EP1200156B1

EP1200156B1 - Rescue sheet for quick evacuation of persons lying in bed

Info

Publication number: EP1200156B1
Application number: EP00908203A
Authority: EP
Inventors: Inga Nordin
Original assignee: Jarven Plast & Smide AB
Current assignee: Jarven Plast & Smide AB
Priority date: 1999-06-09
Filing date: 2000-02-16
Publication date: 2006-10-04
Anticipated expiration: 2020-02-16
Also published as: AU2957000A; SE9902166D0; DE60031125D1; EP1200156A1; ATE341368T1; WO2000074785A1

Abstract

A rescue sheet (1) for making it possible to urgently evacuate a person (7) lying on a bed mattress (3) and comprising a supporting plane (2) of a tensile resistant and wear resistant material having a length and a width which at least corresponds to the length and the width of the bed or the bed mattress (3), and formed with means (4-6) for handling of the rescue unit comprising the rescue sheet (1) and the bed mattress (3) with the person (7) lying thereon, and in that the rescue sheet (1) is formed with means (9) for securing for instance a head support (10) and/or a bottom support (11) and/or a foot support (12) and/or a side support in a suitable position on the rescue sheet (1) for supporting the person (7) lying on the bed and for protecting same against thrusts and blows when the rescue unit is hauled over the floor, over the ground and down or up staircases etc. The means for securing the support (10-12) on the rescue sheet (1) can be longitudinally and eventually also transversally extending Velcro tapes on the upper side of the rescue sheet and corresponding Velcro attachment means at the bottom side and eventually also at the upper side of the supports (10-12). Also the bottom surface of the bed mattress (3) can be formed with Velcro attachment means for securing same on the rescue sheet (1).

Description

The present invention relates to a rescue sheet för making it possible to urgently evacuate persons lying in bed, in case of fire, building up of smoke, flooding and other accidents, whereby it is necessary to urgently move away persons lying in bed, and whereby there is not time or personnel enough to lift and carry away the person lying in bed or to place the person lying in bed in a wheel chair and roll him/her away.
The rescue sheet is intended either to be placed under a conventional bed mattress on which the sick, poor or elderly person is lying, or to be kept at hand so that the person lying in bed, still lying on his/her mattress, can be pulled or dragged down onto the rescue sheet, whereupon the unit comprising the person lying in bed, the bed mattress and the rescue sheet can be hauled down onto the floor and can be dragged into a safe place. For this purpose the rescue sheet is formed with straps, for instance having Velcro connection means or corresponding connection systems by means of which the person lying in bed can be strapped on the rescue sheet together with the mattress. The rescue sheet also can be formed with side handles by means of which it is possible to move and haul the the unit onto the floor from the bed, and it can be formed with eyelets, handles and straps by means of which the rescue sheet with the mattress and the person in the bed can be dragged or hauled over the floor and into safety.
DE 8814414 U1 discloses a rescue sheet for quick evacuation of a person lying on a bed mattress. The rescue sheet comprises a supporting plane made of a material which has good tensile and wear resistance and which has a length and width that at least corresponds to the length and width of the bed mattress. It is formed with strapping bands for strapping of the bed mattress with the person lying thereon to the rescue sheet, and is formed with means for handling the rescue sheet together with the mattress with the person lying thereon.
Special problems appear when the personnel has to drag the person down or up staircases or on uneven, sloping ground. It may thereby happen that the person in the bed slides on the mattress in spite of being strapped by means of the straps. It may also happen that the mattress slides on the rescue sheet thereby preventing a continued movement of the rescue unit, and that the straps of the rescue sheet cause irritation or hurt the person on the mattress. It may also happen that the person becomes injured when the head, the bottom of the feet hit the stair steps, stones of uneven areas on the floor or the ground.
Therefore the basis of the invention also has been the problem of providing a rescue sheet, or a combination of a rescue sheet and a bed mattress which is formed so that

vital parts of the body of the person on the mattress are protected against thrusts and injuries caused thereby,
the mattress is prevented from sliding on the rescue sheet,
and that the person on the mattress, as far as possible, is prevented from sliding on the mattress.

According to the invention the rescue sheet is provided with a head support and a bottom support and/or a foot support and possible other protecting or supporting means for the person to be rescued, wherein said supports have a triangular cross section shape, and at least the bottom support and/or the foot support are tapering upwards towards the foot end, and are arranged to be secured by securing means at one or more suitable places of the rescue sheet for preventing a sliding movement of the person lying on the bed mattress and for supporting and protecting said person against thrusts and blows when the rescue unit is trailed over the floor, over the ground and down or up stairs, etc.
Therefore the rescue sheet of the above mentioned type can be formed with means for making it possible to hook connecting a head support and/or a bottom support and/or a foot support, and possibly other or further supports, which supports can be formed and placed so that the head support acts as a shock absorber for the head of the person, that the bottom support provides a type of seat which supports the bottom of the person and prevents him/her from sliding down on the mattress, and that the foot support acts as a foot stop against which the person can rest with his/her feet preventing said person from sliding down on the mattress. The supports and the protection means can be used separately of each other or in combination with each other and they are arranged so that they can be fixed against the rescue sheet under the bed mattress in any optional and suitable position. The supports preferably are releasable. They can be constantly fixed on the rescue sheet or can be mounted in direct connection to the rescue action.
The head support, the bottom support and the foot support can be relatively short pieces of foam plastic or foam rubber material, for instance having a rectangular bottom surface and a substantially triangular cross section shape, so called wedge cushions, for which the head support is tapering down towards the foot end, the bottom support is tapering up towards the foot end and the foot support likewise is tapering up towards the foot end.
The supports can be fixed to the rescue sheet by means of any suitable attachment means, like press studs, non permanent glue, straps etc., but in a preferred embodiment of the invention the attachment means are in the form two or more longitudinally extending teazle bands, called Velcro tapes at the upper side of the rescue sheet and corresponding Velcro attachment tapes at the bottom surface of each of the supports, like the head support, the bottom support and the foot support, whereby said supports can be fixed in optional and very varying positions on the rescue sheet with the conical shape thereof facing the head end or the foot end, respectively.
In a further preferred embodiment of the invention also the bed mattress is formed with means for fixing same against the rescue sheet in that the bed mattress is formed with attachment means at the bottom surface thereof. Said attachment means may be press studs, side straps or the like. Preferably the bed mattress can be formed with longitudinally extending Velcro attachment means at the bottom surface thereof corresponding to the Velcro tapes or strips on the rescue sheet, so that also the mattress can be mounted against the rescue sheet with the parts thereof which directly engage the rescue sheet. It is also within the scope of the invention to form the head support, the bottom support and the foot support with Velcro attachment means at the upper surface thereof. This leads to the advantage that the supports can be fixed to the rescue sheet with any side thereof, and that the bed mattress as a complete can be mounted to the rescue sheet or the upper surface of the different supports, respectively.
Now the invention is to be described more in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings which illustrate a couple of examples of a rescue sheets according to the invention having means for facilitating evacuation of persons lying in bed. The shown and described embodiments of the invention are only illustrating examples, and it is obvious that the invention can be modified and varied with the scope of the appended claims.
In the drawings figure 1 is an exploded sketch in a vertical projection of a rescue sheet having protection and support means, and a bed mattress with a person lying in bed thereon. Figure 2 is a vertical cross section through a unit comprising a bed mattress having a head support, a bottom support and a foot support, and a bed mattress with a person lying thereon, in a position for moving said unit in a direction downwards. Figure 3 is a top plan view of a slightly modified embodiment of a rescue sheet, and figure 4 correspondingly shows a bottom plan view of the rescue sheet according to figure 3. Figure 5 is a perspective view as seen obliquely from above of the rescue sheet according to the invention having a phantom indicated bottom support, and figure 6 shows the rescue sheet according to figure 5 as seen obliquely from underneath. Figure 7, finally, illustrates how the complete unit can be handled by one single person hauling the complete unit with a bed bound person down a staircase.
The rescue sheet 1 shown in figures 1 and 2 is made of a tensile resistant and wear resistant material, preferably an impregnated material or a material which at the bottom surface thereof is covered with a slide layer which can slide as well on a dry and on a wet base surface. The material of the rescue sheet preferably should be flame proof, and it ought to be washable at normal washing temperatures, and it further should by of such a quality that it does not migrate into the bed mattress or the surface covering thereof. It is obvious from the drawings that the rescue sheet is formed with a main plane 2 having a length and a width which substantially corresponds to the measures of the bed and the bed mattress 3. Along the longitudinal edges the rescue sheet 1 is formed with grip slots 4 and/or handle straps and at the short sides the sheet is formed with eyelets 5 or corresponding means, in which tow lines 6, tow yokes, tow bands and corresponding means can be attached for facilitating the hauling of the rescue system over the floor, the ground, or up or down a staircase. For keeping the person 7 lying on the mattress 3 safely in contact against the rescue sheet 1, said sheet is formed with one or more straps 8 at each longitudinal edge, preferably straps having Velcro attachment means. Said straps are arranged for being laid over the chest and the trunk of the person 7 lying in bed, with said straps crossing each other or straight over the person. The straps 8 can be tightened so hard that the rescue sheet 1 and the bed mattress 3 become partly folded up against the sides of the person, as indicated in figure 7, whereby the person is also protected against side thrusts.
For preventing the person 7 lying on the mattress from sliding on the bed mattress 2, or the mattress 3 with the person 7 from sliding on the rescue sheet 1, what can have as an effect that the person becomes injured when the equipment is hauled over uneven bases, for instance down a staircase and shown in figures 2 and 7, the upper surface of the rescue sheet can be formed with two or more longitudinally extending, and possibly also transversally extending Velcro tapes 9 against which protection or support cushions in the form of wedge cushions can be mounted in optional positions. In figures 1 and 2 is shown that it is possible to use a head protection means 10, a bottom protection or support means 11 and a foot protection or support means 12, which support means at the bottom surface thereof are formed with Velcro mounting means 13 which, with respect to the placing thereof, correspond to the Velcro tapes 9 at the upper side of the rescue sheet 1. The supports 10, 11, 12 can be given any desired shape and size and can be arranged to be placed at any optional places of the rescue sheet 1, both as concerns the longitudinal direction and the transversal direction. The supports also can be formed as side supports, as diagrammatically indicated with a side support 14 in figure 3, which prevents the person 7 on the bed mattress from rolling or sliding off the mattress in the transversal direction. To this end the rescue sheet also may have transversally extending Velcro tapes 9 an the upper surface thereof.
The rescue sheet 1 can be constantly placed under the bed mattress 3, and it may, if desired or considered suitable, constantly be formed with a head support 10 and/or a bottom support 11 and/or a foot support 12. It is also possible to keep the rescue sheet 1 and the different types of supports 10, 11 and 12 easily at hand close to the patient for mounting same on the rescue sheet for use in emergency situations, whereby the person 7 or the patient lying in bed has to be urgently evacuated. Thereby said person 7, lying on his/her bed mattress 3, is lifted or pulled down onto a rescue sheet 1 which has beforehand been equipped with suitable protection and support wedge cushions 10, 11, 12.
As previously mentioned it is also possible to arrange Velcro tapes at the bottom surface of the bed mattress 3 (not shown), so that the bed mattress can be fixed to the rescue sheet 1 and can be prevented from sliding thereon, and it is also possible to form the upper surfaces of the wedge cushions 10, 11 and 12 with Velcro tapes, so that the bed mattress 3, as a unit, can be fixed to the rescue sheet 1 and the wedge cushions, respectively.
It is shown in figures 3 and 5 that the rescue sheet 1, on the upper side, at the corners thereof, can be formed with straps 15 which extend at about 45° angle to the mattress and which are arranged so that the bed mattress 3 can be inserted under said straps and can be further secured to the rescue sheet 1. Figures 3 and 5 also show that the straps 8 preferably can be sewed or correspondingly attached to the main plane of the rescue sheet. It is also indicated that a string yoke 6 having hooks 16 or corresponding means can be releasably connected to the eyelets 5 of the rescue sheet 1 for facilitating the hauling of the sheet with the bed mattress 3 with a person 7 lying thereon over the floor, the ground or up or down a staircase, as shown in figure 7.
A rescue action can be performed by one single person and is made in that:

the rescue sheet 1 is equipped with a head support 10 and/or a bottom support 11 and/or a foot support 12 at suitable places for the actual person 7 lying in the bed,
the bed mattress 3 with the person 7 lying in the bed is placed on top of the rescue sheet 7, either in that the rescue sheet beforehand has been placed under the bed mattress 3, or in that the bed mattress 3 with the person 7 lying in the bed is lifted or drawn down onto the sheet 1 by pulling the sheet by means of the slots 4 or the straps at the short sides of the rescue sheet,
the straps 8 of the rescue sheet 1 are laid in X-formation or straight across the chest, the trunk, the thighs, the small of the legs etc. of the person 7, and this can be done so hard that the bed mattress 3 is turned slightly up against the sides of the person 7,
upon need several tow lines 6 are connected to the eyelets 5 at the foot end or at the head end, or at both ends of the rescue sheet 1, and the rescue unit is hauled over the floor, the ground, down or up a staircase etc., as diagrammatically shown in figure 7.

Normally only the short straps at the short side/sides are used when the unit is hauled over the floor or down hills or staircases. The long straps are used in case the unit comprising rescue sheet, bed mattress and the patient is to be hauled up a hill or up a staircase.
As shown in figures 5-7 the rescue sheet 1 is formed with two pairs of straps 8, but there may be a greater number of straps, for instance four pairs of straps 8 as shown in figures 1-4.

REFERENCE NUMERAL

1	rescue sheet	9	Velcro tape
2	main plane	10	head protection
3	bed mattress	11	bottom protection
4	grip slot	12	foot protection
5	eyelets	13	Velcro attachment means
6	tow yoke, tow strap	14	side support
7	person, patient	15	holder strip
8	strap	16	hook (in the tow yoke 6)

Claims

A rescue sheet (1) for making it possible to quickly clearing out or evacuating, in case of fire, building up of smoke, flooding or other accidents, a person (7) lying on a bed mattress (3), whereby the rescue sheet comprises a supporting plane (2) of a material which has a good tensile and wear resistance and which has a length and width that at least correspond to the length and the width of the bed mattress (3), and which is provided with one or more pairs of strapping bands (8) for strapping the bed mattress (3) with the person (7) lying thereon to the rescue sheet, and is provided with means (4-6) for handling of the unit comprising the rescue sheet (1) and the bed mattress (3) with the person (7) lying thereon, characterized in that the rescue sheet (1) is provided with a head support (10) and a bottom support (11) and/or a foot support (12) and possible other protecting or supporting means for the person (7) to be rescued, wherein said supports have a triangular cross section shape, and at least the bottom support (11) and/or the foot support (12) are tapering upwards towards the foot end, and are arranged to be secured by securing means (9) at one or more suitable places of the rescue sheet (1) for preventing a sliding movement of the person (7) lying on the bed mattress and for supporting and protecting said person (7) against thrusts and blows when the rescue unit is trailed over the floor, over the ground and down or up stairs, etc.
A rescue sheet according to claim 1, characterized in that it is provided with longitudinally and possibly also transversally extending means (9) at the upper side thereof for securing said bed mattress (3) and said one or more support means (10, 11, 12) against the rescue sheet (1), and in that the bed mattress (3) is formed with means co-operating with said longitudinally and possibly transversally extending securing means (9).
A rescue sheet according to claim 1 or 2, characterized in that said means for securing the head and/or the bottom and/or the foot support (10, 11, 12) comprises Velcro bands (9) which are mounted at the upper surface of the rescue sheet, and corresponding Velcro attachment means (13) at the bottom surface of the support or the supports (10, 11, 12).
A rescue sheet according to claim 2 or 3, characterized in that the securing means at the upper surface of the rescue sheet (1) can be Velcro bands (9) extending over substantially the entire length of the rescue sheet (1) so that said support means (10, 11, 12) can be placed in any desired position of the length of the sheet.
A rescue sheet according to claim 4, characterized in that the Velcro bands extend both in the longitudinal direction and the transversal direction of the rescue sheet (1).
A rescue sheet according to any of the preceding claims, characterized in that the support or supports (10, 11, 12) have a conical cross section shape and any desired size and can be placed in any desired positions on the rescue sheet (1).
A rescue sheet according to any of the preceding claims, characterized in that also the bottom surface of the bed mattress (3) is provided with securing means, for instance Velcro securing means (9) corresponding to the securing means of the rescue sheet (1), for instance Velcro bands (9), so that also the bed mattress (2) can be fixed to the rescue sheet (1).
A rescue sheet according to any of the preceding claims, characterized in that the support or supports (10, 11, 12) are provided with Velcro bands also at the upper surface thereof for co-operation with the Velcro securing means at the bottom surface of the bed mattress (2).
A rescue sheet according to any of the preceding claims, characterized in that it also carries releasable side supports (14) for eliminating the risk that the person (7) lying on the bed mattress (2) slides sideways during the transportation of the rescue sheet (1).