Offset patient trapeze system

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...

AI Technical Summary

Benefits of technology

[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'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's weight, the positioning may be accomplished safely and effectively.

Problems solved by technology

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.

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.

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.

Managing positioning of bedridden patients using conventional systems and methods is difficult for the caregiver and for the patient.

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.

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.

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