An automatic early warning method and system is for a pressure ulcer prone part of a human body. The method includes: constructing a matrix diagram by using marks with variable states; receiving a pressure signal from a pressure sensor matrix laid in an area that a body of a patient is frequently in contact with; corresponding each miniature ultra-thin dynamic pressure sensor contained in the pressure sensor matrix to each mark in the matrix diagram respectively; after receiving a pressure signal indicating that the pressure at a part in contact with the patient, sensed by the pressure sensor matrix, is greater than or equal to a critical value, changing the state of the marks in the matrix diagram, corresponding to the miniature ultra-thin dynamic pressure sensors in the pressure sensor matrix sensing that the pressure is greater than or equal to the critical value, into an early warning state.

Medical device or instrument for diagnosing pressure ulcers using optical reflectance spectroscopy. The device may comprise a tip and a controller. The tip is pressed against the skin of the patient and collects the optical reflectance data. The controller processes the data to determine whether there exists a pressure ulcer and, if there is one, its depth. The tip may also include a pressure sensor for sensing the pressure at which the tip is applied to the patient's skin.

Systems and methods for reducing the chance that a patient will develop a bedsore may determine whether a caregiver physically approaches a patient and remains in close physical proximity to a patient for a time sufficient to perform a bedsore prevention action. If a planned bedsore prevention action does not appear to be performed, the systems and methods may alert the patient, the caregiver, or others. A determination may be made as to whether the patient's position has changed in a manner consistent with a bedsore prevention action.

A method and system for patient monitoring, the system comprising a surveillance camera configured to generate a plurality of frames showing an area in which a patient in a bed is being monitored, and a computer system comprising memory and logic circuitry configured to determine bed rails positions of the bed, identify a position of the patient, and generate signals that control the bed rails of a bed based on the bed rails positions and the position of the patient.

The pressure sensing mat including a first portion and a second portion. The first portion may include a first conductive layer that may be sandwiched between a first non-conductive layer and a non-conductive layer that define a first set of channels that may at least partially enclose a first conductive strip that may extend in a first direction. The second portion may include a second conductive layer that may be sandwiched between a third non-conductive layer and a fourth non-conductive layer that may define a second set of channels that may at least partially enclose a second conductive strip that may extend in a second direction. The first conductive strip and the second conductive strip may form a capacitor that may be configured to provide a capacitance indicative of a pressure applied to the capacitor.

A dressing assembly for providing a warning to a patient or caregiver that the patient needs attention. The dressing assembly is adapted to be applied to or near a surface of the patient's body and generate electrical outputs corresponding to soft tissue pressure and other health characteristics sensed at the surface. The dressing assembly includes a pocket formed therein for removable, secured and protected insertion of a variety of different sensors such as multiple pressure sensors.

A method of monitoring a patient's foot forms a thermogram of the sole of at least one foot of the patient, and determines whether the thermogram presents at least one of a plurality of prescribed patterns. The method also compares the thermogram against a prior thermogram of the same foot, and produces output information indicating the emergence of an ulcer on a given portion on the at least one foot as a function of 1) whether the thermogram is determined to present the at least one pattern, and 2) the comparison with the prior thermogram, which shows non-ulcerated tissue at the given location.

A patient support apparatus includes a deck to support a mattress and a patient on the mattress, the deck including a head deck section articulatable about an axis to change an angle of the head deck section, and a control system in communication with a user interface, with the control system configured to adjust the angle of the head deck section and to adjust the height of the deck in response to input at the user interface. The control system is in communication with a display and generates a GUI (graphical user interface) at the display to display a deck icon representative of the deck and a height icon representative of the height. The control system monitors the angle of the deck section and the height of the deck and adjusts the deck and height icons to schematically illustrate the adjustments made to the height of the deck and the angle of the head deck section to provide visual feedback to a user of the changes in height of the deck and/or angle of the head deck section in response to the user's input at the user interface.

The present disclosure provides methods for evaluating tissue damage and the use of spatial variation in Sub-Epidermal Moisture (SEM) values to determine damaged tissue for clinical intervention. The present disclosure provides methods of identifying deep and early-stage pressure-induced injuries or ulcers (PI/PU). The present disclosure provides algorithm for computing SEM delta values which inform clinical decision-making for developing intact skin PI/PUs including suspected deep tissue injury (sDTI) and Stage I PI/PUs.

A patient support apparatus includes a patient support surface, a plurality of caster wheels supporting the patient support surface on a floor or ground surface, a brake for manually braking at least one caster wheel of the plurality of caster wheels, and a handle or pedal for manually operating the brake, with the handle or pedal at least having a brake position. The patient support apparatus also includes an electrical actuator configured to couple to the brake and to selectively output a driving force and a user interface in communication with the electrical actuator. In response to input at the user interface, the electrical actuator generating the driving force to actuate the brake to thereby brake the at least one caster wheel, and wherein the driving force of the actuator moves the handle or pedal to the brake positon when the actuator actuates the manually operable brake to brake the caster wheel.