Abstract:
A side rail pad system that provides modifications and components operable in association with hospital beds and the like that are designed to articulate. The system improves upon the structural shape of the side rails used in association with the articulating bed frames and provides an arrangement of side rail pads that are positioned between the side rails and the existing mattress platform. The side rail pads are positioned on the bed frame with flexible hinges in a manner that allows their alternate movement between a placement that fills the space between the side rails and the mattress when the side rails are in a raised position, and a placement away from the side of the mattress when the side rails are rotated into a lowered position.

Description:
CROSS REFERENCE TO CORRESPONDING APPLICATIONS  
       [0001]     This application claims the benefit under Title 35 United States Code §119(e) of U.S. Provisional Application No. 60/542,385 filed Feb. 6, 2004. 
     
    
     BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION  
       [0002]     1. Field of the Invention  
         [0003]     The present invention relates to side rail systems utilized on patient support platforms and beds. The present invention relates more specifically to a system of partially rigid pads positioned in conjunction with the side rails of patient support platforms, hospital beds, and the like.  
         [0004]     2. Description of the Related Art  
         [0005]     The basic patient support system utilized in most hospitals and extended care facilities provides a number of essential elements intended to accommodate a variety of patient conditions and situations. The basic support system incorporates a mattress positioned on a platform or other frame, most commonly connected with an underlying base frame mounted on casters for mobility. There is typically a head board and a foot board to enclose the upper and lower end of the mattress platform. There are also typically a number of side rails that may be raised or lowered to alternately enclose the mattress or allow the patient access to or exit from the bed. In addition, most such patient support systems incorporate articulating frames and mattresses that allow an upper (head) section to be raised at an angle with respect to a middle or torso section, and likewise for a lower (foot) section to be lowered at an angle below the middle or torso section. Such articulations facilitate both the comfort of the patient and the ease with which the patient may enter and exit the bed.  
         [0006]     The combination of side rails and articulating frames on patient support surfaces has resulted in the development of very specific design features that are incorporated into the side rails to allow their movement into either raised or lowered positions both while the bed is horizontally planar and while the bed is articulated into angled configurations. In most instances the requirements for bed articulation dictate that each side rail be divided into two parts, an upper side rail associated with the head section of the bed and a lower side rail covering the balance of the side of the bed enclosure. Mirror images of these side rails are positioned on an opposite side of the bed, and operate in conjunction with the head board and foot board to fully enclose the patient within the bed or mattress area. The various components of the basic patient support system that serve to enclose the patient within the platform area give rise to new problems associated with the safety and comfort of the patient. Because it is necessary for these various enclosing panels to move and articulate themselves as the bed frame moves and articulates, there are necessarily gaps, openings, and passages between the various panel components, and between the panel components and the mattress itself. Efforts have been made in the past to appropriately fill the gaps and spaces between the various components that make up the patient support system. For the most part these efforts have focused on the addition of loose cushions to block the openings between the various enclosing panels and side rails. Such systems clearly suffer from the inability to maintain a fixed association between the cushions and the patient support platform and to accommodate the articulation of the bed frame.  
         [0007]     As discussed in more detail below, various governmental agencies and standards organizations have identified spatial zones of concern that relate to the safety and comfort of the patient positioned on the typical hospital bed utilizing side rails. For those hospital beds and patient support platforms that have an articulating structure, these elements take on added dimensions depending upon the various orientations of the support platform components. The typical articulating patient support platform that utilizes side rails will incorporate split side rails on each side of the bed. A first set of side rails are associated with the upper or head portion of the support platform, and move in conjunction with it as it is raised and lowered. A second set of side rails are typically associated with the lower and/or middle portion of the patient support platform and move in conjunction therewith. A number of existing bed designs include mechanisms that allow the knee area of the platform to articulate. Although the angle that is achieved is generally less than that between the upper (head) section and the middle (torso) section, the rails that are connected to the lower (foot) section do move in conjunction with the lower (foot) section as it is raised and lowered with respect to the middle (torso) section. Each of the side rails also move (typically through an arc of rotation to the side and down) into a lowered and stored position away from the side of the mattress as is well known in the art. Because of the relative movement between the two side rail components that occurs with the above articulations, it is necessary to structure and design the components to both accommodate the articulating motion, the ability to rotate the side rails out of the way, and the continued purpose of having side rails, namely the appropriate enclosure of the patient support area.  
         [0008]     While efforts have been made in the past to improve safety and comfort for the patient, such efforts often fail to allow the continued versatility associated with existing articulating bed frames. Such safety and comfort panels and pads very often must be removed before a bed platform can be articulated into an elevated or lowered position. It would be desirable to have a system for side rail pad components that continued to allow full movement of the bed frame components at the same time it provided for improved safety and comfort to the patient. It would further be desirable that such components could be moved from positions directly in contact with the sides of the patient support mattress to positions completely apart from the patient support mattress, such movement occurring in conjunction with the same or similar movement of the side rails themselves.  
       SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION  
       [0009]     It is therefore an object of the present invention to provide a side rail pad system for use in conjunction with a patient support apparatus, that serves to improve the safety and comfort of the patient, especially in a support platform that incorporates articulating elements. The present invention is directed towards a system that improves the safety and comfort of the patient without sacrificing versatility and articulation movement in the patient support platform. Modifications to existing side rail designs and structures may be combined with the additional side rail pad systems of the present invention to provide overall improvement to the hospital bed or patient support platform. The goal is to achieve these improvements without significantly altering the structural characteristics of existing patient support devices by allowing the retrofit of existing devices with the components and elements of the present invention.  
         [0010]     Efforts are currently underway by governmental agencies and standard setting organizations to define and clarify requirements for patient support systems including the requirements that are directed towards the safety and comfort of the patient with regard to the enclosures that surround the mattress or patient support platform. These efforts have identified a variety of spatial zones within the typical patient support platform or hospital bed that may be of concern from a safety and comfort standpoint. The present invention is directed towards addressing these zones of concern by providing appropriate closures or barriers that are generally identified and agreed upon as necessary for the safety and comfort of the patient.  
         [0011]     In fulfillment of these and other objectives, the present invention provides a number of modifications and additional system components that are operable in association with hospital beds and other patient support systems designed to articulate, so as to elevate an upper or head portion of the bed, with respect to a middle or torso portion of the bed, and so as to lower a lower or a foot portion of the bed with respect to the middle portion of the bed. In conjunction with such patient support systems, the present invention improves upon the structural shape and design of the side rails used in association with the articulating bed frames as well as providing a system of side rail pads that are positioned between the existing side rails and the existing mattress structure of such patient support systems.  
         [0012]     The structural design improvements to the side rails include modifications to the split rail profiles such that greater congruency between the split rails is maintained throughout the articulating movement of the bed. Additionally, a system of side rail pads are positioned on the bed frame with a number of flexible hinges in a manner that allows their alternate positioning between a placement that fills the space between the side rails and the mattress, and a placement away from the side of the mattress when the side rails of the platform are rotated into a lower or stowed position. When the side rails of the platform are raised, the side rail pads are positioned to facilitate the prevention of the movement of the patient into the space between the side rail and the mattress and to assist in preventing the patient from moving into the area between the split side rails on the typical articulating hospital bed. When the split side rails are lowered, the rail pad system components themselves are allowed to pivot on their flexible hinges connected to the bed frame, towards an out-of-the-way position adjacent the lowered side rails, thus allowing patient entrance to or exit from the bed surface.  
         [0013]     The semi-rigid pad components of the side rail pad system of the present invention are composed of layered, rigid or semi-rigid plate elements and foam cushion elements so as to provide a firm but comfortable barrier to the intrusion of the patient into the zones of concern. A rigid or semi-rigid plate is surrounded on either side by foam pads with the entire layered assembly being surrounded by a fabric envelope. Access to the inside of the fabric envelope may be provided to change out or alter the rigid plate and the foam pads. A flexible hinge, such as a length of nylon webbing, may be attached at a number of points along an edge of the side rail pad components to provide points of attachment to the bed frame. Structural features in the profiles of the side rail pad components permit the continued articulation of the bed frame, despite the presence of the pad component in association with the bed frame elements. 
     
    
     BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS  
       [0014]      FIG. 1  is a perspective view of a patient support system incorporating the side rail pad system of the present invention.  
         [0015]      FIG. 2  is a side view showing implementation of the side rail pad system of the present invention on a typical articulating hospital bed.  
         [0016]      FIG. 3  is a side view of the three fundamental components of the side rail pad system of the present invention.  
         [0017]      FIG. 4  is a detailed side view of the center panel component of the system of the side rail pad system present invention.  
         [0018]      FIG. 5  is a detailed cross-sectional view of the center component shown in  FIG. 4 .  
         [0019]      FIG. 6  is a detailed side view of the upper side rail pad of the system of the present invention.  
         [0020]      FIG. 7  is a detailed side view of the lower side rail pad of the system of the present invention.  
         [0021]      FIG. 8  is a detailed cross-sectional view of a typical patient support system incorporating the side rail pad system of the present invention.  
     
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS  
       [0022]     Reference is made first to  FIG. 1  for a general description of a patient support system implementing the side rail pad system of the present invention. In  FIG. 1 , bed  10  is shown in a perspective view with one set of side rails elevated and a second set of side rails lowered as may typically be the case in a hospital setting. Bed  10  is comprised of frame  12  positioned on, and supported by base  22 . Mattress  16  is positioned on top of frame  12  and may be any of a number of different mattress structures including air inflation mattress systems. Base  22  is made mobile by the provision of a plurality of casters  30  positioned thereon.  
         [0023]     Enclosing the surface area of mattress  16 , are head board  20  and foot board  21  at the upper and lower extremes of the mattress surface area. On the sides of mattress  16  are head space bars  18 , upper side rails  24 , and lower side rails  26 . The upper and lower side rails  24  and  26  positioned on either side of mattress  16  are mirror images of each other and operate in a manner generally well-known in the art.  
         [0024]     The components of the present invention include upper side rail pads  52 , middle side rails pads  54 , and lower side rail pads  56 . In  FIG. 1 , both sets of three component side rail pads are shown implemented on bed  10 . For clarity, upper and lower side rails  24  and  26  are shown lowered on one side of the bed and elevated on the opposite side of the bed. Again for clarity, side rail pads  52 ,  54  and  56  on the side of bed  10  with the lowered side rails, are shown in a raised position to indicate the manner in which they would normally be held when the side rails are elevated. The elevated side rails on the opposite side of the bed conceal the raised side rail pads, with exception of an upper extremity of middle side rail pad  54  thereon.  
         [0025]     Reference is now made to  FIG. 2  for a more detailed description of the attachment and function of the side rail pads of the present invention. In  FIG. 2 , a side view of bed  10 , upper side rail  24  and lower side rail  26  of one side of bed  10  are shown in their elevated positions. The movement of these side rails is accomplished in a manner well known in the art, through the use of side rail brackets  28 , which serve to rotate the side rail panels to the side and down and below the mattress. Such a lowered and stowed position allows the patient to easily exit or access the bed as necessary.  
         [0026]     Also shown in  FIG. 2  are the articulation mechanisms associated with bed  10 . These include articulation levers  34  positioned between base  22  and frame  12 . These levers, again operable as known in the art, serve to manipulate the components of frame  12  into the various configurations described above. Frame  12  itself is segmented and with segments pivoting at articulation points  32 . Once again, these articulation points  32  permit an upper (head) section of the bed surface to be elevated with respect to a middle (torso) section of the bed. Likewise, a lower articulation point  32  allows the lowering of a foot portion of the bed below and at an angle to the middle portion of the bed.  
         [0027]     As described above, the configuration of upper side rail  24  and lower side rail  26  are determined in part by the need to rotate and lower the side rails out of the way, and the need to articulate the bed with these side rails in both the elevated and lowered positions. The profiles shown in  FIG. 2 , therefore, accommodate these various manipulations of the patient support surface. As will be anticipated by those skilled in the art, the gaps between the various panels enclosing the surface area of the mattress will alter in shape, and vary in size, depending upon the articulation of the bed frame  12 . The design of the present invention, including the shape and size of the upper side rail  24  and lower side rail  26 , provide novel efforts to minimize the alteration of these gaps and openings despite the manipulation of the articulating bed components.  
         [0028]     Also incorporated in upper side rail  24  and lower side rail  26 , are side rail access ports  36 . These elongated openings serve to allow access to the patient by caregivers and the like, while still minimizing the risk that the patient might unsafely or uncomfortably encounter such openings. In other words, the access ports provide access without detracting from the function of the side rails to enclose the patient within confines of the bed surface.  
         [0029]     Implementation of the system of the present invention involves positioning each of three components (one set of three on each side of the bed) in the manner shown in  FIG. 2 . Upper side rail pad  52  is positioned, as indicated, in association with upper side rail  24 , between upper side rail  24  and mattress  16 . Upper side rail pad  52  is attached to frame  12  by a plurality of flexible hinges as described in more detail below.  
         [0030]     Middle side rail pad  54  is likewise positioned and secured to frame  12  in a manner that places it in the area between upper side rail  24  and lower side rail  26 . Middle side rail pad  54  extends upward above the surface of the mattress to address and partially occlude the space between upper side rail  24  and lower side rail  26 ; a space that is repeatedly modified in shape and size when the bed is articulated as described above.  
         [0031]     Finally, lower side rail pad  56  is positioned as shown in  FIG. 2 , in association with lower side rail  26 , between lower side rail  26  and mattress  16 . As with upper side rail pad  52 , middle side rail pad  54  and lower side rail pad  56  are attached to and positioned on frame  12  by means of a plurality of flexible hinges as described in more detail below.  
         [0032]     Reference is now made to  FIG. 3  for a detailed description of one complete rail pad set  50  comprising each of the components mentioned above. Rail pad set  50 , which is duplicated on either side of the patient support system, is comprised of upper side rail pad  52 , middle side rail pad  54 , and lower side rail pad  56 . As indicated above, each of the side rail pads incorporates a plurality of hinges  58  (shown folded or closed in  FIG. 3 ) that flexibly position and retain the side rail pads to the frame of the patient support system.  
         [0033]     In  FIG. 3 , the shapes and configurations of the side rail pads are shown in greater detail. Upper side rail pad  52  incorporates an articulation point  57  in its profile design. This articulation point  57  aligns with and bends in conjunction with the articulation points described above in  FIG. 2  on frame  12  shown therein. For example, in conjunction with upper side rail pad  52 , the elevation of the upper (head) portion of the bed frame would cause upper side rail pad  52  to bend and buckle at articulation point  57 , shown in detail in  FIG. 3 . The profile configuration and the internal construction (described in more detail below) of upper side rail pad  52  permit the articulation of the bed frame and the bending of upper side rail pad  52 , without detriment to either its structure or function.  
         [0034]     Reference is now made to  FIGS. 4, 5 ,  6 , and  7  for further detail on the internal and external construction of the side rail pads described above for the system of the present invention.  FIG. 4  shows in detail the structure and shape of middle side rail pad  54 . The external shape is consistent with the objective of occluding the changes that occur in the space in between the upper side rail and lower side rail of the typical patient support platform. Of particular note is the elongated portion of the pad that extends above the mattress surface in a manner that deters patient entry into the zone between the upper and lower side rails.  
         [0035]     While middle side rail pad  54  is generally of soft, flexible construction (as described in more detail below with  FIG. 5 ) it does incorporate a rigid or semi-rigid shape element positioned internal to the pad to maintain its upright orientation and its general profile configuration. This rigid or semi-rigid insert  60  is shown in dashed line detail in  FIG. 4 . Also shown in  FIG. 4  are flexible hinges  58  shown released from their engagement with the bed frame.  
         [0036]      FIG. 5  shows in cross-sectional detail the typical construction of not only middle side rail pad  54 , but also, in a generic manner, upper and lower side rail pads  52  and  56 . Rigid or semi-rigid insert  60  is positioned in a center location within the layered construction of the pad. On either side of rigid insert  60 , are positioned foam pads  64 . Surrounding this three-layer construction is fabric envelope  62  that may be appropriately sewn shut or alternately provided with a re-closable opening such as a zipper closure, hook and loop material closure or envelope fold. Sewn into and positioned on fabric envelope  62  is flexible hinge  58 , as indicated above. It should be noted that in each case (upper, middle, and lower side rail pads) the rigid inserts do not extend entirely up to the upper extremity of the side rail pad. This is shown with particular emphasis in  FIGS. 4 and 5  wherein rigid insert  60  is smaller in size (in an upward direction) than both the foam pads that surround it and the enclosing fabric envelope. The purpose of this configuration is to provide a soft upper edge to each of the side rail pads.  
         [0037]     Reference is now made to  FIG. 6  for a brief description of the interior details of upper side rail pad  52 . It is understood that the internal and external constructions of lower side rail pad  56  are similar to those of upper side rail pad  52 . Rigid or semi-rigid insert  68  is a longer, rectangular component that is positioned within the pad in a manner similar to that described in conjunction with  FIG. 5 . Likewise, rigid or semi-rigid insert  66  is a smaller rectangular insert, again positioned and retained within upper side rail pad  52  in the same manner as that described in  FIG. 5 . Each of the inserts  60 ,  66 , and  68 , may be constructed of any appropriate durable rigid or semi-rigid material that provides adequate stiffness to retain both the shape and upright orientation of the side rail pads. Aluminum plate or phenolic plates may be utilized for the rigid insert materials. Semi-rigid materials may include polymer plastic plates or the like.  
         [0038]     Reference is now made to  FIG. 7  for a brief description of the interior details of lower side rail pad  56 . Rigid or semi-rigid insert  70  is a trapezoidal component that is positioned within the pad in a manner similar to that described in conjunction with middle side rail pad  54  shown in cross-section in  FIG. 5 . The angled end of insert  70  (and thus of the overall pad), accommodates the articulation of frame  12  between its lower (foot) section and the middle (torso) section.  
         [0039]     Reference is finally made to  FIG. 8  for a brief description of the functional movement of the side rail pads of the present invention during the movement of the side rails up and down on the typical hospital bed structure.  FIG. 8  may generally be described as a cross-sectional view through the middle of a patient support system incorporating the side rail pad system of the present invention. In this view, one set of side rails are elevated (on the right side of the view), while a second set of side rails are lowered (on the left side of the view). Lower side rail  26 , shown on the right hand side of the  FIG. 7  view, is elevated and therefore positions and retains the component side rail pads in place as shown between the elevated side rail  26  and mattress  16 . Seen in this cross-sectional view are lower side rail pad  56  and the upper section of middle side rail pad  54 . It should be noted that these side rail pads generally fill the space between mattress  16  and side rail  26 .  
         [0040]     On an opposite side of the bed shown in  FIG. 7 , side rail  26  has been lowered as is typically accomplished to provide access to the bed by the patient. Exhibited in  FIG. 7  is the manner in which side rail pads  54  and  56  fall (by gravity) from their elevated position adjacent mattress  16  to a lowered position against the lowered side rail  26 . In this manner, the side rail pad assembly of the present invention, although positioned as needed when the side rails are elevated, falls out of the way so as to not obstruct the entry of the patient into the bed, or the exit of the patient from the bed. The flexible hinges associated with each of the side rail pads serve to allow this pivoting rotation of the pads away from the bed to provide the access as described above. Such flexible hinges may be appropriately configured flexible nylon webbing that incorporate Velcro® type attachment means for securing the flexible hinge to frame  12 . Extended portions of the woven fabric material forming the hinge may serve to allow appropriate positioning of the side rail panels, both in their elevated configuration, and in their lowered configuration. Alternately, the flexible hinges may be rigidly attached to frame  12  by means of attachment screws and/or plates sufficient to secure the flexible material of the hinge directly to the rigid bed frame components. In either case, the objective is to make the side rail pad system capable of being retrofit to existing bed frame structures by adapting to differences in the available attachment points.  
         [0041]     Reference is made once again to  FIG. 2  for a brief description of the improved profile configurations for each of the side rails in the present invention. As described above, the general configuration of the side rails is determined in part by their motion during the articulation movements of the bed frame. The edge of each side rail defining the space between the two side rails is generally curved to accommodate the translational motion experienced between the two rails upon articulation of the bed. Experience with some current configuration profiles shows that an initially narrow gap between the side rails may expand into a more significant gap (at an intermediate point in the articulation motion) before it again closes with the final articulation movement of the bed frame components.  
         [0042]     In an effort to address some of the problems associated with certain of the previous side rail designs, lower side rail  26  shown in  FIG. 2  incorporates an extended forward “nose” section that, while still permitting the movement of upper side rail  24  past it during articulation motion, provides increased coverage for the gap between the two side rail components. A similar expansion of the inward facing edge of upper side rail  24  decreases the gap between the side rail components at a number of points in the articulation curve experienced by the side rail components as the bed frame moves. These modified profiles of the side rails may be implemented either by replacement of the side rail panels on existing beds or by the attachment of extension covers to the existing side rail panels. In either case, these modifications may operate in conjunction with the side rail pad system of the present invention to facilitate the occlusion of the spaces and gaps that may exist and form between the split side rails and between the side rails and the mattress.  
         [0043]     Although the present invention has been described in terms of the foregoing preferred embodiments, this description has been provided by way of explanation only, and is not intended to be construed as a limitation of the invention. Those skilled in the art will recognize modifications of the present invention that might accommodate specific existing patient support structures or hospital bed configurations. Such modifications as to size, and even configuration, where such modifications are merely coincidental to existing structures of the bed, do not depart from the spirit and scope of the invention which is further defined by the following claims.