Title:
APPARATUS AND METHOD FOR REDUCING THE RISK OF DECUBITUS ULCERS
Document Type and Number:
WIPO Patent Application WO2001095848
Kind Code:
A3
Abstract:
There is provided herein a sensor for use in patient monitoring situations, wherein the level of patient motion activity is tracked for purposes of determining whether or not that patient has exhibited sufficient activity to merit eliminating a scheduled assisted relocation to a new position. The instant device broadly operates to sense the length of time since a patient has last moved from a previous sitting or lying position. If the patient has not moved during some predetermined time interval, it is preferred that the nursing staff be notified that it is time to manually reposition the patient. On the other hand, if the patient has changed position within the specified time period, the device will note that fact and inform the attending nurse or other caregiver that the patient need not be moved at the next scheduled relocation, thereby eliminating the need in some cases to rouse the patient from an otherwise sound sleep. In either case, the instant invention operates to reduce the risk that a patient will develop bed sores by helping ensure that the patient manually moved as frequently as is medically necessary, but no more often than is actually necessary.
Inventors:
SMITH TOBY E
COOPER CRAIG L
COOPER CRAIG L
Application Number:
PCT/US2001/018498
Publication Date:
June 06, 2002
Filing Date:
June 08, 2001
Export Citation:
Assignee:
BED CHECK CORP (US)
International Classes:
A61B5/11; A61G7/057; A61G12/00; (IPC1-7): A61G7/057; A61B5/11; A61G12/00; G08B21/00
Domestic Patent References:
| WO2000051541A2 | 2000-09-08 |
Foreign References:
| GB2329250A | 1999-03-17 | |||
| EP0853918A2 | 1998-07-22 | |||
| US5941836A | 1999-08-24 | |||
| US5038137A | 1991-08-06 | |||
| GB2235776A | 1991-03-13 | |||
| GB2350681A | 2000-12-06 |
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