Patient Support Deck Rotation Mechanism for Surgical Repositioning
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Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional methods for repositioning patients during surgical procedures, such as spinal procedures, often involve manual handling, which is risky and undesirable due to the potential for mishandling.
Innovation Solution
A person support apparatus with a repositioning assembly that includes a base frame, a primary support frame, a support deck, and a repositioning assembly featuring rocker members and actuators, allowing for controlled rotation of the patient between different positions, such as prone and lateral, with minimal manual intervention.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Adaptability or versatility
If manual handling is used to reposition patients, then flexibility in positioning is achieved, but safety and risk of mishandling deteriorate
Solution Approach 1:
The patent replaces manual mechanical handling with an automated repositioning system that uses a motorized actuator to rotate the support deck. This substitution eliminates the need for multiple colleagues to manually lift and maneuver the patient, thereby improving safety while maintaining positioning flexibility through controlled automated movement.
Solution Approach 2:
The repositioning system enables the patient support apparatus to reposition itself without external manual intervention. The actuator automatically rotates the support deck to change patient orientation between prone, supine, and lateral positions, making the system self-sufficient and eliminating reliance on manual handling.
2Ease of operation
If multiple colleagues manually lift and maneuver the patient, then repositioning between positions is achieved, but risk of mishandling increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent replaces the manual mechanical system of multiple colleagues lifting and maneuvering the patient with an automated actuator system. The actuator mechanically rotates the support deck containing the patient, eliminating the need for manual lifting and thereby removing the associated risks of mishandling while maintaining full repositioning capability.
3Reliability
If automated repositioning assembly is implemented, then patient safety is improved, but device complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent divides the support apparatus into distinct functional segments: a base frame, a primary support frame, and a support deck that can rotate independently. This segmentation allows the complex repositioning function to be isolated to specific components (the rotatable support deck with actuator) while the rest of the apparatus remains simple and stable, thereby managing overall device complexity.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent introduces dynamic capability only where needed for repositioning - the support deck is designed to rotate about a longitudinal axis while the rest of the apparatus remains stationary. This selective dynamics approach adds the necessary automated repositioning functionality without making the entire device complex, maintaining simplicity in non-moving components.
Data Source
AI summary
A person support apparatus includes a base frame, a primary support frame supported on the base frame, where the primary support frame extends in a longitudinal direction, a support deck coupled to the primary support frame, the support deck including an upper segment positioned at a head end of the person support apparatus, a leg segment positioned at a foot end of the person support apparatus, and a torso segment positioned between the upper segment and the leg segment in the longitudinal direction, where at least one of the upper segment, the torso segment, and the leg segment rotates with respect to the primary support frame about an axis that extends in the longitudinal direction.