Patient support system and method for operating a patient support system.

摘要

A low air loss patient support system (20) includes a plurality of identical multi-chambered inflatable sacks (34). A restrictive flow hole (64) connects two adjacent chambers (46, 54) disposed predominately to one side of the centerline of the sack (34), and each side is separately pressurizable under the control of a microprocessor (160) and a plurality of pressure control valves (162) with pressure transducers (246) and a plurality of flow diverter valves (220) for switching between different modes of configuring the manner in which the sacks (34) are pressurized. The system (20) includes a modular manifold (128) for mounting the pressure control valves (162), and a modular support member (68) for mounting the sacks (34) via quick-disconnect couplings (118) and having air flow channels (120) defined therethrough. The support system (20) can rotate or tilt the patient by depressurizing one side of the sacks (34) while increasing the pressurization of the opposite side of the sacks (34). An end chamber (46) of the depressurized side of each sack (34) remains inflated while the adjacent intermediate chamber (54) becomes progressively deflated during depressurization to permit the end chambers (44, 46) to restrain the patient from sliding off the sacks (34) during tilting. The support system (20) can relieve pressure points between the patient and the sacks (34) while elevating the head and chest of the patient by reconfiguring the diverter valves (162) to connect alternating sacks (34) at the same pressure and periodically decreasing the pressure in one group of sacks (34) while increasing the pressure in another group of sacks (34) alternately to relieve the pressure of and on the patient between the two different groups of sacks (34) depending upon which group is depressurizing and which group is being increased in pressure.