A patient support apparatus is disclosed.

A changing table has a changing surface on which an individual can lie to be changed or washed. The changing surface is formed from a sheet of semi-rigid material having a longitudinal center axis and having also, parallel to the center axis, first and second edges occupying nominal rest positions with respect to each other when there is no load on the surface, the said edges being fixed to first and second longitudinal members, the sheet and longitudinal members forming together a support system having for the first 10 mm of extension between the said center line and the said nominal rest position of the said first edge and between the said center line and the said nominal rest position of the said second edge an average spring rate in extension of more than 300 N/mm and the said semi-rigid sheet having a torsion coefficient of more than 10 Nm/radian.

A pulling mechanism using a motor, and a rolling tube or rod of sufficient strength to pull a patient lying on a sheet on the bed is provided to move patients up the bed with little manual effort. In most hospitals and care facilities a common problem is that patients tend to slip down the beds causing discomfort for the patient. Patients have to be moved-up to comfortable position on the bed. Currently this is done manually by two nursing staff one on either side of the bed, with the patient on a slide sheet and pulling the patient manually up using the slide sheet. This simple but strenuous operation has been the cause of back problems for many nursing staff. The current invention is a way to reduce or eliminate this injury to nursing staff by mechanizing the pull-up operation.

An auxiliary turning-over device is provided which comprises two parallel support frames at two sides of a sickbed respectively, two rollers rotatably connected on the two support frames, a drive mechanism respectively in drive connection with the two rollers for driving the two rollers to synchronously rotate around respective axis, and a flexible carrier arranged between the two rollers; the two ends of the flexible carrier are respectively wound on the two rollers, and when the two rollers are driven by the drive mechanism to rotate along the same direction, the flexible carrier translates and winds the other roller at the moment of being released from one roller along its translation direction. With a simplified structure, the auxiliary turning-over device help to lower the manual auxiliary labor intensity and cost when the bedridden patient turns over or goes to bed.

A patient positioning system configured for positioning and supporting a patient against movement on an operating table, the positioning system including a pair of arm positioners each configured to be positionable about an arm of the patient when the patient is lying on the operating table, each of the arm positioners provided as a sheet material configured to be wrapped around one of the arms of the patient to position each of the arm positioners to snugly envelope one of the arms and having releasable fasteners to maintain the arm positioners in the wrapped configuration; and an elongate lift sheet configured to extend across the operating table and underneath the back of the patient, the lift sheet being positioned to have opposite ends thereof wrapped over and around the arm protectors and tucked back under the lower back or sacrum of the patient to securely and snugly hold the lift sheet around the arm protectors and restrain the arms of the patient.

A lift, a head support, and methods for use thereof for use with a surgical frame are provided. The lift and the head support can be used with the surgical frame that is capable of reconfiguration before, during, or after surgery. The surgical frame can include a main beam that can be rotated, raised/lowered, and tilted upwardly/downwardly to afford positioning and repositioning of a patient supported thereon, and the lift and the head support can be used in lifting the patient from a table/gurney and positioning the patient with respect to the main beam.

A lift, a head support, and methods for use thereof for use with a surgical frame are provided. The lift and the head support can be used with the surgical frame that is capable of reconfiguration before, during, or after surgery. The surgical frame can include a main beam that can be rotated, raised/lowered, and tilted upwardly/downwardly to afford positioning and repositioning of a patient supported thereon, and the lift and the head support can be used in lifting the patient from a table/gurney and positioning the patient with respect to the main beam.

A patient handling system comprising a patient support apparatus having a patient support surface, a component, and a force generating device inducing movement or assisting in movement of the component, and a sheet for covering at least a portion of the patient support surface, and the sheet coupled to the component wherein when the force generating device is operated to induce movement or assist in movement of the component, the movement induces the sheet to move relative to the patient support surface.

The application relates to a device for, and method of transferring a patient on a bed between a lying position along a bed to a seated position facing the side of a bed. The device comprises an arm hold to allow the patient to clinch the arm hold to his or her chest, thereby enabling the device to transfer the patient between a lying position and a seated position. Preferably, the device further comprises a leg support to assist in transferring the lower portion of the patients body between a lying position and a seated position.

A patient transfer system is provided. The patient transfer system comprises a lifting mechanism, an actuator unit attached to the lifting mechanism, two conveyors attached to the actuator unit such that they extend from the actuator unit in a forklift fork-like manner, wherein the conveyors respectively have a conveyor belt and opposite reversing ends reversing the conveyor belt. The actuator unit is configured to move the conveyors such that the reversing ends facing each other are linearly movable towards and apart from each other.