Patient Support Foot End Extension for Litter Base Alignment
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Solution Overview
Problem
Patient transport systems often fail to provide adequate support for a patient's feet when the litter is in a substantially flat configuration, leading to the feet dangling beyond the patient support surface, which is not ergonomically suitable for transport.
Innovation Solution
A patient support apparatus with a foot end extension that can be extended to provide additional support when the litter is docked to the base, ensuring the patient's feet are fully supported, even for taller individuals, by extending beyond the end of the litter and aligning with the patient support surface.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of operation
If the litter is placed into a substantially flat configuration to support a patient, then the patient's head is supported on the patient support surface, but the patient's feet dangle beyond the patient support surface and are not supported
Solution Approach 1:
The base is divided into separate components including a foot end extension that can be independently positioned. This segmentation allows the foot support function to be added separately from the main litter structure, enabling feet support without changing the litter's flat configuration.
Solution Approach 2:
The foot end extension acts as an intermediary element between the litter and the base. It provides the missing foot support function by extending beyond the litter's end, mediating the support gap without requiring the litter itself to be modified.
2Ease of operation
If the litter is made longer to support both head and feet, then complete patient support is achieved, but the device complexity and weight increase
Solution Approach 1:
Instead of making the litter one long piece, the support system is segmented into the litter and separate base components. The foot end extension is a separate element that attaches to the base, allowing the litter to remain a simpler, lighter component while still providing complete patient support.
3Object-affected harmful factors
If the foot end extension is added to support patient's feet, then foot support is improved, but the device complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The foot end extension is designed to be movable between extended and retracted positions rather than being a fixed permanent addition. This dynamic design allows the extension to be deployed only when needed for foot support, reducing the permanent structural complexity of the base.
Solution Approach 2:
The foot end extension can be nested within or attached to the existing base structure when not in use, and deployed outward when needed. This nesting approach minimizes the space and structural complexity required for the additional foot support function.
Data Source
AI summary
A patient support apparatus comprises a litter and a base configured to receive and support the litter when the litter is docked to the base in a docked state. A foot end extension is coupled to a foot end of an intermediate frame of the base, with the foot end extension defining an extended position wherein at least a portion of the foot end extension extends outwardly beyond the foot end of the litter in a direction opposite the head end of the intermediate frame when the litter and base are in the docked state. The foot end extension includes a top surface that is axially aligned with a substantially flat configuration of the litter in the extended position. The foot end extension can be fixedly coupled in the extended position or movably coupled to the intermediate frame and movable between the extended position and a non-extended position.