GB2338222A

GB2338222A - Slings

Info

Publication number: GB2338222A
Application number: GB9812451A
Authority: GB
Inventors: Anthony Kinsella; Matthew John Smith
Original assignee: MEDIPOST Ltd
Current assignee: MEDIPOST Ltd
Priority date: 1998-06-10
Filing date: 1998-06-10
Publication date: 1999-12-15
Anticipated expiration: 2018-06-10
Also published as: GB2338222B; GB9812451D0

Abstract

A sling for use with a patient hoist has a rigid but flexible head support 7 directly connected to the back support 1. The head support 7 extends below a line intersecting upper attachment loops 10 so that the weight of the patient is reacted on it and renders it rigid in a vertical direction so as to prevent the patient's head being tilted back. The head support is detachable by a zip so as to provide interchangeability and to permit the sling to be washed. The design of the head support provides added comfort and increased hygiene.

Description

2338222 1 SLINGS The present invention relates to slings of the kind used

in combination with an invalid hoist to lift and move bed-ridden or incapacitated persons particularly in a hospital environment.

Slings of this kind generally comprise a main body of flexible padded fabric which, in use, conforms to the body of the user. The main body has a portion that supports the back of the user and a portion that supports the legs and/or seat of the user. The sling is attached to lifting apparatus, such as an invalid hoist, by means of attachment points that are in the form of strap loops sewn to the fabric at corners of the main body. The ends of each loop overlie each other and are sewn together along a length of the strap to the main body of the sling.

It is known in slings of the kind described above to provide a head support that extends upwardly above shoulder attachment points. In some designs additional attachment points are provided to enable suspension of the head extension from the hoist. Alternatively, head support is provided by the hands of an attendant such as a nurse. This obviously puts additional demand on the attendant or nurse and often the support is not satisfactory.

A sling having an integral head support is disclosed in GB patent No. 2195978. The head support section of the sling has two pockets that extend throughout the length of the section and which are designed to receive removable strip inserts of rigid but flexible material. The rigidity of such inserts provides the required head support for the patient without the need for additional manual support. This design has several disadvantages. First, the head support is often not comfortable for the patient as there is a tendency in use for the ends of the inserts to dig into the back or the rear of the head of the patient. Moreover, the inserts are often left in the sling when the sling is autoclaved or, if removed prior to washing, they are often lost.

It is an object of the present invention to obviate or mitigate the aforesaid disadvantage.

According to the present invention there is provided a sling for use with a patient hoist, the sling comprising a flexible back support portion having attachment 1 2 members at an upper end thereof for attaching the sling to the hoist and a head support portion comprising a sheet of substantially rigid but resiliently flexible material that is fastened to the back support portion and which extends below a line intersecting the attachment members.

The head support is preferably detachable from the back support portion by, for example, a zip connection. One half of the zip connector is preferably sewn directly to the head support and the other is connected to the back support.

The head support is preferably made from plastics material and is ideally made from polypropylene There may be provided a removable padded member, such as a pillow or cushion, on the head support.

A specific embodiment of the present invention will now be described, by way of example only, with reference to the accompanying drawings in which:

Figure 1 is a rear plan view of a sling in accordance with the present invention; Figure 2 is a front plan view of the sling of figure 1; and Figure 3. is a perspective view of the sling of figure 1 shown in use with supported patient.

Referring now to the drawings, the sling is constructed from front and rear synthetic fabric panels 1,2 stitched together at their edges and filled with padded material to form a back support portion 3 and a pair of dependent leg supports 4. An upper edge 5 of the back support portion 3 is detachably connected by a conventional zip 6 to a head support 7 that is constructed from a substantially rigid but resiliently flexible material such as polypropylene.

One half of the zip 6 is sewn into the head support 7 above a lower edge 8 thereof such that when the head support 7 is connected to the rest of the sling a lower portion 9 depends below the upper edge 5 of the back support portion 3. The other half of the zip 6 is sewn along substantially the length of the upper edge 5 of the back support. Thus when the head support 7 is attached it extends substantially across the full width of the sling.

3 At or near each corner of the upper edge 5 of the back support portion 3 and at the end of each of the leg supports 4 there is secured an elongate attachment loop 10 of strapping or webbing by which the sling may be attached to lifting equipment such as a hoist 11 (shown in figure 3). Within the attachment loop 10 there are sewn a plurality of spaced webs 12 bridging the interior of the loop. The webs 12 provide alternative positions from which the attachment loop 10 may be hung from the hoist. This loop design therefore allows the sling to be adjusted in height.

Figure 3 shows the sling of figure 1 and 2 in use. The upper edge 5 of the back support portion 3 passes around the back of the neck of the patient and the attachment loops 10 are secured to a hook 13 (more than one may be provided) of the hoist 11. The leg supports 4 pass under the patient's legs and the ends are secured to the hoist 11 by means of the attachment loops 10. The back portion 3 conforms closely to the patient's body whereas the head support 7 serves to support the patient's head. The weight of the patient's body on the lower portion of the head support between the attachment loops 10 ensures that the head support is kept upright and flexes about an axis that extends in the direction along the length of the patient's body. This action provides rigidity to the head support in a direction perpendicular to the aforesaid axis so as to prevent the patient's head from tilting backwards whilst also cradling it.

The use of a material such as polypropylene for the head support 7 is particularly desirable as it is an inert material that does not absorb bacteria and is easily wiped clean. Moreover the material does not significantly deteriorate with age, cleaning or repeated loading. The material is also visibly distinguishable from the rest of the sling so that its removal before washing/ autoclaving of the sling is unlikely to be overlooked.

It is to be understood that other suitable conventional fastening techniques other than a zip can be used to fasten the head support to the back support.

It will be appreciated that numerous modifications to the above described design may be made without departing from the scope of the invention as defined in the appended claims. For example, the head support may be contoured or moulded to provide additional head support in both vertical and horizontal directions. In addition 4 a removable cushion, pillow or other padded article may be removably attached to the head support to provide additional comfort to the patient. For example, such a cushion may be attached by means of an elasticated loop of material that is connected to the cushion at each end or by means of a hook pile fastener such as VELCRO (Registered Trade Mark) F

Claims

1. A sling for use with a patient hoist, the sling comprising a flexible back support portion having attachment members at an upper end thereof for attaching the sling to the hoist and a head support portion comprising a sheet of substantially rigid but resiliently flexible material that is fastened to the back support portion and which extends below a line intersecting the attachment members.

2. A sling according to claim 1, wherein the head support is detachably fastened to the back support portion.

A sling according to claim 2, the head support is detachably fastened by a zip, one half of the zip connector being sewn directly to the head support and the other half being connected to the back support.

4. A sling according to any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein the head support is made from polypropylene.

5. A sling according to any preceding claim, wherein there is provided a removable padded member on the head support.

6. A sling substantially as hereinbefore described with reference to the accompanying drawings.