An inflatable cushion for body support is described. The inflatable cushion can be adjusted to manually/automatically set the proper pressure distribution, remove pressure from sensitive regions, alternate pressure, facilitate moisture removal, automatically detect leakage and avoid bottom down, communicate leakage and other problems with the user/caregiver, detect wrong positioning and facilitate position correction. The inflatable cushion can be used either as a chair cushion such as for example as a cushion for wheelchair or as a bed mattress.

An inflatable cushion comprising; a cover; a base; a communication device; a microcontroller; a power source; a gas pump; a primary tube; a blow off valve; two-way valves; a plurality of secondary tubes; and a plurality of bladder pods with pressure sensors.

A system includes a client application executed by a client computing device for setting up an inflation level and checking an inflation level of an inflatable cushion having at least one air cell or zone and at least one pressure sensor within the cushion that detects air pressure. The client computing device communicates with the inflatable cushion and determines an optimal inflation level for a user of the inflatable cushion.

A system for monitoring medical conditions including pressure ulcers, pressure-induced ischemia and related medical conditions comprises at least one sensor adapted to detect one or more patient characteristic including at least position, orientation, temperature, acceleration, moisture, resistance, stress, heart rate, respiration rate, and blood oxygenation, a host for processing the data received from the sensors together with historical patient data to develop an assessment of patient condition and suggested course of treatment, including either suspending or adjusting turn schedule based on various types of patient movement. Compliance with Head-of-Bed protocols can also be performed based on actual patient position instead of being inferred from bed elevation angle. The sensor can include bi-axial or tri-axial accelerometers, as well as resistive, inductive, capacitive, magnetic and other sensing devices, depending on whether the sensor is located on the patient or the support surface, and for what purpose.

A system for monitoring medical conditions including pressure ulcers, pressure-induced ischemia and related medical conditions comprises at least one sensor adapted to detect one or more patient characteristic including at least position, orientation, temperature, acceleration, moisture, resistance, stress, heart rate, respiration rate, and blood oxygenation, a host for processing the data received from the sensors together with historical patient data to develop an assessment of patient condition and suggested course of treatment, including either suspending or adjusting turn schedule based on various types of patient movement. The sensor can include one or more of bi-axial or tri-axial accelerometers, magnetometers and altimeters as well as resistive, inductive, capacitive, magnetic and other sensing devices, depending on whether the sensor is located on the patient or the support surface, and for what purpose. In some embodiments, the sensor can be self-contained in that it can detect orientation and suggest repositioning independent of a host.

An integrated user support system includes a point pressure support surface overlay disposed upon and integrated with an underlying support surface. The support surface overlay may permanently or removably enclose the support surface and/or be permanently or removably attached to the support surface.

A patient support apparatus includes a bed frame having a head end and a foot end and control circuitry carried by the bed frame. The control circuitry receives information about conditions of the patient support apparatus. A light is coupled to the bed frame adjacent the foot end and is coupled to the control circuitry. The light is in a first state when the patient support apparatus is operating normally and the light is in a second state when the control circuitry detects an alert condition.

Sleeping equipment includes: a mat body including a middle support portion configured to support buttocks of a user, an upper support portion configured to support a back and head of the user, and a lower support portion configured to support thighs of the user; a movable mechanism configured to switch the mat body between a bed mode in which the mat body has a flat shape in which the middle support portion, the upper support portion, and the lower support portion are continuous with each other and a comfortable mode in which the upper support portion and the lower support portion are tilted upward with respect to the middle support portion; and a lower back pressing mechanism configured to cause a part of the upper support portion corresponding to a lower back of the user in the comfortable mode to bulge out toward the user.

A support cushion liner includes a liner body having a cavity disposed between an outer layer and an inner layer and a plurality of artificial muscles disposed in the cavity of the liner body. Each of the plurality of artificial muscles include a housing having an electrode region and an expandable fluid region, a dielectric fluid housed within the housing, and an electrode pair positioned in the electrode region of the housing. The electrode pair includes a first electrode fixed to a first surface of the housing and a second electrode fixed to a second surface of the housing. The electrode pair is actuatable between a non-actuated state and an actuated state such that actuation from the non-actuated state to the actuated state directs the dielectric fluid into the expandable fluid region, expanding the expandable fluid region thereby applying pressure to the outer layer of the liner body.

An inflatable device for patient positioning is provided. The inflatable device may include a first inflation chamber subsystem, a second inflation chamber subsystem, a third inflation chamber subsystem. At least a portion of the first inflation chamber subsystem may be conspicuously marked with a first color. At least a portion of the second inflation chamber subsystem may be conspicuously marked with a second color. At least a portion of the third inflation chamber subsystem may conspicuously marked with a third color. The first, second, and third colors may be visually distinct.