Inflatable Body Support Hand Wells for Stress-Free Patient Repositioning
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing inflatable body supports for pressure sore prevention suffer from material fatigue and stress points at oval-shaped hand wells when stretched, leading to potential material failure and compromising the air chamber, as well as difficulties in patient repositioning due to high profile design and uneven force distribution.
Innovation Solution
The use of dog-bone-shaped hand wells with large radii at ends to distribute stretching stress evenly, reducing material fatigue and failure, and additional hand wells at the head and foot oriented at specific angles to facilitate easier patient repositioning and reduce caregiver strain.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of operation
If oval-shaped hand wells are used in prior art inflatable body supports, then caregivers can easily transfer and reposition patients, but the oval shape creates stress points and material fatigue when stretched, leading to potential material failure
Solution Approach 1:
The hand wells are designed with a dog-bone shape featuring large radii at the ends instead of oval shapes. This curvature design eliminates stress concentration points that occur in oval shapes when stretched, distributing mechanical stress more evenly across the material and preventing material fatigue and failure while maintaining ease of patient handling
2Stress or pressure
If the inflatable body support is designed with a high profile for volume centering, then pressure distribution is improved, but caregiver repositioning and patient transfer becomes more difficult
Solution Approach 1:
The inflatable body support is divided into multiple independent air chambers instead of a single high-profile chamber. This segmentation maintains pressure distribution benefits while reducing the overall profile height, making the device more manageable for caregiver operations and patient transfers
3Temperature
If through holes are provided over the entire surface area for heat and moisture dissipation, then thermal and moisture management is improved, but structural integrity and air containment become more challenging
Solution Approach 1:
Through holes are strategically positioned only in regions where patient contact occurs to maximize heat and moisture dissipation. Occlusions are placed in areas where the patient's torso, head, and limbs would not lie, allowing those regions to maintain structural integrity and air containment while still providing thermal management where needed
Applied Scientific Principles
This section explains which scientific principles are used to turn an abstract innovation direction into a practical engineering solution.
Function Achieved in This Case
The dog-bone-shaped hand wells enhance the durability and stability of the inflatable body support, allowing for greater force application without failure, and improve patient repositioning by distributing stress evenly and reducing the risk of material fatigue, while also lowering the profile and aiding caregivers in safe handling.
Implementation Method 1
an inflatable body support formed from a pair of plastic sheets joined together forming an air pressurizable chamber therebetween
Implementation Method 2
allowing body heat and moisture to flow through each hole
Implementation Method 3
moisture to flow down and away from a patient
Data Source
AI summary
An improved inflatable body support with novel dog-bone-shaped hand wells that do not create material stress points when they are stretched while in use in place of the prior art oval-shaped hand wells that do create material stress points when they are stretched while in use.