Abstract:
A hospital bed trapeze system includes an offset vertical frame to provide safe and convenient patient positioning in a smaller footprint. The offset patient trapeze system includes vertical support members that extend vertically from the head end of the bed, where the vertical support members angle inward toward the foot end of the bed. Similarly, additional vertical support members extend vertically from the foot end of the bed and angle inward toward the head end of the bed. The vertical support members support a horizontal grid. The horizontal grid includes side bars and cross bars that connect the vertical support members to form a trapezoidal assembly. An ergonomic grab bar is supported from the horizontal grid. The grab bar includes a handle portion with which the patient or caregiver may access the offset trapeze system to facilitate patient positioning in the bed.

Description:
CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATION 
       [0001]    The present application claims the benefit of priority of U.S. Provisional Patent Application Ser. No. 60/903,536, filed Feb. 27, 2007, entitled “Offset Patient Trapeze System,” which is herein incorporated by reference in its entirety. 
     
    
     FIELD OF THE INVENTION 
       [0002]    The present invention relates to patient beds and devices for assisting patient movement for comfort and to facilitate care. More specifically, the present invention relates to a hospital bed trapeze system with an offset vertical frame to provide safe and convenient patient positioning in a smaller footprint. 
       BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
       [0003]    The treatment of morbidly obese, bariatric patients presents many challenges that have not been adequately addressed in the prior art. These patients typically weigh in excess of 500 pounds and present difficult challenges with regard to treatment and therapy. A number of the challenges stem from difficulties associated with adequate treatment systems capable of withstanding the weight of these patients. Previous bariatric systems have been used to assist patients in movement, but there has been a lack of a suitable bariatric bed system and device that may be used to provide full range of movement of a hospital bed in a small footprint. 
         [0004]    Bedridden patients often require overhead devices to assist them in movement. Conventional trapeze systems have been utilized over patients&#39; beds to provide assistance in positioning and movement. Previous systems utilized a bed with an attached frame. These frames have generally been large and cumbersome and have restricted movement of the bed/frame combination. Often, the large size of these systems requires special dimensioned hospital rooms with modified structural features. For example, the large size of conventional bed/trapeze systems has interfered with commonplace fixtures in many hospital rooms. Care facilities often have lighting fixtures and other devices mounted on walls or equipment stands at a height that interferes with the head board end of the bed being placed close to the wall. This is especially true when the bed is in the “Trendelenburg” position. That is, when the bed is positioned in a flat plane, tilted 12° with the head position lower than the foot position. In that case, the trapeze frame of conventional systems will often contact the wall and damage any lighting fixtures or other mounted devices that are within the arc of the bed/frame combination. 
         [0005]    Managing positioning of bedridden patients using conventional systems and methods is difficult for the caregiver and for the patient. This is especially true with regard to obese patients. Obese patients may have very tender skin subject to injury during such positioning operations. Further, there is a safety issue that the trapeze/bed combination may strike light fixtures, patient monitoring devices, and other fixtures in and around hospital rooms and hospital beds. Such inadvertent contact may cause injury to the patient and or to the caregiver. There are also additional safety issues with regard to the caregiver who could be subject to injury in the process of lifting. Additionally, obese patients may require positioning systems with different geometries to more readily accommodate their physical attributes than systems designed for use with other patients. 
         [0006]    Efforts to date to improve the ability of caregivers to facilitate movement of bariatric patients have been largely unsuccessful in providing a suitable bariatric hospital bed system that provides a full range of movement in a small foot print. Efforts aimed at improving the ability of caregivers to provide a system and device with which to move bariatric patients have not provided satisfactory results. What is needed is a system and a method for providing full range of movement of a hospital bed that requires a small footprint and avoids the problems associated with prior systems. 
       SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
       [0007]    There is a need to provide an improved patient transfer positioning device that may be used with bariatric beds and with bariatric patients to effect the positioning of bariatric patients in and around hospital beds, chairs, stretchers, and other patient care and patient transport devices. The present invention overcomes the disadvantages of the prior art by providing an offset patient trapeze system that offers new mechanical and ergonomic benefits not afforded by conventional systems. 
         [0008]    The offset trapeze system of the present invention includes an offset trapeze frame and an ergonomic grab bar to facilitate comfortable, safe, and effective positioning of bariatric and other patients in a clinical or home environment. The offset trapeze system frame includes an integrated, bed-mounted frame that provides the necessary load-bearing structure for safe and convenient patient repositioning in a smaller footprint. The ergonomic grab bar includes a contoured grab bar that suspends from the trapeze frame to provide a patient with a comfortable and ergonomically advantageous means for self-repositioning and movement. 
         [0009]    The system and method of the present invention provides a safe and effective manner of positioning a bed-ridden patient with increased comfort and safety. The offset patient trapeze system of the present invention utilizes a trapeze frame with vertical supports that angle inward over the bed&#39;s head and foot ends, allowing the bed to be positioned close to walls to avoid contact with wall mounted devices even when the bed is tilted. 
         [0010]    In one embodiment, the system and method of the present invention is used to position bariatric patients by assisting movement with an ergonomic grab bar with which a patient may reach from a sitting position in a bed. By utilizing the ergonomic grab bar of the present invention to help support the patient&#39;s weight, the positioning may be accomplished safely and effectively. 
         [0011]    Other features, aspects and advantages of the present invention will be apparent from the following specification, drawings and claims. 
     
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
         [0012]      FIG. 1  is an illustration showing a bariatric hospital bed employing an offset patient trapeze system in accordance with the present invention. 
           [0013]      FIG. 2  is a schematic illustration of the trapezoidal design of the system of the present invention illustrating the trapezoid formed by the vertical supports, cross bars, side bars, and frame. 
           [0014]      FIG. 3  illustrates the manner in which an offset trapeze frame in accordance with an embodiment of the present invention may be mounted to a bariatric hospital bed. 
           [0015]      FIG. 4  illustrates the manner in which a horizontal grid of an offset trapeze system is attached to the vertical supports of the offset trapeze system in accordance with the present invention. 
           [0016]      FIG. 5  illustrates a horizontal grid of an offset trapeze system in accordance with the present invention. 
           [0017]      FIG. 6  illustrates the manner in which an ergonomic grab bar is secured to the horizontal grid in accordance with the present invention. 
           [0018]      FIG. 7  illustrates an ergonomic grab bar in accordance with the present invention. 
       
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION 
       [0019]    As shown in  FIG. 1 , a bariatric hospital bed  101  is provided including a frame  103  positioned on the floor, a deck  105  coupled to the frame  103 , a mattress  107  positioned on the deck  105 , a head board  109  coupled to the frame  103 , a foot board  111  coupled to the deck  105  and frame  103 , and a pair of side rails  113 ,  115  coupled to the frame  103 . The frame  103  is configured to raise and lower the deck  105  relative to the floor and to move the deck  103  to the Trendelenburg position and to the Reverse Trendelenburg position. 
         [0020]    The system and method of the present invention employs an offset trapeze frame  141  that mounts on the hospital bed  101 . The offset trapeze frame  141  includes vertical supports  143   a ,  143   b ,  145   a ,  145   b  as well as a horizontal grid  151  that includes cross bars  153   a ,  153   b  and side bars  155   a ,  155   b . The vertical supports  143   a ,  143   b ,  145   a ,  145   b  of the offset trapeze frame  141  of the present invention angle inward over the bed&#39;s head end H and foot end F, allowing the bed  101  to be positioned close to a wall while avoiding contact with wall mounted devices and devices mounted on stands, such as lights, monitors, gas outlets, electronic devices, mechanical devices, and the like. Additionally, the angled vertical supports  143   a ,  143   b ,  145   a ,  145   b  allow a large degree of bed tilt, such as the degree of tilt when the bed  101  is placed in the Trendelenburg position, without moving the bed  101  further away from the wall. 
         [0021]    As shown in profile in  FIG. 2 , vertical supports  243 ,  245  and cross bars (not shown) and side bars  255  form a trapezoidal design where the vertical supports  243 ,  245  extend vertically from the longer frame  203  to the shorter horizontal grid made up of side bars  255  and cross bars (not shown). The trapezoidal design of the offset trapeze frame  241  prevents frame sway. 
         [0022]      FIG. 3  illustrates the manner in which an offset trapeze frame  141  in accordance with an embodiment of the present invention may be mounted to a bariatric hospital bed  101 . The vertical supports  343 ,  345  are inserted into corner upright sockets  363 ,  365 . For convenience in the profile view of  FIG. 3 , the left side corner upright sockets  363 ,  365  are shown, but it should be understood that bariatric hospital bed  101  includes corresponding right side corner upright sockets as well. The corner upright sockets  363 ,  365  receive vertical supports  343 ,  345 . Vertical supports  343 ,  345  may be marked or otherwise coded to provide an indication of the proper end of vertical supports  343 ,  345  are to be inserted in corner upright sockets  363 ,  365 . The coding or marking may included stamps on the supports, labels, color-coding, eccentric fits, and other suitable manners of indicating which end of which vertical support is to be inserted into the corresponding upright socket. 
         [0023]    Vertical supports  343 ,  345  extend upward from corner upright sockets  363 ,  365  of frame  103 . As further shown in  FIG. 4 , a roll pin  452  may be included to bear weight from horizontal grid  451 . 
         [0024]    Horizontal grid  451  includes receiving tubes  456  that slide over vertical supports  343 ,  345  at each end of the cross bars  453 . When horizontal grid  451  is properly positioned, a slot  458  in each receiving tube  456  engages roll pin  452  of the vertical supports  343 ,  345 . 
         [0025]    Horizontal grid  451  may include cross bars  453  and side bars  455  that are securely attached to one another to form horizontal grid  451  and may likewise include separate cross bars  453  and side bars  455  that when assembled form horizontal grid  451 . In this embodiment of the present invention, the offset trapeze is described as having a horizontal grid  451  that includes two cross bars  453  and two sidebars  455  that are discrete components  453   a ,  453   b ,  455   a ,  455   b.    
         [0026]    As such, receiving tubes  456  on cross bars  453  slide over vertical supports  343 ,  345  and are secured using the slot  458  and roll pin  452  combination. Once the cross bars  453  are properly positioned, side bars  455  are slid over vertical supports  343 ,  345 . Side bars  455  include mounting tubes  466  that slide over vertical supports  343 ,  345  and rest on top of receiving tubes  456  of cross bars  453 . The side bar mounting tubes may be secured using a stability mechanism  448 , such as a clevis pin  452  and cotter pin  454  mechanism. Of course, other stability mechanisms that insure vertical supports  343 ,  345  are secured to cross bars  453  and side bars  455  may also be used. In an embodiment of the present invention that employs an integrated horizontal grid  451 , the stability mechanism engages and secures horizontal grid  451  to vertical supports  343 ,  345 . 
         [0027]    The position and immobility of many bariatric patients causes these patients to pull movement assistance mechanisms at a severe angle to conventional frames. This torque causes vertical frames of conventional systems to sway. The angled vertical supports  143   a ,  143   b ,  145   a ,  145   b  of the offset trapeze frame  141  of the present invention are aligned with the forces exerted by the patient, resulting in a more stable frame. 
         [0028]    When a patient, such as a bariatric patient, is positioned in bariatric hospital bed  101 , the weight of the patient makes it difficult for a caregiver to change the position of the patient without lifting help. In an embodiment of the present invention, offset trapeze frame  141  includes an ergonomic grab bar shown in  FIG. 1  as reference numeral  190  and in  FIG. 3  as reference numeral  390 . As best illustrated in  FIG. 1 , ergonomic grab bar  190  is attached to chains  192  that are attached to horizontal cross bar  194 . Horizontal cross bar  194  spans the distance between side bars  155   a ,  155   b  and is attached at each end to side bars  155   a ,  155   b  using an attachment mechanism such as U-brackets  196   a ,  196   b  and eye bolts  198   a ,  198   b  such that horizontal cross bar  194  hangs down below side bars  155   a ,  155   b  and provides a substantially level horizontal plane from which chains  192  hang. Of course, other attachment mechanisms may also be used, including roller devices and stationary tie points. 
         [0029]    Ergonomic grab bar  190  may be installed in accordance with  FIG. 5 . To install the ergonomic grab bar  190 , U-brackets  196   a ,  196   b  are installed over side bars  155   a ,  155   b  as shown in  FIG. 5 . Locating pins  526   a ,  526   b  in U-brackets  196   a ,  196   b  are inserted in locating holes (not shown) in side bars  155   a ,  155   b . Clevis pins  527   a ,  527   b  are inserted through one side of each U-bracket  196   a ,  196   b  through the horizontal cross bar  194 , eye bolts  532   a ,  532   b , and through the opposite side of each U-bracket  196   a ,  196   b . Cotter pins  528  are inserted through the hole in each clevis pin  527   a ,  527   b  to secure the assembly. 
         [0030]    Additionally, horizontal cross bar  194  may be mounted at different positions with respect to the head end H and foot end F of bed  101 . For example, one patient may require ergonomic grab bar  190  be mounted directly over the patient&#39;s head, while a second patient may wish to have ergonomic grab bar  190  mounted directly over the patient&#39;s chest. Side bars  155   a ,  155   b  include mounting holes at different positions extending from head end H of the offset trapeze frame  141  to foot end F of offset trapeze frame  151 , such that the ergonomic grab bar  190  may be mounted in the desired position. Similarly, horizontal cross bar  194  may be adjusted in a side to side fashion by lifting and sliding trapeze slide brackets  533   a ,  533   b  to alternative hole positions  540   a ,  540   b ,  560   a ,  560   b  along horizontal cross bar  194 . 
         [0031]    Once the horizontal cross bar  194  is properly positioned, chains  192  may be installed as shown in  FIG. 6 . To install chains  192 , the spring loaded bar side  642  of the spring hook  609  is pushed to open the spring hook  609 . The open spring hook  609  is inserted through loop  613  on the trapeze slide brackets  633 . The spring loaded bar  642  is then released, and the spring hook  609  is then oriented such that the smaller diameter end of spring hook  609  is vertically above the larger end of spring hook  609  such that chains  192  extend below horizontal cross bar  194 . At the lower end of chains  192 , a lower spring loaded hook  659  is suspended from chain  192  and attached to ergonomic grab bar  690 . 
         [0032]    The ergonomic grab bar of the present invention includes a larger diameter as well as an improved gripping distance over conventional trapeze bars. For example, the gripping distance of bariatric patients is wider than that of other patients. Anthropometry measurements used in the design of the ergonomic grab bar of the present invention suggest an optimal gripping distance between 16 inches and 22 inches. As shown in  FIG. 7 , the ergonomic grab bar  790  of the present invention includes a gripping distance d g1 , d g2  between 12.5 inches and 25 inches. 
         [0033]    Additionally, the “grip line” is the anatomical angle from a hand gripping a cylindrical object measured perpendicularly from the wrist. The ergonomic grab bar  790  of the present invention matches the angle of a grip line to the ergonomic grab bar  790  by providing angles β, ø, ∂ in the ergonomic grab bar  790  at optimal lengths. The length of these angles β, ø, ∂ provides handles that are 4 inches to 6 inches long, an optimal length according to further anthropometry. This ergonomic grab bar geometry results in an optimum ergonomic choice for the patient to pull or push from either an overhand or underhand position. This ergonomic grab bar geometry eliminates unnecessary strains on the patient&#39;s hand, wrist, and forearm. 
         [0034]    In addition, the system of the present invention incorporates an ergonomic grab bar diameter of 1.25 inches, and the ergonomic grab bar may be covered with a semi-pliable and textured grip. As well, anthropometry indicates that a diameter less than 1.25 inches required more patient grip strength. 
         [0035]    The foregoing description of exemplary aspects and embodiments of the present invention provides illustration and description, but is not intended to be exhaustive or to limit the invention to the precise form disclosed. Those of skill in the art will recognize certain modifications, permutations, additions, and combinations of those embodiments are possible in light of the above teachings or may be acquired from practice of the invention. Therefore, the present invention also covers various modifications and equivalent arrangements that would fall within the purview of appended claims and claims hereafter introduced.