The present invention relates to an adjustable supporting device, especially intended for premature infants, that is, infants who are born too soon, in open and closed incubators.
However, the subject matter of the invention may also be used both in cots in premature wards in hospital and also in other wards such as medical, surgical and neurosurgical wards where there are infant patients, and the subject matter of the invention will also be suitable for home use.
The invention is based on the principle of separate inflatable sections or units wherein in addition the pressure can be adjusted individually.
Premature infants in need of incubator treatment belong to a highly vulnerable group of patients in need of extremely careful treatment.
A feature of this careful treatment is that the infants should be xe2x80x9chandledxe2x80x9d as little as possible when they are in an incubator or a cot.
The object of the subject matter of the present invention, an adjustable supporting device for such infants, is to solve this problem by providing a supporting device divided into at least two sections which can be inflated and pressure-adjusted individually, thereby allowing the infant""s position to be changed without any direct manual contact.
A great number of devices are known, all of which aim to have a certain form of individual inflatability and pressure adjustment.
In this connection reference will made to DE-AS 1 012 737 which describes an air mattress of a known type per se, but wherein the tubular bodies which constitute the side edges and foot piece can be raised just above the vertical plane and joined together while obtaining a bed-like structure.
DE-PS 918 109 describes a mattress wherein the middle, inflatable sections can be turned 90xc2x0 upwards relative to the outer inflatable section and wherein optionally there may in addition be placed inflatable cushions between the thus produced walls.
NO 129 279 describes a mattress-like structure which with the aid of transverse and longitudinal seams is divided into sections, and wherein side sections and end sections can be folded up to form a bed when the air is released from the sections located in the corners.
GB 1 602 952 described a supporting device consisting of a number of parallel, inflatable bodies, intended to extend transverse of a person resting on the supporting device and wherein each of these bodies can be filled with a fluid, and wherein each body has an upper part which can be emptied separately to provide an certain adjustment to the body contours.
GB 1 534 821 describes a device that is in principle the same as that in the aforementioned ""952, but used in connection with a dentist""s chair or the like.
Finally, NO 174 452 describes an individually adjustable cushion system wherein separately manipulatable cushions can via a manifold be brought to the desired pressure for placing individually under different parts of a patient.
The object of the subject matter of the present invention is to simplify the prior art whilst aiming to satisfy the needs of premature infants in connection with a supporting device.
As mentioned, the subject matter of the invention is intended to be used in incubators, but can of course be used in any other place, including domiciliary care.
Accordingly, the present invention relates to an adjustable supporting device, chiefly for premature infants, comprising an inflatable base, consisting of two superimposed air and gas impermeable layers, divided into at least two flat sections, and a circumferential, inflatable wall, optionally also divided into at least two sections, wherein all the base sections and wall or wall sections are inflatable and pressure-adjustable independent of one another.
Preferably, the wall is in one section and is in the shape of a circular sausage that forms a complete circle.
The premature supporting device of the invention preferably has a basic shape that is generally oval.
Although the base may be divided into any number of flat sections, it is in principle preferred that there be only two sections.
In order to prevent the infant lying on the supporting device from accidentally sliding so that a part of his or her body might perhaps be trapped between an inflated section and, for example, a base section in the process of being inflated, it is preferred that the supporting device be equipped with a sheet of cloth which on one side is fastened to the upper layer of the base and on the other side to the wall at about half way up the height thereof.