CPR gurney

Abstract

A mechanical chest compression device is secured to a gurney, transport stretcher or ambulance cot while engaging a patient's thorax to provide mechanical CPR during transport. The mechanical chest compression device compresses the patient's thorax against the gurney deck. The mechanical chest compression device may engage the side rails on the gurney, the gurney deck or any suitable structural elements of the gurney.

Claims

1. An apparatus for applying chest compressions to a patient, the apparatus comprising: a gurney comprising a support platform for supporting a patient, a set of wheels disposed beneath the support platform, and a set of side rails connected to the support platform, the set of side rails including at least one right side rail and at least one left side rail opposite and parallel to the at least one right side rail; and a chest compression device comprising a piston, a motor configured to mechanically actuate the piston to cause application of a compressive force to a chest of the patient, a processor configured to control the operation of the motor to repetitively apply the compressive force to the chest of the patient, a right leg for engaging a first right side rail of the at least one right side rail, and a left leg for engaging a first left side rail of the at least one left side rail; wherein, when the right leg is engaging the first right side rail and the left leg is engaging the first left side rail, the chest compression device is suspended above the gurney, thereby vertically aligning application of the compressive force with a thorax region of the patient when disposed on the support platform of the gurney and facing upward.

2. The apparatus of to claim 1, wherein the right leg comprises an engagement element to secure the right leg to the first right side rail.

3. The apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the left leg comprises an engagement element to secure the left leg to the first left side rail.

4. The apparatus of claim 1, further comprising a pad disposed on a top surface of the support platform.

5. An apparatus for applying chest compressions to a patient, the apparatus comprising: a gurney comprising a gurney deck for supporting a patient, a set of wheels disposed beneath the gurney deck, and a frame supporting the gurney deck; and a chest compression device comprising a piston, a motor configured to mechanically actuate the piston to cause application of a compressive force to a chest of the patient, a processor configured to control the operation of the motor to repetitively apply the compressive force to the chest of the patient, and a right leg and a left leg for engaging the gurney; wherein, when the right leg and left leg are engaging the gurney, the chest compression device is suspended above the gurney deck, thereby vertically aligning application of the compressive force with a thorax region of the patient when disposed on the gurney deck of the gurney and facing upward.

6. The apparatus of claim 5, wherein the right leg comprises an engagement element to secure the right leg to the gurney.

7. The apparatus of claim 6, wherein the engagement element of the right leg secures the right leg to the frame below an upper plane of the gurney deck.

8. The apparatus of claim 6, wherein the engagement element of the right leg secures the right leg to a gurney portion disposed at least in part in an access port of the gurney deck.

9. The apparatus of claim 5, wherein the left leg comprises an engagement element to secure the left leg to the gurney.

10. The apparatus of claim 9, wherein the engagement element of the left leg secures the left leg to the gurney below an upper plane of the gurney deck.

11. The apparatus of claim 9, wherein the engagement element of the left leg secures the left leg to a gurney portion disposed at least in part in an access port of the gurney deck.

12. The apparatus of claim 5, further comprising a pad disposed on a top surface of the gurney deck.

13. The apparatus of claim 12, further comprising a right opening and a left opening in the pad, wherein the right leg and left leg engage the gurney through the right opening and the left opening.

14. The apparatus of claim 5, wherein the frame comprises a set of side rails adjacent to the gurney deck, the set of side rails including at least one right side rail and at least one left side rail opposite and parallel to the at least one right side rail.

15. The apparatus of claim 14, wherein the right leg engages a portion of the gurney between the at least one right side rail and the patient, and the left leg engages a portion of the gurney between the at least one left side rail and the patient when the patient is disposed on the gurney deck of the gurney and facing upward.

Description

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

(1) FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a piston-based chest compression device engaging the side rails of a transport gurney.

(2) FIG. 2 is a cross-section view of the gurney and patient of FIG. 1 taken along A-A.

(3) FIG. 3 is a side view of a piston-based chest compression device engaging the side rails of a transport gurney.

(4) FIG. 4 is a cross-section view of the gurney and patient of FIG. 3 taken along B-B.

(5) FIG. 5 is a cross-section view of a patient and gurney with a mechanical CPR device engaging the gurney deck.

(6) FIG. 6 is a side view of the patient, gurney and mechanical CPR device of FIG. 5.

(7) FIG. 7 is a perspective view of a belt driven chest compression device engaging a patient on a transport gurney.

(8) FIG. 8 is a cross-section view of the gurney and patient of FIG. 7 taken along C-C.

(9) FIG. 9 is a close-up side view of the gurney and patient of FIG. 7.

(10) FIG. 10 is a cross-section view of the gurney and patient of FIG. 7 with the patient's chest uncompressed.

(11) FIG. 11 is a cross-section view of the gurney and patient of FIG. 7 with the patient's chest compressed.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTIONS

(12) FIG. 1 is a perspective view of supine patient 1 on transport gurney 10 with piston driven chest compression device 12 engaging side rails 13. FIG. 2 is a cross-section view of the gurney and patient of FIG. 1 taken along A-A showing landmark skeletal structures. Chest compression device 12 is oriented to apply compressions to the chest 2 of patient 1 while the patient is supported in transport gurney 10. Chest compression device 12 includes support structure or legs 14 which supports and orients chest compression unit 15 and plunger 16 apposing sternum 2A. Transport gurney 10 includes any suitable wheeled support frame 18 supporting a table, support platform or deck such as deck 20 and movably engaging side rails such a side rails 13. Transport gurney 10 may also include a suitable mattress, cushion or pad such as pad 21.

(13) Chest compression unit 15 includes any suitable drive means such as motor 22 which may be an electromotor, a hydraulic motor, a linear, pneumatic or hydraulic actuator or the like. Plunger 16 has a distal end 16D and a proximal end 16P, and proximal end 16P of the plunger is operably coupled to motor 22. Plunger 16 extends from and withdraws into the housing upon operation of motor 22 causing plunger tip 16X to apply compressive force 28 to chest 2 directly over sternum 2A. A motor control unit or controller 23 is operably connected to motor 22 and includes a microprocessor 23U to control the operation of the motor and the plunger and one or more of firmware routines or instruction sets to enable the controller to initially orient the piston or compression components to the patient's sternum and cyclically and repetitively compress the patient's chest.

(14) Chest compression device 12 engages side rails 13 from external or outside 24. Leg 14 may include support element 14A which rests on side rail 13 and stabilizes chest compression device 12. Leg 14 further includes engagement element or hook 14B to frictionally secure leg 14 to side rail 13 exerting retention force 27 to counter compression force 28 exerted by chest compression device 12. One or more force sensors such as force sensor 26 may be incorporated into the deck or the pad to measure the force applied by the chest compression unit to the patient's thorax. The output of the force sensors, sensor data 26A may be used by compression unit 15 to adjust the force applied to the patient. Similarly, force data 26A may also be provided to the device operator.

(15) FIGS. 3 and 4 illustrate chest compression device 30 engaging side rails 13 from the patient side or in-side 31. Chest compression device 30 includes support structure or legs 34 which supports and orients chest compression unit 35 and plunger 36 apposing sternum 2A. Leg 34 includes support element 34A which rests on side rail 13 and stabilizes chest compression device 30. Leg 34 further includes claw-like engagement element or hook 34B to frictionally secure leg 34 to side rail 13 exerting retention force 37 to counter compression force 38 exerted by chest compression device 30. Hooks or engagement elements such as hooks 34B may be pivotally secured with pins 39, or other suitable devices, to the support structure or legs 34 of the chest compression device 30.

(16) Chest compression device 40 of FIGS. 5 and 6 engages any suitable structural component of gurney 42 below plane 43 of patient support platform 20. Support platform 20 has a patient support side 20A and a lower side 20B. Here, support legs 44 of chest compression device 40 extend through access ports 46 of patient support platform 20, from support side 20A through the platform to lower side 20B, to engage frame 47 using hooks 48.

(17) Chest compression gurney 50 of FIGS. 7 and 8 includes a belt driven chest compression elements integrated within gurney deck 52. Deck 52 has two or more openings, ports or passages as ports 53 to permit passage of belt 54 through deck 52. Chest compression belt 54 is fitted on supine patient 1. Chest compression gurney 50 applies compressions with the belt 54, which has a right belt portion 54R and a left belt portion 54L. Deck 52 operates as a housing upon which the patient rests and a means for tightening the belt 55, a processor 56 and a user interface 57 are disposed in the deck. Belt 54 includes pull straps 71C connected to wide load distribution sections 64 and 65 at the ends of the belt. The means for tightening the belt 55 includes a motor 55A attached to a drive spool 55B, around which the belt spools and tightens during use. The belt 54 extends from the drive spool 55B, around the spindles 66A and 66B and around the patient's thorax 3. In use, the drive spool tightens the belt as the motor turns the drive spool, thereby compressing the patient's chest. Spindles 66A and 66B are laterally spaced from each other to control the force profile of the compression belt. Here, the spindles are located several inches laterally of the spine, and lie under the scapula or trapezius region of the patient. This location alters the force profile of the belt, creating a generally anterior-posterior compression or sternal compression on the thorax, in contrast to the circumferential compression provided by conventional belt driven chest compression devices.

(18) In addition to the spindles under the patient's scapulae, bladder 68 may be optionally installed between the patient and the belt sections 64 and 65. With bladder 68 in position, the thorax is maintained in a somewhat oval cross section, and is preferentially compressed in the front to back direction along arrows 69. Some patients, for unknown reasons, tend to compress more readily from the sides, resulting in the rounder shape in the cross section of the torso during chest compressions. Using the bladder avoids the tendency in some patients to compress into a rounder cross section compressed excessively in the lateral dimension direction (line 70), thus potentially lifting sternum 2A upwardly.

(19) Referring now to FIGS. 8 and 9, as an option, belt 54 may be replaced by upper belt section 71A and lower belt section 71B. Upper belt section 71A may be removably secured to lower belt section 71B using optional fastener 72 which may be any suitable fastener system such as buckles, clips or hook and loop elements. A fastener such as fastener 72A secured to pull strap 71C removably engages complimentary fastener 72B which is secured to lower belt section 71B. The removable fasteners enable replacement of upper belt section 71A for different patients to accommodate different patient sizes as well as sterilization concerns.

(20) FIGS. 10 and 11 illustrate the operation of chest compression device 80 from the uncompressed positions of FIG. 10 to the compressed positions of FIG. 11. These illustrations include optional bladder 68. In use, patient 1 is placed supine on pad 83 which is on gurney deck 84, alternatively, the patient may be placed directly on gurney deck 84. Buckles 76 of pull straps engage clips 77 of belt 85 to provide a new or sterile upper compression belt 86 for the patient. The patient is oriented to bring pull straps 87A and 87B past the patient's axilla or armpits 88 permitting load distribution sections 89A and 89B to engage the patient's chest anterior to sternum 8. One or more force sensors such as force sensor 26 may be incorporated into the deck or the pad to measure the force applied by the compression belt to the patient's thorax. The output of the force sensors, sensor data 26A may be used by compression processor 56 (shown in FIGS. 8 and 9) to adjust the force applied to the patient. Similarly, force data 26A may also be provided to the device operator through interface 57 (shown in FIG. 8).

(21) An optional accessory, a guide, shield, sleeve or sock such as guides 90 surrounds a portion of belt 85, pull straps 87A and 87B and buckles 76 to prevent abrasion and tissue injury to the patient's arm and chest adjacent to the belt path from the deck to the patient's chest. Guides 90 may be formed of any suitable material such as plastics, fabric or a combination.

(22) Once the patient is positioned and the belt is secured, drive spool 91 tightens belt 85 as motor 92 turns the drive spool, thereby providing anterior-posterior or sternal compression the patient's chest as shown in FIG. 11. The application of anterior-posterior compression provided by the use of spindles 93 preferentially compresses sternum 8 towards spine 9 as illustrated in FIG. 10 with a stern to spine distance of 94 and the compressed thorax in FIG. 11 with a stern to spine distance 95 where the difference between uncompressed distance 94 and compressed distance 95 is the depth of compression suggested by the American Heart Association for chest compression resuscitation. The efficiency of the sternal compressions may be enhanced by the inclusion of optional bladder 68.

(23) While the preferred embodiments of the devices and methods have been described in reference to the environment in which they were developed, they are merely illustrative of the principles of the inventions. The elements of the various embodiments may be incorporated into each of the other species to obtain the benefits of those elements in combination with such other species, and the various beneficial features may be employed in embodiments alone or in combination with each other. Other embodiments and configurations may be devised without departing from the spirit of the inventions and the scope of the appended claims.