EVACUATION MATTRESS

Title: Evacuation mattress.

The invention relates to an arrangement for moving a bedrid¬ den person, comprising a mattress, with at least two belts, ropes or the like, connected thereto and to be put around the person to be moved.

Such an arrangement is known in itself from the British Patent specification 1503144.

In this known arrangement both the belts, which are cross- belts, are with one end connected to the upstanding longitu¬ dinal edge of the mattress cover near to the handle thereof; for use the belt is placed around the patient and fixed to the opposite handle.

This known arrangement offers only a limited number of points for fastening or gripping the belts; as a result the forces which can be exerted thereon, and must be taken up by the cover, can only be limited so that in fact for evacua¬ ting a patient by means of this known arrangement two persons are necessary and vertical transport of the patient is quite impossible. As the set of belts is connected to the cover, there is the very real danger that a wrong one is used when changing the cover, so that then, of course, the facility expected when a calamity occurs, is in fact lac¬ king.

The invention aims to provide an arrangement in which these shortcomings are avoided. According to the invention the mattress comprises at least two parts placed one on the other and fastened together, the belts or ropes which are permanently fastened to the mattress, being disposed in the interface. The measures according to the invention greatly increase the dependibility while furthermore as a result of the integra¬ tion of the belts or cords in the mattress the advantage is obtained that the belts and cords can be used as points of action on which greater forces can be exerted.

Preferably the mattress comprises at least two separate mattress parts lying one behind the other in the longitudi¬ nal direction of the mattress. Such a construction is known in itself and is used in an ever greater extend, for private use as well as in hospitals or nursing-homes. The use of this measure in combination with the measures according to the invention result into a structure which can be used very well as evacuation mattress in which the patient is excel¬ lently protected.

Preferably the belt comprises a number of cross-belts or ropes, distant from each other of which the ends, provided with rings, are distant from each other at the upperside of the mattress and at least two longitudinal belts or ropes, distant from each other in the cross direction of the mattress.

When the longitudinal belts are threaded cross-wise through the rings a configuration is obtained in which the patient to be moved is virtually protected in a shell; when pulling at the end of the longitudinal belt the patient is surroun ded by the mattress even better. Thus not only horizontal transport is possible by pulling the mattress at the end of the longitudinal belt, but also vertical transport in which the mattress with the patient is suspended at the end of the belts. In addition to the ends of the longitudinal belts there is a great number of other points of applications on which considerable forces can be exerted.

The fact that the blankets completely surround the patient, results into a unit within which essential medical appara¬ tus, for instance infusion apparatus of oxygen can be accomodated; the threading of the belts through the rings allows in use a great flexibility so that can be prevented that pressure is exerted on places where this is not wanted, for instance wounds resulting from surgery. A mattress made up of two parts also allows this "shell configuration".

A preferred arrangement is characterized in that in the upstanding sides of the mattress recesses are provided at the points where the belts or ropes pass out, while the mattress cover is provided with covered openings for the passage of the ends of the belts received in the recesses.

As a result the mattress looks like a normal mattress and the belts or cords in no way hinder the making of the bed.

The invention will be explained with reference to the drawings.

Figure 1 shows two parts constituting the mattress, with a set of belts disposed between them;

Figure 2 is a top plan view of the complete set of belts;

Figure 3 shows the complete mattress provided with a cover;

Figure 4 shows the transportation of the patient with the mattress according to the invention;

Figure 5 shows a part of a modified embodiment.

Figure 6 shows an upper view of a mattress comprising a number of parts and a set of belts incorporated therein.

The embodiment of the mattress according to the invention which is shown in Figure 1 comprises two mattress parts 2 and 3, which, with the interposition of a set of belts 4, are fastened together in a suitable manner, for example by adhesive bonding. The set of belts 4 lying in the interface 5 of the two mattress parts 2, 3 consists, as shown in Figure 2, of two longitudinal belts 6a, 6b and of the cross-belts 7a - 7d connected to them. The cross-belts 7a - 7d and also those ends of the longitudinal belts 6a, 6b which project at the head of the mattress end in rings 8; the longer ends of these longitudinal belts 6a, 6b which project at the foot end 9b are fitted with smaller rings 8a adapted to be passed through the larger rings 8. At the foot end 9a of the mattress a flexible support part 10, the function of which will be described more fully below, is in addition attached to the belts 6a, 6b.

At the points where the belts 6a, 6b and 7a - 7d project out of the respective ends and sides of the mattress rectangular recesses 11, lying at right angles to the large surfaces of the mattress, are formed, while at the foot end 9b a likewi¬ se rectangular recess 12, extending parallel to the short side, is additionally provided. The function of these reces¬ ses can be seen in Figure 3, which shows the mattress provided with a cover 13; the ends of the belts are rolled up and concealed in the respective recesses 11, while the rings 8 are pushed through an opening 14 in the cover 13 and are thus directly accessible. Each opening 15 is covered by a strip of adhesive tape 15; in order to release the belts, it is only necessary to pull the rings 8 or 8a, whereupon the belts can be completely unrolled.

At the foot end 9b the cover 13 has a sliding clasp fastener 16 behind which the rolled-up ends of the longitudinal belts 6a, 6b and the rolled-up support part 10 are concealed.

It is clear that the set of belts does not in any way effect the normal use of the mattress; in this respect the mattress does not differ from any other mattresses used in hospitals and nursing-homes. In emergencies the set of belts can be released particularly quickly; pulling the rings 8, which are accessible on the long sides and head end of the mat- tress, will bring out the belt parts attached to them, while the opening of the sliding clasp fastener 15 at the foot end and a pull on the smaller rings 8a will also release the long parts of the longitudinal belts 6a, 6b joined to said rings. As shown in Figure 4, these belts are then pulled crosswise through the rings 8 of the cross-belts and through the rings 8 of the parts of the longitudinal belts projec¬ ting from the head end 9b, whereupon the mattress, together with the patient covered thereon by the bedding 17, can be carried away and even be lowered on a line, for example with the aid of a hook 18 passing through the rings 8a; the support part 10 prevents the patient from slipping off the mattress.

Figure 5 shows diagrammatically and in section how the mattress can be divided vertically into a left-hand half 20a, consisting of the parts 20a. and 20a,, and a right-hand half 20b consisting of the parts 20b- and 20b₂- The cover 21 then has a seam 22, numeral 23 designates a belt.

Figure 6 shows schematically and in upperview a mattress 30 comprising three mattress parts 31, 32, 33, adjoining each other and arranged in the longitudinal direction of the mattress. Each part is built up, in the manner as shown in Figure 1, from two superimposed parts between which the longitudinal belts 34, 35 and the cross-belts 36, 37, 38, 38 and 40 of the set of belts are accomodated. The longitudinal belts 34 and 35 ensure the interconnection in the longitudi¬ nal direction of the mattress 30; in use the belts are threaded as shown in Figure 4. In this way a mattress having the advantages of a mattress built up from several parts can be used to evacuate a patient ensuring a perfect protection.

It is observed that within the scope of the invention the belts or ropes may be replaced by similar means, such as cloth or cable bands.