Conformable heated mattress

Abstract

Embodiments include a conformable heated mattress for patient warming during surgery. The mattress may include a base layer coupled to an operating table and a heated layer coupled to the base layer. The heated layer may include an electrical heating element. The heated layer is coupled to an opposing surface of the base layer at a portion of the opposing surface forming an attached area. The attached area is less than an area of the opposing surface allowing at least a portion of the heated layer to be folded substantially independently of the base layer. Embodiments also include a method of positioning a patient on such a heated mattress.

Description

PRIORITY[0001]This application claims priority to U.S. Provisional Application Number 61 / 812,987, Flexible Electric Heaters, filed on Apr. 17, 2013, the disclosure of which is hereby incorporated by reference in the entirety.FIELD[0002]This disclosure generally relates to systems and methods for surgical patient warming.BACKGROUND[0003]Heated mattresses and heated mattress overlays for therapeutic patient warming are generally well known. Therapeutic patient warming may be useful for patients during surgery. It is well known that without therapeutic intra-operative warming, anesthetized surgical patients may become clinically hypothermic during surgery. Hypothermia has been linked to increased wound infections, increased blood loss, increased cardiac morbidity, prolonged ICU time, prolonged hospital stays, increased cost of surgery and increased death rates.[0004]Heated water mattresses for use during surgery have been available for decades. The warm water mattresses are typically r...

AI Technical Summary

Benefits of technology

The invention is about a heated mattress for surgery that can be folded up to the patient's sides to provide therapeutic under-body warming. It includes a flexible heating layer made of a shell with an electrical heating element sandwiched between two sheets. The heated layer is attached to the base layer of the operating table through an attached area that allows for independent folding. The method of positioning the patient on the heated mattress involves folding up portions of the heated layer and using a positioning roll to hold it in place. Overall, this invention provides a comfortable and efficient solution for surgery positioning and warming.

Problems solved by technology

It is well known that without therapeutic intra-operative warming, anesthetized surgical patients may become clinically hypothermic during surgery.

Hypothermia has been linked to increased wound infections, increased blood loss, increased cardiac morbidity, prolonged ICU time, prolonged hospital stays, increased cost of surgery and increased death rates.

The warm water mattresses are typically relatively stiff and inflexible.

The smaller body surface area in contact with the mattress may result in two problems.

First, the smaller surface area supports the entire weight of the patient.

As a result, the combination of pressure applied to the boney prominences and the heat from the warm water mattress may both reduce blood flow and accelerate metabolism, causing accelerated ischemic pressure injuries to the skin (“bed sores”).

A smaller area in contact with the heated water mattress can make the mattress ineffective for patient warming during surgery.

In use, wire-based heaters have questionable safety.

In the operating room environment with anesthetized patients, hot spots caused by the wires in normal use and the failure mode of broken heater wires resulting in sparking, arcing and fires may prevent their use in operating rooms.

However, even with the added contact surface area, these mattresses may be incapable of transferring enough heat to maintain patient normothermia, especially in pediatric patients.

The limitation in heat transfer is related to the fact that even though the entire anterior or posterior surface of the patient may be in contact, the surface geometry of the mattress may prevent mattress contact with the surface areas of the patient's sides.

It may be physically impossible for a foam mattress with a plastic film cover to closely conform to a patient's shape.

Therefore, forming the foam around the patient's body thereby increasing the contact with their side surfaces may be challenging to achieve in the case of pediatric patients.

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