JP2002126013A - Air mat device - Google Patents

Abstract

(57) [Problem] To provide an air mat device capable of easily turning the body of a bedridden elderly person or a patient with a physical disability. SOLUTION: A plurality of bag-shaped air cells 11 are juxtaposed along the longitudinal direction of a bed, and the internal pressure of these air cells is configured to be a pressure that can grasp a human body lying on the air cells, and juxtaposed. Side cells 122 are provided on each of the left and right sides of the air cell so as to prevent a person lying on the air cell from falling down to the left and right, and the air cell is further fed into the lower side of the air cell. The turning cell 13 is provided so that the body can be turned to the left or right by turning the body to the left or right.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to an air mat for preventing pressure ulcers (bed sores) caused when a sick person or a bedridden elderly person lies on the floor for a long time.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art In recent years, at the nursing or nursing care sites of nursing homes and hospitals, the number of people who are forced to stay bedridden is increasing steadily with the artificial aging. In these care settings, patients are often subjected to sustained compressions for extended periods of time, putting them at risk for pressure ulcers. Various medical air mats have been developed for the purpose of preventing the occurrence of such pressure ulcers or healing the generated pressure ulcers.

As an air mat, for example, an air mat 1 as shown in FIG. 7 is known. FIG. 8 shows a state in which the air mat 1 is set on a bed and the body A lies on the air mat 1. The air mat 1 is shown in FIG.
7 are arranged side by side on a base sheet 3 as shown in FIG. 7B, and air of an appropriate pressure is sent to these air cells 2 from an air pump (not shown). It is inflated with. Air cell 2
In the expanded state, the central portion becomes substantially cylindrical, the vicinity of the longitudinal end is narrowed, and a triangular fixing member 2b having a hook 2a is provided at the distal end. .

The mounting of the air cell 2 on the base sheet 3
First, a predetermined number of air cells 2 are inserted into bands Ω-shaped sewn on the base sheet 3.
Next, the hooks 2a provided on the fixing members 2b at both left and right end portions of each air cell 2 are fitted to the hooks provided on the base sheet 3. Then, as described above, air is injected for completion. The air mat 1 is set on a bed as shown in FIG. 8, and the air cells 2 are provided side by side so as to be perpendicular to the body A.

The air mat controls the air cell 2 as described above so as to divide the air cell 2 into, for example, two or three systems so that when one air cell 2 contracts, the other system air cell 2 expands. In some cases, the air mat 1 is changed into a wavy shape in the longitudinal direction so that strong pressure is not locally concentrated on a sleeping person, and pressure ulcers can be prevented from occurring. .

[0006] By the way, as described above, there is an apparatus in which strong pressure is not locally concentrated on a sleeping person, but in the case of a severe patient who cannot move himself or herself. It is known that standing on the back at all times can cause other diseases besides pressure ulcers. Therefore, the caregiver works to turn over at regular intervals, but requires a great deal of labor. Therefore, a device that automatically tilts the air mat right and left at regular intervals has been proposed and used.

[0007]

However, in the case of the air cell having the above-described structure, since the end of the air mat is narrowed, the lateral direction is inclined downward, and the air cell slips off from the air mat. Even if it does not slip down, bottoming may occur due to the thin end of the air cell. In addition, the bottoming is a factor of the occurrence of pressure sores because a part of the body is locally in contact with a member and the blood flow in the part is inhibited. Further tilting to turn over may also cause the patient to slide outward from the end of the air mat. Further, since the air cells of the air mat are arranged side by side so as to be orthogonal to the longitudinal direction of the bed, when the air mat is tilted, the body is in a laterally displaced state, causing skin displacement and pressure, which cause pressure ulcers. Further, by tilting, the air cell is bent and collapsed in the middle, and by repeating the air cell, the portion may be punctured due to fatigue and the body may be bottomed at the collapsed portion.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION The present invention has been made in view of the above problems, and has as its object to provide an air mat that can easily turn the body of a bedridden elderly person or a physically handicapped patient.

[0009]

The present invention employs the following means to achieve the above object. The invention of claim 1 is
A plurality of bag-shaped air cells are arranged side by side along the longitudinal direction of the bed, and the internal pressure of these air cells is configured to be a pressure that grabs a human body lying on the air cells, and on both left and right sides of the arranged air cells. Is provided with side cells which are higher than the air cell and act so that a person lying on the air cell does not slip left and right, and furthermore, the air cell is rotated left and right by sending air under the air cell. It features a turning cell that allows the body to be turned sideways on either side.

With this configuration, since the air cells are arranged along the direction of the head, tibia, spine, and hipbone of the human body, the body can be stably held, and when turned, the air cells are placed on the air cells. The person lying on the back is gripped by each air cell, and there is no lateral displacement and pressure. Also, since side cells are provided on both the left and right sides, there is no risk of slipping out of the air mat.

The invention of claim 2 is characterized in that, in the invention of claim 1, the number of air cells is odd.

With this configuration, when a person lies on the air mat, the air cell disposed at the center can reliably support the head, tibia, spine, and hipbone of the human body, and can give a sense of stability. .

According to a third aspect of the present invention, in the first or second aspect, a mat made of an elastic member is disposed below the turning cell.

[0014] With this configuration, it is possible to provide a suitable elasticity and to provide a predetermined inclination by holding the bottom of the turning cell into which the air is sent. As the elastic member, for example, a sheet made of a foamable resin such as urethane home is preferable.

According to a fourth aspect of the present invention, in the first aspect of the invention, the turning cell comprises first and second turning cells arranged on the right and left sides, and the turning cells are arranged at predetermined intervals. By alternately feeding air, the air cell is inclined left and right alternately to prevent pressure sore generation of a person lying on the air cell.

This makes it possible to prevent the occurrence of other diseases in addition to the prevention of pressure ulcers.

[0017]

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS An embodiment of an air mat device according to the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings.

An embodiment of the air mat device of the present invention will be described with reference to FIGS. In addition, FIG.
FIG. 2 is a perspective view showing a state in which the air mat device of the present embodiment is set on a bed, FIG. 2 is an exploded perspective view showing each part of the air mat device of FIG. 1, and FIG. 3 is an air cell constituting the air mat device. It is a figure showing an example of.

The air mat device of the present embodiment has a bag-shaped air mat.
It is configured by combining ascells. Shown in FIG.
As described above, the air mat device 10 is placed on the bed 5 and used.
Used. The air mat device 10 is an exploded perspective view of FIG.
As is clear, the hold layer for holding the human body
Air cell 11₁~ 11₇Grabse with juxtaposition
Provided on both sides of the grab cell 11
From falling off the bed 5 or shifting to the bedside
Air cell 12 which is a guard layer to stop₁, 12 ₂From
And a bottom cell of the grab cell 11.
With a turning layer to turn the body right or left sideways
Oh, air cell 13₁~ 13₃Turnin consisting of
Gussel 13. Note that these air cells
Le 11₁~ 11₇Internal pressure of the human body lying on the air cell
It is configured to be gripping pressure. That is, usually
About 2/3 to half of the pressure of a commonly used air cell
Keep it. Also, at the bottom of the turning cell 13
Is provided with a mat 13 made of an elastic member. example
If the elastic member is a foamable resin sheet such as urethane home,
Is preferred.

The grab cell 11 extends in the longitudinal direction of the bed 5.
The air cell 11₁~ 11₇Is belt 1
5 are held and arranged side by side. Air cell 1
1 ₁~ 11₇Are located in the center of these air cells.
Le 11₄Supports the human head, tibia, spine, hip bone, etc.
Such a structure is adopted. The number of air cells is limited.
It is good to use an odd number. Conventional belt 15
The belt 15 is Ω-shaped on a base sheet such as cotton cloth.
Sewn into the shape, each air cell 11₁~
11₇Insert and secure. In addition, the air cell 11
₁~ 11₇Is to form a belt 15 in an eight-shaped loop
Then, each air cell may be inserted into the ring and fixed.

[0021] Saidoseru 12 is air cells ₁₂ 1, 12 ₂ provided on both sides of Gurabuseru 11 is air cells ₁₂ 1, 12 ₂ on both sides of the air mattress device 10. This side cell 12 is connected to other air cells 11 ₁ to 11.
Than 11 _7, to increase the overhanging upward, that is, by increasing the height, the body is shifted or the bed-side, is for preventing the dropping from the bedside.

The turning cell 13 is an actuator air cell which is provided on the bottom surface of the grab cell 11 and lifts the grab cell 11 from the center of the bed to the bedside to give an inclination. State turning cell 13, with respect to the center line in the longitudinal direction of the bed is provided is divided into two regions, where the air to air cells _{131-134 3} constituting one side of turning cell 13 has been fed Is shown. Turning cell 13 may be formed by combining vertically long air cells air cells _{131-134 3} are separated, each of the air cells may be obtained by integrally. In addition, the air cells 131 to ₁
13 _3, covered with clothing cover 13a, may be configured to push equally Gurabuseru 11 from the bottom. The turning cell 13 lifts the left shoulder side and the right shoulder side of the human body, respectively, and moves the center of gravity of the body, thereby creating a state in which the human body is turning over in a simulated manner.

For example, the air cell 13₁~ 13₃sky of
The air volume is the air cell 13₁Air volume is the smallest
Asher 13₂The air volume of the air cell 13₂Greater than
Kiku and air cell 13₃Is the largest air volume
Or air cell 13 ₃The air volume of the air cell
13₂It is almost equal to the air volume of
To do. Set the air volume or shape in this way
The air cell 13₁~ 13₃Send air to
The bet side is highest and center
Grab
A slope can be provided on one side of the cell.

FIGS. 3A and 3B schematically show the air cell. FIG. 3A is a top view, FIG. 3B is a front view, and FIG. 3C is a side view. The air cell 6 is formed, for example, by molding a sheet obtained by coating a resin on a polyurethane film or a cotton cloth, and in a state where air is injected,
As shown in FIG. 3 (c), the vertical cross section is substantially round rectangle or darma shape, and a three-dimensional shape is formed by the top surface 7, the bottom surface 8 and the side surface 9, and the left and right end surfaces in the longitudinal direction are slightly rounded. Become. Further, triangular fixing members 6c are attached to lower portions of left and right end surfaces in the longitudinal direction of the air cell 6, respectively, and the fixing members 6c are provided with hooks 6d, respectively.

The air cell 6 extends horizontally across both sides of the center of the inside of the air cell 6 and horizontally to the vicinity of the longitudinal end.
a is provided, and when air is supplied, the longitudinal section becomes a round rectangular shape. If the partition plate 6a is not provided, the air cell 6 is made of, for example, a polyurethane film. Therefore, when air is injected, the air cell 6 becomes substantially cylindrical, and the ratio of thickness (height) to width cannot be increased. If the thickness of the air cell is increased to prevent the bottoming of the body, the width will be wider, so the total number of air cells used for the air mat will inevitably decrease, and the area of the part in contact with the patient's body will decrease, and the mat with the human body will decrease. Undesirably, the contact pressure increases and the body falls into the gap with the air cell 6. Therefore, an air cell having a round and rectangular cross section is preferable.

On the other hand, by providing the partition plate 6a, even if pressure is applied from above, the partition plate 6a does not spread in the horizontal direction (width direction) because of the presence of the partition plate 6a. Can be increased, and even if the internal pressure of the air cell 6 is reduced and the contact pressure on the body is reduced, there is no fear of bottoming. The air cell 6 is provided with an air injection part 6b for injecting air into the inside. The air injected from the air injection part 6b is blown into the entire air cell 6 through an opening 6e that communicates vertically with the end of the air cell 6, and expands.

Although the hook 6d for fixing the air cell 6 to the base sheet is provided in FIG. 3, the present invention is not limited to this embodiment. As shown, a plurality of air cells may be fixed only by the belt. In any case, a bed sheet is covered with a base sheet such as a cotton cloth so as to cover the grab cells. Of course, the position of the hook 6d may be only the upper part, in which case the base sheet is provided on the upper surface.

Next, turning with the air mat of the present embodiment will be described with reference to FIG. Note that turning means turning a body right or left sideways in order to prevent a bedridden elderly person or a patient from sleeping in the same posture. By turning the body,
Its main purpose is to shift the center of gravity of the body to prevent pressure from being applied to a part of the body for an extended period of time, thereby preventing the occurrence of pressure sores.

FIG. 4 shows the air mat device 1 of the above embodiment.
0 (a) shows a state in which a person (bed-ridden elderly person or patient) A is lying on the air mat device 10 in a supine position, and FIG. Turning to the upper right, FIG. 10C shows a state in which the body A has turned to the upper left. In the grab cell 11 of FIG. 4, seven air cells are arranged side by side in the vertical direction of the bed, and the symbols of the air cells are a, b, and b in order from the left.
.., G are provided. In addition, the turning cell 13
As shown in FIGS. 4B and 4C, the symbols h, i, j are assigned to the air cells of the right turning cell 13 and k, l, m are assigned to the air cells of the left turning cell 13, respectively.
And the symbol are given. The grab cell 11 and the side cell 12 are covered with a bet sheet 16 such as a cotton cloth.

The air mat device 10 shown in FIG. 4A shows a state in which no air is supplied to the air cells of both the turning cells 13, and the grab cell 11 remains flat. Person A is usually lying in this state. Each of the air cells b to f of the grab cell 11 is pressed by the weight of the body A to form a flat upper surface. The human body A lies so that its head, tibia, spine, hip bone, etc. are supported by the air cell d. The air pressure of each air cell of the grab cell 11 can be adjusted according to the weight. By the way,
In the case of a heavy person, the air pressure is set high, and in the case of a light person, the air pressure is kept low so that the human body A and the grab cell 11 come into contact with each other on a flat surface. However, when the body A lays on the back of the air mat device 10 for a long time, pressure ulcers are likely to occur in the occipital region, scapula, tail floor, heel, and the like.

In order to prevent the occurrence of pressure sores, FIG.
As shown in (b), air is fed into the right turning cell 13 of the air mat device 10 to give an inclination to the contact surface of the grab cell 11 with the body A, so that the body A rises to the left to turn left. I do. In FIG. 4 (c), air can be blown into the left turning cell 13 so that the body A is turned right and the left shoulder can be raised. The body A is automatically repeated at appropriate time intervals such as raising the right shoulder, turning over the back, and raising the left shoulder to send air into the left and right turning cells 13 to incline the human body A.
A state similar to the state in which the person A is turning over is created to prevent the occurrence of pressure sores.

The turning cell 13 has a shape such that the turning cell 13 is inclined in advance, and the air is uniformly supplied to the independent air cells (h, i, j) or (k, l, m). Alternatively, the inclination angle may be adjusted by adjusting the air pressure of each of the air cells (h, i, j) and (k, l, m). The inclination angle is, for example,
It can be adjusted in the range of 0 ° to 20 °.

Next, the air mat device 30 will be described with reference to FIGS. As shown in FIG. 5, the air mat device 30 is the same as the air mat device 10 of the above embodiment.
Includes an air supply control device 17. FIG. 6 shows a control panel of the air supply control device 17. In FIG. 5, an air supply control device 17 includes a rotary valve 18 for sending air to each cell, a pump unit 19 for supplying air to the air cells, a pressure sensor 20 for measuring air pressure in each cell, and the like. And a control panel for controlling the device. Air is sequentially supplied to the rotary valve 18 to the grab cell 11 and the side cell 12. First, air is sent into the grab cell 11,
When the air pressure is detected by the pressure sensor 20 and a predetermined pressure value is detected, the rotary valve 18 is driven to supply air to the side cell 12 until the pressure reaches a predetermined pressure. The driving of the rotary valve 18 is controlled by a stepping motor. Note that reference numeral 16 denotes a grip portion attached to the air supply control device 17.

As shown in FIG. 6, the control panel 17 includes:
Power switch 17a, weight setting switch 17b, turning angle setting switch 17c, turning operation setting switch 17d
17f, a turning time setting switch 17g and a back time setting switch 17h are provided. Weight setting switch 17
In b, for example, the weight can be set from 30 kg to 80 kg in increments of 5 kg, and the air pressure of the grab cell is adjusted according to the set weight. The turning angle can be set, for example, from 0 ° to 20 ° in increments of 5 ° by operating the turning angle setting switch 17c. The turning operation setting switches 17d to 17f are
The operation of turning over is displayed as a picture, and the tilt of the grab cell can be set to left, upward, or right by operating a switch corresponding to the picture display.

As described above, this air mat device 10
Since the air cells of the air mat are arranged side by side along the longitudinal direction of the bed, when tilted, the body does not become laterally displaced unlike the conventional one, causing skin displacement and pressure, which causes pressure ulcers There is no fear.

When the air mat device 30 of this embodiment is installed on a gudge-type bed, the user can operate the back time setting switch 17h to raise the gage when a predetermined time has elapsed. it can. The angle of the garage up can also be appropriately adjusted according to the preference.

[0037]

As described above, according to the first aspect of the present invention, each air cell of the air mat device is arranged in the vertical direction, that is, along the back column of the human body.
Compared to an air mat in which the air cells as shown in the conventional example are arranged in the lateral direction, there is an advantage that the contact pressure between the human body and the air cells can be made constant and the human body can be stably held, and the human body is held. It has the advantage of being extremely effective in terms of sex, and has the effect that it is possible to easily create a pseudo-turnover state for bedridden elderly people and patients. In addition, since it is easy to bend in the left-right direction, the air cell is not overloaded and the durability is excellent.

According to the second aspect of the present invention, the number of air cells in the air mat device is set to an odd number, so that when a bedridden elderly person or a patient lays down on the air mat, the head, tibia, spine, and hip bone are reduced. However, because it is reliably supported by a single air cell at a constant air pressure, displacement of the body hardly occurs,
This has an effect that a stable turning operation can be performed.

According to the third aspect of the present invention, since the mat of the elastic member is disposed, the elastic member has an appropriate elasticity and a predetermined inclination is provided by holding the bottom of the turning cell into which the air is sent. be able to.

According to the fourth aspect of the present invention, the bedridden elderly person and the patient can be automatically turned sideways left and right, so that the burden on the caregiver can be reduced, and the occurrence of pressure sores caused by the bedridden state and other factors. Can prevent illness.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is a perspective view showing an embodiment of an air mat according to the present invention.

FIG. 2 is an exploded perspective view of the air mat of the embodiment.

3A and 3B are views showing an example of an air cell constituting an air mat according to the present invention, wherein FIG. 3A is a top view thereof and FIG.
Is a front view, and FIG. 3C is a side view.

FIGS. 4A, 4B, and 4C are explanatory diagrams illustrating the operation of the air mat according to the present embodiment.

FIG. 5 is a view showing an embodiment of an air mat device according to the present invention.

FIG. 6 is a diagram showing a control panel of the air supply control device.

7A and 7B are perspective views showing an example of a conventional air mat.

FIG. 8 is a schematic side view of a conventional air mat.

[Explanation of symbols]

A bedridden elderly or patient, person, human body, body 6 air cell 10 air mat device 11 grab cell 11 _{1 to} 11 ₇ (a to g) air cell 12 side cell 12 _{1 to} 12 ₂ air cell 13 turning cell 13 _{1 to} 13 ₂ (h to j, h to m) Air cell 14 Elastic member 15 Belt 16 Gripping part 17 Air supply control device 18 Rotary valve 19 Pump unit 20 Pressure sensor 30 Air mat device

Claims (4)

[Claims] 1. A plurality of bag-shaped air cells are juxtaposed along the longitudinal direction of a bed, and the internal pressure of these air cells is configured to be a pressure that can grasp a human body lying on the air cells, and juxtaposed. The left and right sides of the air cell are provided with side cells each having a height higher than the air cell and acting so that a person lying on the air cell does not slip left and right, and further sending the air to the lower side of the air cell to form the air cell. An air mat device comprising a turning cell which can be turned left and right to turn the body sideways on either side. 2. The air mat according to claim 1, wherein the number of the air cells is odd. 3. The air mat according to claim 1, wherein a mat made of an elastic member is arranged below the turning cell. 4. The turning cell comprises first and second turning cells arranged on the right and left sides, and air is alternately supplied to the air cell at predetermined intervals by alternately sending air to the turning cells. The air mat device according to claim 1, wherein the air mat is inclined so that a person lying on the air cell is turned alternately left and right.