Description Field of the art

The present invention regards the field of paramedic devices. In particular, it regards the field of pillows and mattresses. Even more in detail, the present invention regards a kit consisting of a plurality of dynamic pillows suitable to facilitate the skin circulation of a patient.

Prior art

The immobility of patients on beds and wheelchairs notoriously causes the so-called pressure ulcers or pressure ulcers. These are tissue lesions with necrotic development, that affect the epidermis, the dermis and the subcutaneous layers, up to reaching, in the most serious cases, the muscles and the bones. A decubitus injury is the direct consequence of a considerable or extended compression, which causes a mechanical stress to the tissues and the constriction of the blood vessels, with the ensuing tissue necrosis.

Decubitus injuries often arise from inadequate assistance at home level, lack of knowledge by health assistants or by health workers in hospital.

Failure to immediately take preventive measures using modern anti-decubitus means can cause very serious injuries.

Various devices that facilitate blood circulation in the skin tissues of the patient, such as mattresses and pillows specifically designed to maintain the circulation of air therein, thus helping to maintain regular blood circulation in the epidermis of the patient were developed with the aim of preventing this serious type of injuries.

Some international patents addressed these anti-decubitus devices, such as, for example, the Chinese utility model n° CN2274922. This patent claims an inflatable pillow in which the air bag is provided with support ribs and with a pressure adjustment nozzle. The pillow can be used separately or assembled with other similar ones to form a mattress. The advantages of the utility model mentioned above lie in easy of manufacture, an economic price, a waterproof function, ease of cleaning and ease of disassembly. However, if used for patients it can delay but not prevent the occurrence of the aforementioned bedsores.

However, the current state of the art does not seem to provide a pillow capable of effectively preventing decubitus ulcers and capable of contributing towards the comfort of the patient whether in bed, on a wheelchair or on an armchair, facilitating blood circulation in the skin tissues thereof.

Thus, an object of the present invention is to provide a new and innovative modular kit capable of facilitating skin circulation in an effective and customisable manner, preventing decubitus injuries.

Description of the invention

According to the present invention provided is a kit, consisting of at least one pillow and other technological solutions that cooperate to stimulate the skin circulation of a patient lying down or seated on one or more pillows.

In its simplest version, the kit comprises:

- at least one pillow, consisting of a case made of non-allergenic material that is waterproof and easy to wash, containing a plurality of open and mutually communicating cells, suitable to be reversibly inflated and deflated, according to pre- established methods and times, so as to perform a continuous massage on the part of the body of the user resting thereon;

- connection means between several pillows, suitable to be reversibly applied on any of the lateral surfaces of several pillows. This advantageously allows creating a modular pillow, with the desired geometric configuration so as to adapt to any support and to the needs of the user;

- fixing means, advantageously suitable to stably but reversibly constrain each pillow to a fixed support;

- at least one duct, possibly included in an aesthetic duct-cover, suitable to connect the cells of at least one pillow with - at least one electrical air pump suitable to insufflate a predetermined amount of air into the cells to which it is connected by means of said duct. Said electrical air pump is the component that determines the inflation and the deflation of the pillow, advantageously even under the weight of the body of the user seated or lying down on said pillow;

- electrical power supply means which supply to the electrical air pump the electrical power required for the operation thereof.

In an even more advantageous version of the kit subject of the present invention, each pillow can be shaped according to a first shape which advantageously reproduces the ergonomic shape of a seat, or a second shape which advantageously reproduces the ergonomic shape of a backrest.

In this manner, the user using the present invention can configure it so that it can perfectly adapt to ta chair (or wheelchair), an armchair or any other seat means as well as to the body thereof, according to the shapes of each portion of the human body.

Furthermore, the kit may possibly include an angular element, consisting of a semi-rigid pillow provided with at least one pair of connection means (Velcro or zip) suitable to allow the stable but reversible coupling thereof with both said upper and lower pillows or the seat or the backrest, to form a single pillow that accompanies the entire body of the user when seated.

Furthermore, said angular element is advantageously provided with a pair of lateral portions that will be located at the sides of the seated user, which will advantageously be semi-rigid and suitable to safely and stably house said ducts, preventing the flattening/crushing thereof. In the portable version, particularly useful for wheelchairs, the electrical air pump is advantageously provided with means for coupling to the chair, which stably but reversibly constrain it to the structure of the wheelchair, hence facilitating movements. Still in this embodiment, the electrical power supply means will advantageously consist of a common rechargeable battery, portable too.

Preferably, at least one of the pillows constituting said kit, preferably a pillow designed for sitting purposes, is internally provided with a plurality of spacers, consisting of bulging made of any elastic material, for example silicone, suitable to limit the flattening/crushing of the pillow under the weight of the user. In this manner, advantageously, even in case of corpulent users seated on a pillow, according to the present invention it will be impossible for each pillow to be so flattened/crushed to prevent the through-flow of air therein.

A possible implementation in this sense, advantageously, provides for an alarm signal which is automatically activated when the spacers are subjected to a pressure exceeding a predetermined threshold limit, to signal the fact that the kit is operating at the minimum of the potential thereof, with the risk of failure thereof.

Even more advantageously, besides the fact that the electrical air pump can be provided with a common adjustment device suitable to modulate, as desired by the user, the air insufflation power; it can be connected to a system of sensors which automatically adjust the insufflation power thereof as a function of the flattening/crushing of the pillow, so as to keep the latter value within the pre-established threshold values.

A further even more advantageous version of the kit subject of the present invention, provides for that the seat, the backrest and the angular element connecting them be sewn together, to form a single object already designed for use on a chair.

Not only does the present invention allow to prevent decubitus ulcers, but even the user forced to lie down or stay seated for long periods of time will not suffer from any circulation problems due to prolonged periods of immobility. The entirety being effectively improved by devices that improve the comfort of the user both if bed ridden and when forced to use a wheelchair.

The advantages provided by the present invention will be clear in light of the description outlined up to now. Furthermore, they will be more apparent due to the attached figures and relative detailed description. Description of the figures

The invention will be described hereinafter in at least one preferred embodiment, provided by way of non-limiting example, with reference to the attached figures, wherein:

- FIGURE 1 shows the kit 100 subject of the invention in one of the possible configurations thereof, comprising a backrest pillow 1.2 and a seat pillow 1.1. Shown are the connection means 20 and the fixing means 22 of each pillow 1.1-1.2, as well as the ducts 50 which connect the pillows 1.1-1.2 to the electrical air pump 40 connected to the electrical plug 30. Laterally shown are also the angular element 15 whose central surface 25, connection means 21 and lateral portions 23 are shown.

- FIGURE 2 illustrates the detail of a general pillow 1 according to the present invention in which the honeycomb-like structure of the cells 10 is shown.

- FIGURE 3 shows the preferred embodiment of the invention in which the pillow 1 has an inner surface 11 provided with spacers 12. FIG 3(a) shows a sectional view thereof. FIG 3(b) shows a top view thereof of the inner surface 11.

Detailed description of the invention

Now, the present invention will be illustrated purely by way of non-limiting or non-binding example, with reference to the figures illustrating some embodiments regarding the present inventive concept.

With reference to FIG. 1 shown is a version of the kit 100 subject of the invention currently deemed the best embodiment.

Said kit 100 consists of a pillow 1.1 shaped in an ergonomic shape to serve as a seat for a user and a second pillow 1.2 shaped in an ergonomic shape to serve as a backrest for said user.

Provided on a lateral surface of each of the pillows 1.1-1.2, is a connection means 20, consisting of a strip of Velcro in this case, capable of allowing a stable but reversible constraint of the two pillows 1.1-1.2.

Assuming that the latter are used by a person forced to use a wheelchair or users who have to spend long periods of time seated (armchairs, settee, chair, etc.), the two strips of dense weave fabric terminating with a Velcro portion, are the means that embrace the seat and backrest of the wheelchair (or any seat) so as to make the pillows 1.1 -1.2 of the kit integrally joined with the wheelchair even when the user is not seated thereon, without entailing risks for the latter.

The kit may also include an angular element 15, which stably and reversibly connects the backrest 1.2 to the seat 1.1 so as to make the kit even safer when constrained to the seat and simultaneously even more ergonomic for the user seated thereon. Even in this case, such connection occurs by means of Velcro or other possible connection means 21, provided on the edges of the angular element 15 which are at contact with the backrest 1.2 and the seat 1.1.

The central surface 25 of said angular element 15 consists of a semi-rigid pillow shaped to form a concave for housing the body of the user in the best manner possible.

Laterally, at the sides of the user, the angular element 15 has a pair of semi-rigid lateral portions 23 preferably reversibly inserted into which are the ducts 50 which supply the pillows with air. Irrespective of the position of the user on the seat, this characteristic ensures that the ducts 50 are never flattened/crushed and hence the through-flow of air is never hindered.

The tool used to perform the skin massage on the body of the user, according to the objectives of the invention, is the electrical air pump 40 which, by means of the ducts 50, insufflates air into the cells 10 of each pillow 1.1-1.2. The method of insufflation determines the inflation and the deflation according to the pre-set times, with an intensity such to be an effective massage even under the weight of the body of the user.

In the embodiment described herein, the electrical air pump 40 is made portable through means for coupling to the structure of the wheelchair and the electrical power supply 30 thereof occurs by means of a rechargeable battery, portable too, this representing the actual revolutionary idea, with respect to devices of this kind which are only used in static situations, while this kit allows to improve the physical and psychological conditions of the user, who is no longer forced to stay indoors; thus the user will be able to move from one environment to the other both indoors and outdoors.

FIG. 2 shows the preferred honeycomb-like structure of the open and communicating cells 10 which are substantially the air chambers which are inflated and deflated to perform the massage.

In order for the present invention to operate correctly, it is important that the pillow 1 is not flattened/crushed excessively, up to preventing the air from flowing within said cells 10. This could occur should a corpulent user using the kit 100 of the present invention, especially if using it seated even more importantly for the pillow 1 which acts as a seat 1.1. Thus, in a preferred embodiment, at least one surface 11 of the pillow 1 is provided with spacers 12 obtained in form of half-spheres made of silicone. Thanks to these devices, even were the user to flatten/crush the pillow 1 with the weight thereof, the spacers 12 are resistant enough to prevent the complete obstruction of the cells 10 and, at the same time, they will be elastic and soft enough not to create discomfort for the user.

Lastly, it is clear that the invention described up to now may be subjected to modifications, additions or variants obvious to a man skilled in the art, without departing from the scope of protection outlined by the attached claims.