Height adjustable patient support platforms

Abstract

The present invention relates to systems and methods for height adjusting patient support platforms, such as, for example, of a bed (e.g., the mattress support platform of a standard hospital bed with side rails), gurney, couch, chair, or recliner, to which a patient may be confined. The systems and methods are designed to lower the height of a patient support platform at least closer (and essentially all the way) to floor level in a relatively quick and controlled manner to reduce fall distances. Lowering the height of a patient support platform corresponding reduces the likelihood and significance of patient injuries resulting from falls when a patient attempts to exit the patient support platform.

Description

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS[0001]This application claims the benefit of U.S. Provisional Application No. 60 / 964,415, entitled “Rapidly Height Adjusting Safety Bed”, filed on Aug. 13, 2007. This application claims the benefit of U.S. Provisional Application No. 60 / 987,137, entitled “Methods And Systems For Monitoring Patient Support Exiting And Initiating Response”, filed on Nov. 12, 2007.BACKGROUND1. Background and Relevant Art[0002]Healthcare facilities provide clinical and / or wellness health care for patients and / or residents (hereinafter collectively referred to as “patients”) residing at such facilities. Hospitals and medical clinics provide clinical health care. Assisted living and nursing homes focus primarily on wellness health care. Other types of facilities, such as, for example, rehabilitation centers, provide significant client and wellness heath care. Although patient health, safety and general well being are or should be paramount concerns for all medical an...

AI Technical Summary

Benefits of technology

[0009]The present invention relates to systems and methods for height adjusting patient support platforms, such as, for example, of a bed (e.g., the mattress support platform of a standard hospital bed with side rails), gurney, couch, chair, or recliner, to which a patient may be confined. The systems and methods are designed to lower the height of a patient support platform at least closer (and essentially all the way) to floor level in a relatively quick and controlled manner to reduce fall distances. Lowering the height of a patient support platform corresponding reduces the likelihood and significance of patient injuries resulting from falls when a patient attempts to exit the patient support platform.

[0011]The components of the height adjusting safety bed can interoperate to rapidly and in a controlled manner lower the support platform to essentially floor level. The descent is decelerated in a manner that reduces patient jarring. For example, pneumatic lowering yields a lowering characteristic that is sufficiently rapid yet still decelerates slowly enough to significantly reduce patient jarring when reaching essentially floor level. Patient jarring can be further reduced with a spring assisted descent.

[0013]In addition to rapid lowering due to unwanted bed exiting (automatic or manually driven), the bed height may be manually raised or lowered by staff to facilitate daily transfers of the patient. The ability to precisely control bed height yields superior clinical outcomes for a range of patient heights and transfer modalities (i.e. bed to stand, walker, wheelchair or scooter).

[0015]In some embodiments, once lowered, a patient is essentially the height of the mattress plus approximately zero to three inches above the floor. This significantly reduces the potential fall distance (e.g., relative to a typical support platform height) for the patient that is attempting to exit the support platform and correspondingly reduces the energy of impact and associated physiological and psychological trauma.

Problems solved by technology

Lowering the height of a patient support platform corresponding reduces the likelihood and significance of patient injuries resulting from falls when a patient attempts to exit the patient support platform.

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