Inflatable Patient Support With Anchoring Tail
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Solution Overview
Problem
Standard positioning wedges struggle to maintain their position under patients with high body mass, leading to patient discomfort and difficulty in preventing pressure ulcers due to frequent repositioning and the need for additional healthcare workers for lifting.
Innovation Solution
An inflatable patient support device with a tail extension that anchors the positioning apparatus in place, allowing for easier positioning and maintaining the desired position without sliding, thus addressing the challenges of patient comfort and healthcare worker safety.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If standard positioning wedges are used for patients with high body mass, then patient positioning is achieved, but the wedge is displaced from its desired position due to patient weight
Solution Approach 1:
The positioning system is divided into two functional components: a positioning wedge for patient support and a separate anchoring mechanism (tail) for securing the wedge. This segmentation allows the wedge to focus on positioning while the tail handles the anchoring function, resolving the displacement issue caused by patient weight.
Solution Approach 2:
The tail is positioned and anchored in advance before the patient is placed on the wedge. This preliminary action ensures that the anchoring mechanism is already in place to counteract the forces that will be applied when the patient is positioned, preventing subsequent displacement.
2Ease of operation
If extensive manipulation is performed to place positioning wedges, then patient positioning is achieved, but patient discomfort increases
Solution Approach 1:
The tail acts as a self-anchoring mechanism that secures the wedge in place without requiring continuous manual intervention or extensive patient manipulation. Once positioned, the tail automatically prevents displacement, reducing the need for repeated adjustments and associated patient discomfort.
3Ease of operation
If multiple healthcare workers are used to lift and position heavy patients, then patient positioning is achieved, but device complexity and resource requirements increase
Solution Approach 1:
The inflatable support device serves as an intermediary that facilitates patient positioning without requiring direct manual lifting. The device can be inflated to support the patient's weight, allowing healthcare workers to position the patient and wedge with minimal physical effort, thereby reducing the need for multiple workers.
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 inflatable patient support device effectively maintains the positioning apparatus in place under patients with high body mass, reducing patient discomfort and the need for excessive manipulation, while ensuring the apparatus remains anchored and functional.
Implementation Method 1
An inflatable patient support device with a tail extension that anchors the positioning apparatus in place
Data Source
AI summary
A patient positioning system includes an inflatable patient support device having a width, and a positioning apparatus. The positioning apparatus including a wedge-shaped body, the wedge-shaped body configured to be placed under the inflatable patient support device to support a patient in a desired position, and a tail comprising an elongated piece of material extending from a front end of the wedge-shaped body, wherein a length of the tail is greater than the width of the inflatable patient support device.