Restraining Device For Wheelchair Patients

Abstract

Apparatus for restraining a patient in a wheelchair or the like includes a soft and resilient pad wrapped around an elongated bar. A separate perforated plate is secured to each side of the wheelchair, and each end of the bar fits through a hole in a respective plate to hold the pad comfortably and snugly against the lower torso of the patient.

Description

This invention relates to devices for restraining hospital patients in chairs, and more particularly to a device which includes an elongated resilient pad extending between the sides of a chair and held against the lower torso of the patient.

Hospital patients sitting in chairs sometimes cannot control their movements. For example, an invalid, an elderly person, or a patient who is not totally conscious can slide forward out of his chair and sustain injuries. Patients sitting in wheelchairs sometimes stand up in their chairs and turn the chairs over. To remedy these problems various restraining devices such as waist straps have been used to restrain a patient while he is seated in a chair. However, waist straps have not been completely satisfactory. If a waist strap is applied relatively tightly to prevent the patient from sliding forward, it can become uncomfortable after a relatively short time, since it rubs against the patient's body and can pinch the patient if he bends his upper torso forward. Furthermore, a tightly applied waist strap is uncomfortable because it prevents the patient from moving laterally in his chair. Waist straps ordinarily include buckles and the like for fastening the strap around the patient. However, conventional buckles and the like sometimes prevent the waist strap from being easily and quickly applied or removed in the event of emergency.

This invention provides a restraining device in the form of an elongated resilient pad which is snugly and comfortably held across the lap of a patient sitting in a chair. The restraining device supports the patient while he sits and prevents him from sliding forward or standing up in his chair. It provides an effective restraint which is substantially more comfortable than waist straps and the like because it avoids the surface pressure on the patient's body and accompanying skin irritations ordinarily caused by tightly drawn waist straps. Moreover, the device permits the patient better lateral movement in his chair when compared with waist straps. Furthermore, the device can be applied and removed easier and quicker than waist straps.

Briefly, the restraining device of this invention includes elongated support means preferably in the form of a substantially cylindrical member with a deformable outer surface and a substantially rigid core. Connecting means extending outwardly from the support means cooperate with the sides of the chair to hold the support means snugly and comfortably against the lower torso of the patient. Preferably, the cylindrical member includes a layer of plastic foam material wrapped around the core. The connecting means preferably includes an elongated bar extending outwardly from each end of the member, with the end portions of the bar being adapted for connection to respective sides of the chair. Either one or both of the end portions of the bar can be locked to their respective sides of the chair to maintain the member in a substantially fixed position relative to the patient.

In a preferred form of the invention, a separate plate is secured to each side of the chair. Each plate preferably has a plurality of openings adapted to receive a respective end portion of the bar. The openings in each plate are arranged so the member can be positioned to restrain patients of different sizes. Each plate preferably has an upper lip adapted to be fastened to a respective armrest of the chair, and lower clamp means adapted to be fastened to a respective side of the chair.

The above-mentioned and other features of the invention are more fully set forth in the following detailed description of the embodiment of the invention which is presently preferred, such description being presented with reference to the accompanying drawings, wherein:

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of the restraining device on a patient in a wheelchair;

FIG. 2 is a perspective view of the restraining device;

FIG. 3 is a perspective view of the perforated plate which holds the restraining device; and

FIG. 4 is a fragmentary sectional elevation taken on line 4--4 of FIG. 1.

Referring to the drawings, a restraining device 10 is held against the lap of a patient 12 sitting in a wheelchair 14. The restraining device includes a round elongated bar 16 having a length greater than the distance between the sides of the wheelchair. An elongated pad 17 is formed by a layer 18 of soft, resilient material such as foam plastic or rubber is wrapped around a central portion of the bar 16. The layer preferably comprises a foamed polymer, which includes materials such as polyurethane foam, foamed latex, foamed elastomeric ethylene polymers and the like, along with various mixtures thereof, because they provide a soft, resilient cushion when held in contact with the body of the patient. A layer of adhesive material 19 secures the layer 18 to the exterior surface of the bar 16.

In use, when the patient 12 is seated in the wheelchair 14, the restraining device 10 is disposed across his lower torso, and each end of the bar 16 is fastened to an adjacent side of the wheelchair so the pad 17 is held snugly yet comfortably against the patient to restrain him in the chair.

There are a variety of means for holding the restraining device 10 in a substantially fixed position relative to the patient 12. The preferred means includes a separate vertically disposed elongated plate 20 fastened to each side of the wheelchair. Each plate 20 is perforated to provide rows of horizontally spaced holes 22. Each hole is preferably slightly larger than the bar 16 so a respective end of the bar fits through one of the holes in a corresponding plate 20 to hold the restraining device 10 against the patient. A respective horizontally disposed, inwardly projecting lip 24 is formed at the top of each plate 20, and a respective series of slotted holes 26 are formed along the length of each lip 24. Each plate 20 has a separate upright, elongated clip 28 secured to its inner wall adjacent to each of its ends. As shown best in FIG. 4, the lower portion of each respective plate is fastened to a corresponding side of wheelchair 14 by clamping the clips 28 to the upper portion of a respective side panel 30 of the wheelchair. The upper lip 24 of each respective plate fits between a corresponding armrest 32 and armrest support 34. The respective armrest screws 36 are then screwed upwardly through the armrest support 34, the slotted holes 26, and into the bottom of the armrest 32 to securely fasten the plate to the side of the wheelchair.

The restraining device 10 is held firmly against the patient simply by positioning it in the proper holes 22 in each plate 20. However, stop means can be provided at the ends of the bar 16 to limit lateral movement of the restraining device relative to the patient. Preferably, a separate hole 38 extends through each end portion of bar 16, and a respective tapered pin 40 (shown in FIG. 1) is removably positioned in each hole to prevent the end portions of the bar from sliding out of their respective cooperating holes 22. Alternatively, a separate releasable clamping device 42 (shown in FIG. 4) having a pair of opposed pivotally mounted claws 44 adapted to extend through each hole 38 in the bar 16 can be used as stop means for the ends of the bar. For an uncooperative patient, a padlock (not shown) or the like can be fastened to each end of the bar to prevent removal of the restraining device.

Claims

I claim:

1. Apparatus for restraining a patient sitting in a chair having laterally spaced-apart sides, the apparatus including a separate sideplate secured to each side of the chair, each sideplate having at least one opening, an elongated rigid integral bar having a length greater than the lateral distance between the sideplates, the bar being of such a size and shape that each end thereof slidably fits through the opening in a respective one of the sideplates, and a resilient layer secured around an intermediate portion of the bar, the layer being maintained comfortably and snugly in a fixed position against the patient by the bar when the ends of the bar are held in the openings in the sideplates.

2. Apparatus according to claim 1 in which each sideplate includes a plurality of openings arranged so the bar can be positioned to restrain patients of different sizes.

3. Apparatus according to claim 1 in which the chair further includes a respective armrest of each side; and further including means for securing the upper portion of each sideplate to a respective one of the armrests, and means for securing the bottom portion of each sideplate to a respective one of the sides of the chair.

4. Apparatus according to claim 1 including the least one opening extending through the bar adjacent one of its ends, and locking means releasably engaged with the opening for securing the bar to a respective one of the sideplates to limit longitudinal movement of the bar relative to the patient.

5. Apparatus according to claim 4 including a second opening in the other end of the bar, and second locking means releasably engaged with said other opening for securing the side other end of the bar to the other sideplate to prevent removal of the bar from the sideplates.

6. Apparatus according to claim 1 in which the resilient layer is a piece of foam plastic material wrapped around the exterior of the bar and secured to said exterior by an adhesive material.