A posture determination apparatus including at least two vibration sensors and a controller. The controller causes the vibration sensors to detect vibrations while the user is lying in bed, calculates waveforms from the detected vibrations and recognizes the characteristics of the waveforms, and determines the posture of the user based on the characteristics. Thereby, it is possible to provide a posture determination apparatus capable of appropriately determining the posture of the user which is one factor of the state of the user.

Disclosed herein is a system, apparatus and method directed to automated adjustment of a positioning of a drainage bag based on at least an amount of tension within a tubing extending from the drainage bag. The system, apparatus and method pertain to an automated drainage bag actuation system that includes at least a first railing, a control box coupled to the first railing and configured to receive mounting fasteners that couple a drainage bag to the control box, the control box including a tension load cell sensor, a first motor, and circuitry electrically coupled to the first motor and the tension load cell sensor. The circuitry is configured to receive data from the tension load cell sensor indicating an amount of tension in tubing extending from the drainage bag and transmit one or more electrical signals to activate the first motor causing adjustment of a positioning of the drainage bag.

Powered patient support apparatuses—such as beds, cots, stretchers, or the like—include a plurality of user controls that allow a caregiver to control the steering and/or driving of one or more powered wheels from multiple different locations around the patient support apparatus (e.g. head end, foot end, and/or the sides). The control is carried out by force sensors that detect both an orientation of the applied forces and a magnitude of the applied forces. Translational and/or rotational movement is effectuated, depending upon the magnitude and direction of the forces, as well as the physical location of the applied force relative to a reference point on the support apparatus, such as the center. One or more object sensors may also be included in the support apparatus to assist in steering and/or navigating.

A surgical table comprises a tabletop having several tabletop sections, a column for supporting the tabletop by supporting one of the tabletop sections, and at least one operating unit, wherein one of the tabletop sections is a movable tabletop section configured to perform a motion with respect to at least one of an adjacent tabletop section and the column in a power-driven manner, and the operating unit is fixed to the movable tabletop section for actuating the motion.

A wireless, patient-worn, physiological sensor configured to, among other things, help manage a patient that is at risk of forming one or more pressure ulcers is disclosed. According to an embodiment, the sensor includes a base having a top surface and a bottom surface. The sensor also includes a substrate layer including conductive tracks and connection pads, a top side, and a bottom side, where the bottom side of the substrate layer is disposed above the top side of the base. Mounted on the substrate layer are a processor, a data storage device, a wireless transceiver, an accelerometer, and a battery. In use, the sensor senses a patient's motion and wirelessly transmits information indicative of the sensed motion to, for example, a patient monitor. The patient monitor receives, stores, and processes the transmitted information.

A posture determination apparatus including at least two vibration sensors and a controller. The controller causes the vibration sensors to detect vibrations while the user is lying in bed, calculates waveforms from the detected vibrations and recognizes the characteristics of the waveforms, and determines the posture of the user based on the characteristics. Thereby, it is possible to provide a posture determination apparatus and capable of appropriately determining the posture of the user which is one factor of the state of the user.

A spine board is provided having a skull tong anchor assembly slidably attached to the spine board where a push rod mechanism is used to apply traction force on the skull tong anchor assembly. The push rod mechanism includes a strain gauge device so that the traction force can be selected and monitored. The spine board can also include a mattress that can be attached to the spine board where the mattress includes integrated shoulder straps that can be partially detached therefrom to secure a patient to the spine board.

A strain gauge assembly includes a member and a strain gauge supported by the member spaced. The strain gauge further includes a bearing surface and a contact surface spaced from the bearing surface. When the member is subject to a predetermined bending force, the bearing surface contacts the contact surface wherein at least a portion of the bending force bypasses the strain gauge and instead is transferred from the bearing surface to the contact surface.

A patient support apparatus, such as a bed, cot, stretcher, etc., for supporting a patient includes an exit detection system with multiple user-selectable modes of operation that each have different sensitivity levels for triggering an exit alert. The exit detection system also includes one or more non-user selectable modes of operation that are automatically implemented in response to a triggering action. For example, a transition mode may be automatically implemented when the user attempts to switch from a first user-selectable mode to a different user selectable mode, or a motion mode may be automatically implemented when movement of one or more components of the patient support apparatus occurs. In the transition mode, the exit detection system may use a least restrictive sensitivity level. In the motion mode, the exit detection system may inhibit exit alerts and/or change the criteria for issuing the exit alert.

A patient support apparatus, such as a bed, cot, stretcher, or the like, includes an exit detection system and/or a monitoring system that monitors a set of conditions of the patient support apparatus. A user interface of the exit detection system includes a first navigation control for navigating to a control screen for the exit detection system and a second navigation control for navigating to a control screen for the monitoring system. Each navigation control also functions as an automatic arming control, thereby causing the respective exit detection system and monitoring system to be armed. In this manner, a single touch of a navigation control implements the dual function of automatically arming the corresponding system and taking the user to a control screen for the corresponding system. The automatically armed system is armed using one or more preset settings or one or more settings customized to a particular patient.