Patient mobility garment for nurses

Abstract

A patient mobility garment includes a flexible, laterally extending pelvic belt body having upper, lower, and opposite side borders, along with a plurality of spaced apart ribs placed in generally vertical directions substantially approaching or spanning the upper and lower borders; a plurality of loops vertically positioned with respect to one another about the ribs; a plurality of flexible, adjustable length girding straps horizontally oriented with respect to the pelvic belt body and configured to gird the pelvic belt body about a patient's pelvis area and bring the opposite side borders into conjunction or registry, each girding strap having a girding strap attaching member for fixation of the girding straps; a plurality of flexible, typically adjustable length shoulder straps; and a plurality of flexible, depending leg straps, each terminating in a fastener for engaging at least one of the vertically positioned loops. Busy nurses find it advantageous.

Claims

1. A patient mobility garment for a nurse to employ on a patient who has a pelvis and a pelvic area, which comprises a flexible, laterally extending pelvic belt body having upper, lower, and opposite side borders, and in conjunction therewith, the following: a plurality of spaced apart structural reinforcement members (ribs) placed in generally vertical directions that substantially approach or span the upper and lower borders; a plurality of loops vertically positioned with respect to one another about the ribs; a plurality of flexible, adjustable length girding straps horizontally oriented with respect to the pelvic belt body and configured to gird the pelvic belt body about the pelvis area of the patient and bring the opposite side borders into conjunction or registry, each girding strap having a girding strap attaching member for fixation of the girding straps; a plurality of flexible, adjustable length suspension straps (shoulder straps); and a plurality of flexible, depending leg straps, each terminating in a fastener for engaging at least one of the vertically positioned loops.

2. The garment of claim 1, wherein the pelvic belt body is substantially rectangular and thin.

3. The garment of claim 1, wherein the ribs are spaced apart such that they assist in folding the garment.

4. The garment of claim 1, wherein the loops in the plurality of loops are flexible.

5. The garment of claim 1, wherein fixation of the girding straps is by at least one of a parachute buckle, a punched belt and buckle arrangement, and a tie.

6. The garment of claim 1, wherein the shoulder straps of the plurality of shoulder straps are oriented in what would be the vertical direction when the garment is laid out flat, and are oriented such that they arise from the pelvic belt body directly above the locations where the leg straps attach to the pelvic belt body, or nearly so.

7. The garment of claim 6, wherein adjustability of the shoulder straps is provided by length-adjuster mechanisms of a slide-through buckle type.

8. The garment of claim 1, wherein the leg straps are oriented in what would be the vertical direction when the garment is laid out flat, and are oriented such that they depend from the pelvic belt body directly below the locations where the shoulder straps attach to the pelvic belt body, or nearly so; and the fastener is a clip.

9. The garment of claim 8, wherein the clip is a carabiner clip.

10. The garment of claim 2, wherein the ribs are spaced apart such that they assist in folding the garment; the loops in the plurality of loops are flexible; fixation of the girding straps is by at least one of a parachute buckle, a punched belt and buckle arrangement, and a tie; the shoulder straps of the plurality of shoulder straps are oriented in what would be the vertical direction when the garment is laid out flat, and are oriented such that they arise from the pelvic belt body directly above the locations where the leg straps attach to the pelvic belt body, or nearly so; and adjustability of the shoulder straps is provided by length-adjuster mechanisms of a slide-through buckle type; and the leg straps are oriented in what would be the vertical direction when the garment is laid out flat, and are oriented such that they depend from the pelvic belt body directly below the locations where the shoulder straps attach to the pelvic belt body, or nearly so; and the fastener is a clip.

11. The garment of claim 1, which is a one-piece garment.

12. The garment of claim 2, which is a one-piece garment.

13. The garment of claim 3, which is a one-piece garment.

14. The garment of claim 4, which is a one-piece garment.

15. The garment of claim 5, which is a one-piece garment.

16. The garment of claim 6, which is a one-piece garment.

17. The garment of claim 7, which is a one-piece garment.

18. The garment of claim 8, which is a one-piece garment.

19. The garment of claim 9, which is a one-piece garment.

20. The garment of claim 10, which is a one-piece garment.

21. A patient mobility garment for a nurse to employ on a patient who has a pelvis and a pelvic area, which comprises a flexible, laterally extending pelvic belt body having upper, lower, and opposite side borders, and in conjunction therewith, the following: a plurality of spaced apart structural reinforcement members (ribs) placed in generally vertical directions that substantially approach or span the upper and lower borders; a plurality of loops vertically positioned with respect to one another about the ribs; a plurality of flexible, adjustable length girding straps horizontally oriented with respect to the pelvic belt body and configured to gird the pelvic belt body about the pelvis area of the patient and bring the opposite side borders into conjunction or registry, each girding strap having a girding strap attaching member for fixation of the girding straps; a plurality of flexible, suspension straps (shoulder straps) having a set length, which are fixed on each end to the pelvic belt body; and a plurality of flexible, depending leg straps, each terminating in a fastener for engaging at least one of the vertically positioned loops.

22. The garment of claim 21, wherein extender loops are looped onto the shoulder straps.

Description

DRAWINGS IN BRIEF

(1) The drawings form part of the specification hereof With respect to the drawings, the following is briefly noted:

(2) FIG. 1 is an elevational view of a patient mobility garment for nurses, expanded, in general, showing the side facing external to, i.e., away from, the patient when it is worn.

(3) FIG. 2 is an elevational view of the garment of FIG. 1, illustrating some exemplary dimensions in inches.

(4) FIG. 3 is an elevational view of the garment of FIG. 1, with its pelvic belt contracted. FIG. 4 is an elevational view of the garment of FIG. 1, contracted as in FIG. 3, illustrating some exemplary dimensions in inches.

(5) FIG. 5A is an elevational view of the garment of FIG. 1, contracted as in FIG. 3 and folded, in general, showing the side facing internal to, i.e. toward, the patient when it is worn.

(6) FIG. 5B is a top or bottom view of the pelvic belt portion of the garment of FIG. 1, contracted as in FIG. 3 and folded as in FIG. 5A.

(7) FIG. 6 is an elevational view of extender loops fitted to shoulder straps in the garment of FIG. 1, or such a garment as in FIG. 1 having such shoulder straps, without adjuster mechanisms, fixed to the pelvic belt, say, by sewing each end of a shoulder strap to the pelvic belt body.

(8) FIG. 7 is an elevational view of a lower part of the pelvic belt portion of the garment in FIG. 1, illustrating generally maximum and minimum length adjustments to its leg straps.

(9) FIG. 8 is an elevational view of an upper part of the pelvic belt portion of the garment in FIG. 1, illustrating generally maximum and minimum length adjustments to its shoulder straps.

(10) FIG. 9 is an elevational view of the right side of a 395-pound gentleman as patient sitting on a bed and wearing the garment of FIG. 1, with its SARA lock and loop mechanism being fastened and secured as by a nurse.

(11) FIG. 10 is a rear view of the patient wearing the garment in FIG. 9 with its SARA lock and loop mechanism set up.

(12) FIG. 11 is a front view of the patient wearing the garment as in FIG. 10, standing.

(13) FIG. 12 is a front view of the patient wearing the garment as in FIG. 11, as if falling.

(14) FIG. 13 is a rear view of the patient wearing the garment as in FIG. 10, standing.

(15) FIG. 14 is a rear view of the patient wearing the garment as in FIG. 11, as if falling.

(16) FIG. 15 is a side view of the patient wearing the garment as in FIG. 10, standing.

(17) FIG. 16 is a rear view of a 210-pound gentleman as patient sitting on a bed and wearing the garment of FIG. 1, with its SARA lock and loop mechanism set up.

(18) FIG. 17 is a front view of the patient wearing the garment as in FIG. 16, standing.

(19) FIG. 18 is a rear view of the patient wearing the garment as in FIG. 16, standing.

(20) FIG. 19 is a side view of the patient wearing the garment as in FIG. 16, standing.

(21) FIG. 20 is a side view of the patient wearing the garment as in FIG. 16, standing with the help of the SARA having the lock and loop mechanism.

(22) FIG. 21 is a rear view of a 75-pound boy as patient sitting on a bed and wearing the garment of FIG. 1, with its SARA lock and loop mechanism set up.

(23) FIG. 22 is a front view of the patient wearing the garment as in FIG. 21, standing.

(24) FIG. 23 is a rear view of the patient wearing the garment as in FIG. 21, standing.

(25) FIG. 24 is a side view of the patient wearing the garment as in FIG. 21, standing.

(26) FIG. 25 is a rear view of the patient wearing the garment as in FIG. 21, swinging.

FURTHER ILLUSTRATIVE DETAIL

(27) The invention can be further understood by the detail set forth below. As with the foregoing, the following, which also may be read in view of the drawings, is intended to be taken in an illustrative and not necessarily limiting sense.

(28) The patient mobility garment for nurses includes a flexible, laterally extending pelvic belt body having upper, lower, and opposite side borders. It may have any suitable shape, overall length, width, or thickness. The pelvic belt body may be substantially rectangular and thin.

(29) A plurality of spaced apart structural reinforcement members (ribs) are placed in generally vertical directions that substantially approach or span the upper and lower borders of the pelvic belt. Spacing these apart thus can assist in folding the garment conveniently, to include when it is worn by differently sized patients.

(30) A plurality of loops is vertically positioned with respect to one another about the ribs. These loops may be flexible, but they are strong, for use, for example, through being engaged by suitable fastener(s) terminating the leg straps, or to be used as handles, say, by a nurse.

(31) A plurality of flexible, adjustable length girding straps is provided on the pelvic belt in a horizontal direction. These girding straps can be used to gird the pelvic belt about the pelvis area of the patient and bring the opposite side borders into conjunction or registry. Fixation when in the conjunction or registry may be provided through a girding strap attaching member, for example, a parachute buckle, a punched belt and buckle arrangement, a tie, and so forth.

(32) A plurality of flexible, adjustable length suspension straps (shoulder straps) can be provided on the pelvic belt body. In general, shoulder straps are oriented in what would be the vertical direction when the garment is worn or laid out flat, and may be oriented such that they arise from the pelvic belt directly above the locations where leg straps attach to the pelvic belt, or nearly so. Adjustability may be provided by adjuster mechanisms to adjust length, for example, of a slide-through buckle type. Alternatively, the shoulder straps may not have adjuster mechanisms and be fixed to the pelvic belt body, say, by sewing, to render the primary shoulder straps to be of a set length, which is a very strong provision even suitable for bariatric patients. Extender loops of sufficient strength may be employed to enhance adjustability of already adjustable shoulder straps, or to provide adjustability to set length, fixed shoulder strap members.

(33) A plurality of flexible, depending leg straps is attached to the pelvic belt body, each leg strap terminating with a fastener for engaging at least one of the vertically positioned loops. In general, these are oriented in what would be the vertical direction when the garment is laid out flat, and may be oriented such that they depend from the pelvic belt directly below the locations where the shoulder straps attach to the pelvic belt, or nearly so. The fastener may be a clip, say, a carabiner clip. The leg straps may be provided with leg strap pads wider than the leg straps.

(34) Portions of shoulder and leg straps may be made with the same piece of material.

(35) Any suitable material(s) can be employed to make the present garment. The belt and straps, for instance, may be made with a suitably strong, flexible fabric, leather, plastic, paper, woven fabric, which may contain or have embedded plastic, paper and/or metal strips and/or wires, and so forth. Strong, flexible fabric such as polypropylene or nylon, which may be webbed, may be beneficially employed. A material may have 1,200-pound or greater strength. Components such as buckles, clips, ties, and so forth may be made with suitable metal(s), plastic(s), wood(s), natural and/or artificial fiber(s), and so forth. Cutting, sewing and/or gluing may be employed to make the garment or portion(s) thereof and/or attach component(s).

(36) With respect to the drawings, patient mobility garment for nurses 100/100′ (harness/sling) includes the following features: 99: Pelvic belt body. 101/101′: Depth, for example, an 11-inch depth, to accommodate the torso size of most children and adults. In general, this represents the minimum amount to support the pelvis of a 95.sup.th percentile man, to a child (10-11 years of age). 102/102′: Expandable/collapsible girth of the pelvic belt. This is one of the features that make it so unique and multi-size. For example, the fullest width of belt may be a 54-inch width, with the narrowest a 24-inch width, although ribs will ride over each other for a 22-inch fully collapsed girth to fit small children and adults with very narrow waists. 103/103′: Vertical webbing ribs. For example, each may have a 2-inch width except for one having a 3-inch width to house a label of the harness. These spaced apart ribs help maintain form in the pelvic belt body 99 from an expanded to a collapsed state, and facilitate proper placement of leg straps at mid-buttock “anatomical landmarks” in patients of different size/girth/body mass distribution. 104/104′: Maximum and minimum distances between two leg straps. This is important because even a child, in general, needs a 4-inch width between the vertical straps to be able to position them mid-buttock for maximum support. The maximum distance can be, for example, a16-inch distance, which will accommodate buttock width for 95.sup.th percentile male. This is another feature that is unique to this harness, built on the specialized knowledge of body mechanics and knowledge that the support should be from mid buttocks, under the ischial tuberosities (sitting bones) for greatest comfort and support, and for least amount of riding up of the harness 100/100′ if the patient does fall. 105/105′: Collapsible folds of flexible material that allow for expansion and collapse of the harness 100/100′. Collapse is by forming folds that lay along an inner surface of the pelvic belt body 99. The material is lightweight but strong, and does not bulk up when folded during collapsing for narrower girths with smaller patients. 106/106′: Adjustable length circumferential girding straps. These can have a 68-inch length at their longest, allowing the harness 100/100′ to fit at the maximum girth, which would be a 65-inch girth, with a 3-inch tail on the strap. The configuration depicted has three straps 106/106′ with instructions that at least two must be tight and snug around the patient's girth. This accommodates variable body shapes and special needs, for example, through specialized knowledge of patient condition so that use of the harness 100/100′ can be carried out with patients having chest tubes, drains, pumps either sub-cutaneously or stoma bags after surgery, and so forth. The configuration depicted allows for one strap to be left undone to accommodate different body shapes and/or provide a gap for such devices. The girding straps are fed through gaps between the pelvic belt 99 and ribs 103/103′. 107/107′: Length adjuster mechanism for the girding straps. Each girding strap 106/106′ has a dual length adjuster mechanism. This provides ease of use for the clinician. This is another feature that specialized knowledge in end user factors informed for the configuration. Users are busy and will not fuss with features that are difficult to use. Providing the features in such a way that donning and doffing are easy, and that achieving a good fit is easy, increases utilization, adoption of safe practices, and safety for the patients. Poorly fitting harnesses or slings would be hazardous to patients, and the configuration of this length adjuster mechanism 107/107′ allows for easy fit in patients of variable shapes and sizes. 108/108′: Adjustable length leg straps. Each leg strap can be a continuous strap from a corresponding shoulder strap, through the body of the belt, and to the leg straps. The leg straps are imperative for fall prevention. Having them continuous with shoulder straps maximizes strength and minimizes riding up of the belt on the patient. Riding up of a sling is a dis-satisfier for patients and clinicians. Having “pulling force,” i.e., attachment to the overhead lift, and “stabilizing force,” i.e., force from the leg supports through the legs, gives the best support, best comfort, and the least riding up possible. 109/109′: Adjustable length shoulder straps. These accommodate tall, medium and short patients, through their adjustable features. Clinicians will be most likely to adopt safe practices when they easily can get a good fit on many different patients with one harness. When they have too many options from which to choose, clinicians end up resorting to old ways of doing things (manual, unsafe ways). 109E: Extender loops. These can be of various sizes and employed to provide additional length, and hence, additional adjustability, to the adjustable length shoulder straps 109/109′, or to provide adjustability to set length, fixed shoulder straps by extending their length a predetermined amount. 110/110′: Adjustable buckle mechanisms on the adjustable shoulder straps 109/109′. Different patients have different torso lengths, and various facilities have different lifts, with variable height hanger bars to which the shoulder straps can connect. Having adjustable length shoulder straps allows for maximum versatility in accommodating different patient heights, and facility and lift heights. 111/111′: Sliding leg pads. These are configured to give the right amount of support under the “sit bones,” and they slide along the adjustable length leg strap to enable the caregiver to place the pad in the right place. This varies with different patient sizes; so the adjustability is key to achieving proper fit and support. The leg pads slide on the leg straps 108/108′ to accommodate various thigh and/or buttock body dimensions, and provide “lift support,” under buttock (“sit”) bone in patients of various shapes and sizes. 112/112′: Vertical webbing loops. These are attached to the webbing ribs 103/103′ to provide anchor placement as for a clip, for example, a carabiner clip, on the leg strap 108/108′. There are multiple loops around the belt 99, which enable the caregiver to further adjust the fit and tightness/looseness of the leg strap 108/108′ to fit each patient. These loops 112/112′ are also long enough, for example, with 3-inch and 4-inch lengths, so that clinicians can place fingers through them to aid in cuing the patient during walking. Cuing entails providing feedback to the patient through touch and gentle pressure, which helps the patient know where he needs to be. For example, if a patient is walking, and leans to one side, the nurse may gently pull a loop 112/112′ to “cue” the patient to come back to the middle position where it is safest for him to walk. The multiplicity of loops 112/112′ also provides ease of this function for caregivers of various arm lengths, who can readily find a loop 112/112′ with which to hold or guide the patient. 113/113′: Leg strap fasteners, for example, carabiners. These easily opened/closed clips can have a 1200-pound tensile strength rating along vertical and horizontal axes, making them ideal to attach the adjustable length leg straps 108/108′ to whichever of the vertical loops 112/112′ along the pelvic belt 99 that achieve(s) the desired snug fit. They are easy to open and close, and easy to adjust if the first point of connection is found to be less than desired. Regarding the length of the leg strap 108/108′, when the harness 100/100′ is applied during sitting, the leg strap 108/108′ will be shorter than when the patient stands up owing to the hip joint being bent (flexed) in sitting and straightened (extended) in standing. The present configuration promotes an ability to have the harness 100/100′ snug in sitting, but then adjusted as the patient stands up, to still provide the right amount of support without restricting movement in the hip. 114/114′: Parachute buckles as the girding strap attaching contrivance for connecting the circumferential girding straps 106/106′.

(37) Of note from viewing the drawings, to include FIGS. 12, 14, 20 and 25, is that support by the present garment 100/100′ with its pelvic belt body 99, in particular, remains in place around the waist/pelvis when the patient “falls” or exercises. Also as seen in the rear views of FIGS. 13, 14, 16, 18, 23 and 25, with all three sizes of the exemplary patients depicted, from the 395-pound adult to the 75-pound child, the leg support straps 108/108′ and suspension (shoulder) straps 109/109′ are approximately at the midline of the buttocks, providing support where most needed.

(38) Dimensions herein, to include in the drawings, may be considered exact or approximate. For example, an approximate dimension may vary from a stated dimension or range, say, about 1%, about 2-1/2%, about 5%, about 7-1/2%, about 10%, about 15%, about 20%, about 25%, about 33% and so forth, and any selected upper and lower limit thereof, say, about from 1% to 15%, 2% to 7-1/2%, about from 5% to 10%, 25% or 33%, about from 10% to 20% and so forth, from a stated dimension or range. As an illustration, variances from a stated dimension can be about 5% or about 10% from a stated dimension, or about from 5% to 10% from a stated range.

EPILOGUE

(39) Although the present garment is particularly beneficial for nurses, who appreciate its simplicity and utility, this does not rule out its use by therapists when using assistive devices to augment their patient's performance. Rather, it is a very good solution for therapists, to include for the most common tasks. Complex tasks may yet require the garment of Arnold's '832 patent.

INCORPORATIONS BY REFERENCE

(40) The aforementioned provisional application No. 62/764,579 and U.S. Pat. No. 9,420,832 B2 are incorporated herein by reference in their entireties, to include their drawings.

CONCLUSION TO THE INVENTION

(41) The present invention is thus provided. Various feature(s), part(s), step(s), subcombination(s) and/or combination(s) can be employed with or without reference to other feature(s), part(s), step(s), subcombination(s) and/or combination(s) in the practice of the invention, and numerous and sundry adaptations can be effected within its spirit, the literal claim scope of which is particularly pointed out by the following claims: