charger for maintaining the battery by connecting the supply to the line AC/DC. The mattress has a perforated bottom surface for exit of air to provide an air cushion, and is constructed with a white top surface and a dark bottom surface for optimum recognition of contamination, and identification of the bottom surface which must be placed downward. The cart is coated with an antimicrobial substance to minimize the risk of contaminants.

Description:
CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS 
     This application is a continuation of U.S. patent application Ser. No. 11/538,211, filed Oct. 3, 2006, now U.S. Pat. No. 8,276,222, issued on Oct. 2, 2012, and is a continuation-in-part of U.S. patent application Ser. No. 11/036,413, filed Jan. 14, 2005, now U.S. Pat. No. 7,114,204, issued on Oct. 3, 2006. 
    
    
     FIELD OF THE INVENTION 
     The present invention relates generally to apparatus for transferring bed patients, and more particularly to a system including a bed with an inflatable mattress for moving a patient on a cushion of air, wherein the bed has integrated thereon an assembly including a gas/air supply for inflating the mattress, and an air mattress storage container. 
     BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
     Non-ambulatory patients who must be supported and moved in a patient facility such as a hospital or a nursing home present substantial challenges when a course of treatment for such patients calls for movement from one location to another. A patient, for example, may need to be moved from a hospital bed, which must remain in the patient&#39;s room, to a stretcher and then from the stretcher to a treatment location such as a surgical table in an operating room. Following treatment the reverse patient handling sequence must occur; i.e., the patient must be moved from the surgical table, which remains in the operating room, to a stretcher which travels to the patient&#39;s hospital room, and then from the stretcher back onto the bed in the hospital room. 
     In a very large percentage of such occurrences the patient must be handled in a fashion which requires only a minimum of movement of the patient with respect to a supporting surface. In the case of a patient being returned to a hospital room following surgery, for example, the patient&#39;s body may not be able to withstand the stresses and strains of being lifted from a stretcher to the bed when one or even several hospital personnel combine their efforts to make such a transfer. 
     The same challenge of moving a patient with minimum handling exists in non-surgical settings as well. The bariatric patient is a prime and very common example. When such a patient is morbidly obese, transferring presents difficulties for both the patient and the care facility staff. While no exact definition of morbid obesity is universally recognized, many hospitals and other treatment facilities consider a person who weighs about 350 pounds or more to fall within that definition. 
     Movement of a morbidly obese person often requires the hospital staff to physically lift and/or slide the patient from an at rest position on a hospital bed to an at rest position on a stretcher a total of four times to complete a single treatment cycle, such as surgery. The staff must perform the task of lifting and/or sliding such a patient because in nearly all instances the patient, due to the physical condition of obesity and/or illness, simply cannot personally do the task. The manipulation of such a person requires a plurality of hospital staff since such manipulation is impossible to perform by a single person such as a floor nurse assigned to the patient&#39;s room. As a consequence, such transfers must be planned in advance for a specific time and a number of hospital staff must be notified and arrange their schedules so that all staff will be available at the same time. As is well known, many hospital staff are females and many of these persons are rather slight of stature. As a result, a half dozen or more such persons may need to be assembled. Instances have been known in which a morbidly obese patient has required twelve persons to effect the transfer. Gathering together such a large number of people four times at often uncertain intervals to provide but a single cycle of treatment raises obvious logistical problems and, in addition, erodes the quality of care the facility can render by reason of the application of such a large number of personnel to deal with but a single patient treatment episode. 
     A further drawback to such a patient handling system as above described is that, even with the best intentioned and caring of staff, the patient very often suffers substantial discomfort. The simple act of sliding a patient over a flat surface can be very painful to a patient who has had surgical incisions which are far from healed, for example. 
     An attempt has been made to overcome the above described problems by the use of an air mattress onto which the patient is placed while in his bed and which is then placed onto a wheeler. A problem common to all such devices is that invariably the air mattress has the general characteristic of a balloon, in the sense that when one area is indented another remote area will bulge, thus creating an unstable condition. If for example a stretcher carrying an obese person makes a sharp turn during a trip to or from a treatment location, such an obese person will tend to roll toward the outside of the turn due to the instability of such a conventional mattress. The more the patient rolls, the more the mattress portion toward which the rolling movement occurs will depress, and the greater will be the expansion of the mattress on the other side of the patient. In effect, the conventional mattress reinforces the undesirable rolling movement and is unstable. Since much of the time the patient is incapable of stopping the rolling action by himself, the patient may roll off the stretcher onto the floor with disastrous consequences. Indeed, even in the instance of a patient who is capable of moving himself to some degree about his longitudinal body axis the same disastrous result may occur because the displacement of air from one edge portion of the mattress to the opposite edge portion creates in effect a tipping cradle. Only if the patient lies perfectly flat and perfectly still on the stretcher, and no roadway depressions or blocking objects, such as excess hospital beds stored in a hallway, are encountered can the probabilities of an accident be lessened. 
     Another problem with prior art methods of moving patients using an air cushion is the complexity of the procedure. The air mattress must first be positioned under the patient. Then an air pump must be transported to the bed area and connected to the mattress. The mattress is then inflated and the patient moved. The same process is repeated each time the patient needs to be transferred from one bed/stretcher/table to another. 
     A still further problem with prior art apparatus is control of contamination. Often, a tedious cleaning protocol follows after such use to avoid cross-contamination. Cleaning is particularly difficult because contaminant particles can penetrate into the mat material, and when the mat is inflated, the pressure can force the particles out and into the air. The high cost of prior art air cushions requires their re-use. 
     SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
     Briefly, a preferred embodiment of the present invention includes a patient transfer apparatus including an inflatable mattress, alternatively with a rigid top board with a patient restraint system on which a patient can be placed when patient immobilization is required. A portable cart is included with a chamber for storage of a plurality of mattresses. The cart also has a gas/air blower and power supply system for empowering the blower. The power system includes provision for drawing power from line AC/DC, and has a rechargeable battery and charger for maintaining the battery by connecting the supply to the line AC/DC. The mattress has a perforated bottom surface for exit of air to provide an air cushion, and is constructed with a white top surface and a dark bottom surface for optimum recognition of contamination, and identification of the bottom surface which must be placed downward. The cart is coated with an antimicrobial substance to minimize the risk of contaminants. 
    
    
     
       IN THE DRAWINGS 
         FIG. 1  illustrates an integrated patient transfer system according to the present invention as applied to a stretcher; 
         FIG. 2  illustrates an integrated patient transfer system according to the present invention as applied to a hospital bed; 
         FIG. 3  illustrates an air cushion and supply cart according to the present invention; 
         FIG. 4  illustrates an air cushion storage section of the cart of  FIG. 3 ; 
         FIG. 5  is a sectional view of the cart of  FIG. 3  for illustrating an air blower and power supply; 
         FIG. 6  illustrates interconnecting apparatus for attaching an air supply hose to the mat; 
         FIG. 7  illustrates patient movement between beds; and 
         FIG. 8  illustrates a board with the inflatable mattress. 
     
    
    
     DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS 
     An embodiment of the system  10  of the present invention is shown in  FIG. 1  as applied to a stretcher  12 . The stretcher  12  can be of any type, such as used in a hospital or an ambulance, and can have fixed height legs  14  or adjustable height as indicated symbolically by adjusters  16 . According to the system of the present invention, a patient bed illustrated as a stretcher  12  in  FIG. 1  is assembled with an air mattress air supply system  18  attached. The term “air” as used in the present disclosure is meant to refer to air or any other gas that can be used to inflate an inflatable mattress. “Air mattress” therefore refers to a mattress that can be inflated with any such gas. Although the bed is illustrated as a stretcher, the present invention includes any type of bed/surface for supporting a patient, and will be referred to as a bed apparatus including any form of patient support apparatus, such as a stretcher or hospital bed, etc. The supply system  18  has a compartment  20  for storage of one or more air mattresses such as air mattress  22  for placement on a bed/stretcher  12 . The supply system  18  has included a gas/air blower  24 , a gas/air hose  26  and apparatus for storing the hose  28 . A power supply  30  is included, having a rechargeable battery and recharging supply. A power cord  32  and cord storage  36  is provided. The cord  32  can be plugged into an AC outlet for running the blower, and/or simply for charging the battery. With the battery charged, the blower can be operated without the need to plug the cord into an outlet. The supply  30  has an on-off switch  38 , and alternatively a display/indicator  40  for showing the degree of charge on the supply battery. The hose  26  has a connector  42  on a distal end for connection to a receptacle  44  on the air mattress  22 . As a further embodiment, an alternative power switch  43  is provided near the connector  42 . As an alternate embodiment, various portions of the system  10  may be coated in part or totally with an antimicrobial coating, indicated symbolically with dots in  FIG. 1  on a portion  46 . 
     The air mattress  22  is constructed with small holes in the bottom surface  48  to allow gas to exit from inside the mattress  22  so as to create an air cushion for levitating the air mattress. As an alternate embodiment, the bottom surface with the holes is marked to indicate that it is to be placed downward. The top surface  50  is preferably a very light color, more preferably white to more easily observe contamination. The purpose of the very light top surface is to allow operating personnel to more easily identify contamination on the top surface. The mattress may be constructed with a white top surface and a dark bottom surface for optimum recognition of contamination, and identification of the bottom surface which must be placed downward. A substantial portion of the air mattress  22  (approximately 90%) is preferably constructed of nylon, and as a result is less expensive to fabricate than prior art air mattresses. The low cost, disposable air mattress of the present invention is a major improvement in sanitation for an inflatable air mattress, since contaminant particles can become embedded in the air mattress material which makes cleaning difficult. This is a particular problem because when an air mattress is inflated, the gas pressure forces contaminants from the material, making them air borne. The air mattress seams are sonically welded together, which reduces artifacts in x-rays. 
     The inflatable air mattress  22  can be positioned on a firm surface such as the slab  51  illustrated in  FIG. 1 , or alternatively the air mattress  22  can be placed either on top of or under a non-inflatable mattress. These alternative positions are illustrated more clearly in a planar view, as shown and discussed in reference to  FIG. 7 . 
       FIG. 2  illustrates the integration of a supply system  52  on an adjustable hospital bed  54 . The supply system  52  has the features of the supply system  18  that is integrated on the stretcher of  FIG. 1 . The bed  54  and stretcher  12  are only symbolically illustrated. Those skilled in the art will know how to construct a stretcher and adjustable hospital bed. The present invention includes the combination of any stretcher or bed with a supply system attached/integrated such as supply  18  or  52 . Planar items  55 ,  56 ,  57 ,  59  and adjusters  58  are symbolically shown to indicate an adjustable patient surface, and optional adjustable legs are indicated symbolically by legs  60  and adjusters  62 . A hose  64  is shown connected to the air mattress  22 . The air mattress  22  shown in  FIG. 2  is shown placed on firm planar elements/items  55 - 59 . The mattress  22  of  FIG. 2  can also be placed on top of or under a non-inflatable mattress in a similar way as that described in reference to  FIG. 1 , and shown and described in reference to  FIG. 7 . 
     An alternate embodiment of the present invention is illustrated in  FIG. 3  for use in applying the system to existing beds. In this embodiment, a portable supply cart  66  is provided for supplying air to an air mattress  22 . The cart  66  has wheels  68  and a handle  70  for convenient portability. The cart  66  also has features similar to those described in reference to the supply  18  of  FIG. 1 , including a storage compartment for storage of one or more air mattresses  22 , a rechargeable power supply, a hose  26  and power cord  32 , one or more on-off switches located either at  76  or  43  or at both positions, and alternatively a display  80  for showing the degree of charge on a rechargeable battery cart inside and outside included in the cart  66 . As an alternate embodiment, the cart  66  can have an antimicrobial coating  81  on part or all of the cart inside and outside surfaces. An antimicrobial surface in the mat storage chamber  86  ( FIG. 4 ) helps maintain the sanitary condition of a mat or mats stored therein prior to their use on a bed. The view of the air mattress  22  of  FIG. 3  allows illustration of the bottom surface  48  and the holes for exit of gas/air, noted as items  82 . 
       FIG. 4  shows a view of the cart  66  with a lid  84  open to show 1 enclosure/compartment  86  for storing one or more air mattresses  22 . 
       FIG. 5  is a sectional view of the cart  66  for showing a gas/air blower  88  and a power supply  90  as part of the cart  66 . The blower  88  and supply  90  have the same functions as the blower  24  and supply  30  of  FIG. 1 . 
       FIG. 6  provides a more detailed view of the receptacle  44  and connector  42  introduced in reference to  FIG. 1 . This connector and receptacle combination is an improvement over prior art apparatus used to connect to inflatable mattresses for providing an air cushion for moving patients. The prior art connections are made with hook and loop material that can harbor contamination. The nonporous surface of the material of the apparatus of  FIG. 6  is more sanitary since it can be easily cleaned. 
       FIG. 7  illustrates a system of the present invention in operation. A patient  90  is on a first bed apparatus  92 , and is to be moved onto an adjacent second bed apparatus  94 . The patient  90  has been placed on an inflatable mattress  22  for providing an air cushion  96 , and the supply system  18  has the hose  26  connected to the air mattress  22  and is supplying a gas, a portion of which is forced out exit holes  82 , causing the air mattress  22  to float on a cushion of air/gas  96 . An attendant can at this stage, move the air mattress  22  with patient over onto the bed  94 . The planar view of  FIG. 7  is also used in the present disclosure to illustrate placing the air mattress either above or below a non-inflatable mattress. Dashed outline  93  illustrates a non-inflatable mattress on which air mattress  22  is placed. A similar non-inflatable mattress  95  can also be placed on bed  94 . Alternatively, the air mattress  22  can be placed under a non-inflatable mattress  97  upon which the patient  90  is placed. Any combination of inflatable air mattresses as described herein with non-inflatable mattresses on any of the various beds described in the present disclosure are included in the present invention. 
       FIG. 8  shows a bed with the inflatable mattress and supply system similar to that displayed in  FIG. 1 , except for the addition of a board  98  for stabilization of a patient  100 . The board  98  is shown attached to the inflatable air mattress  102  with fasteners  104 . Other methods for attaching/retaining the board  98  to the mattress  102  will be apparent to those skilled in the art, and these are also included in the spirit of the present invention. One example of another method of retaining the board would be to insert it in a pocket attached to or integral with the mattress  102 . For further stabilization of the patient  100 , straps  105  and  106  may be included, attached to the board  98  as shown, or to the mattress  102 . A board as described with the attachment can be used whenever the inflatable mattress is used, in all of the applications as described in the present disclosure. The mattress  102  may be placed directly on the firm surface of the stretcher  12 , or on a similar surface of a hospital bed, or it can be placed over a non-inflatable mattress as described in reference to  FIG. 7 . 
     The above embodiments of the present invention have been given as examples, illustrative of the principles of the present invention. Variations of the method and apparatus will be apparent to those skilled in the art upon reading the present disclosure. These variations are to be included in the spirit of the present invention.