Bed patient isolation system

Claim 2

A. Isolation unit for bed patients comprising b. a bed compartment provided with support means and having top, bottom, and end walls and side members of material impervious to air attached thereto, c. a service corridor compartment formed by top, bottom and side walls adjacent one of the side walls of the bed compartment and having a common wall therewith, and having also a service access opening between one end of the service compartment and the foot end of the bed compartment, and an exit access opening at the other end of the service corridor for access of service personnel to the outside of the unit from the service corridor, d. the side walls of the bed compartment being at least partly of flexible sheet plastic material having flexible sleeve and glove devices incorporated thereinto for providing a bacterially impervious means of manual access to the interior of the bed area from outside of the bed area, e. means for maintaining a pressure differential between the air in the bed area and the ambient air, including the air in the service corridor, f. a service unit attached to said support means and movable from a position over the bed area into a position adjacent said access opening where it can be reached by personnel in said service corridor compartment without entering said bed compartment.

Claim 3

The invention according to claim 1, said unit also including a rigid framework of readily dissemblable members supporting the wall and side members of the unit, said framework comprising rigid horizontal beams at the upper portion of the framework, said Horizontal beams containing in the underside thereof a deep downwardly opening valence slot having a guide track therein for slidably supporting the upper edge of said flexible plastic wall material in pleated condition, said slot providing a deep valence skirt on either side of the upper edge of the flexible wall to retard the passage of air from one side of the flexible wall to the other side while permitting the pleated flexible wall material to slide laterally for a limited distance on said guide track within said slot so that the glove and sleeve devices can be moved laterally to service an extended area within said bed area.

Claim 4

The invention according to claim 2, said framework comprising individual lengths of rigid extrusions held together with removable fasteners for rapid assembly and disassembly.

Claim 5

The invention according to claim 3, said rigid extrusions having a cross-section including track means for supporting drapery sliders to retain said walls of flexible material.

Claim 6

a. Isolation unit for bed patients comprising b. a rigid framework and flexible plastic wall curtains supported by said framework and providing two adjacent enclosed areas, one serving as a bed area and the other serving as a service corridor alongside the bed area, there being an access opening between the foot end of the bed area and said service corridor providing free access between the service corridor and bed area, c. flexible glove and sleeve devices incorporated into part of the plastic material of said wall to provide a bacterially impervious means of manual access to the interior of the bed area from outside the bed area, d. means for maintaining a pressure differential between the air in the bed area and the ambient air to bacterially isolate the bed area from the ambient area; e. said framework comprising rigid horizontal beams at the upper portion of the framework, said horizontal beams containing in the underside thereof a deep downwardly opening valence slot having a guide track therein slidably supporting the upper edge of said flexible plastic wall material in pleated condition, said slot providing a deep valence skirt on either side of the upper edge of the flexible wall to retard the passage of air from one side of the flexible wall to the other side while permitting the pleated flexible wall material to slide laterally for a limited distance on said guide track within said slot so that the glove and sleeve devices can be moved laterally to service an extended area within said bed area, f. at least one of the slot walls having a weakening groove extending axially therealong so that it can be deformed toward the other wall to provide a close fit for one edge of the pleated curtain wall.

Claim 7

a. Isolation unit for bed patients comprising b. a rigid framework and flexible plastic wall curtains supported by said framework and providing two adjacent enclosed areas, one serving as a bed area and the other serving as a service corridor alongside the bed area, there being an access opening between the foot end of the bed area and said service corridor providing free access between the service corridor and bed area, c. flexible glove and sleeve devices incorporated into part of the plastic material of said wall to provide a bacterially impervious means of manual access to the interior of the bed area from outside the bed area, d. means for maintaining a pressure differential between the air in the bed area and the ambient air to bacterially isolate the bed area from the ambient area; e. said framework comprising rigid horizontal beams at the upper portion of the framework, said horizontal beams containing in the underside thereof a deep downwardly opening valence slot having a guide track therein slidably supporting the upper edge of said flexible plastic wall material in pleated condition, said slot providing a deep valence skirt on either side of the upper edge of the flexible wall to retard the passage of air from one side of the flexible wall to the other side while permitting the pleated flexible wall material to slide laterally for a limited distance on said guide track within said slot so that the glove and sleeve devices can be moved laterally to service an extended area within said bed area, f. at least one of the slot walls having a weakening groove extending axially therealong so that it can be deformed toward the other wall to provide a close fit for one edge of the pleated curtain wall.

Claim 8

a. A patient isolation unit comprising b. a rigid framework defining the walls and top of an isolation unit, c. said unit having a bed area and a narrow service corridor area with internal access at one end thereof to the bed area, and external access at the other end thereof to the exterior of said unit, and an inner wall of flexible transparent material between said two areas, d. an outer wall made at least partly of flexible transparent material suspended from said rigid framework, e. said inner and said outer wall each containing a pair of flexible glove and sleeve devices providing bacteria-impervious sterile manual access to all parts of the bed area from outside the bed area, f. one end wall of said unit comprising an air filtration unit having an inlet area and an outlet area, both areas communicating with the interior of the unit, and means for drawing ambient air from the interior of the unit in through said inlet area, then through a filter, and expelling said filtered air through said outlet area into said isolation unit at a positive pressure with respect to the ambient air pressure, g. and means for reversing the direction of flow of air from the filtration unit with respect to the bed area so as to maintain the Bed area optionally at a higher or lower air pressure than the ambient air outside of the unit.

Claim 9

a. A patient isolation unit comprising b. a rigid framework defining the walls and top of an isolation unit, c. said unit having a bed area and a narrow service corridor area with internal access at one end thereof to the bed area, and external access at the other end thereof to the exterior of said unit, and an inner wall of flexible transparent material between said two areas, d. an outer wall made at least partly of flexible transparent material suspended from said rigid framework, e. said inner and said outer wall each containing a pair of flexible glove and sleeve devices providing bacteria-impervious sterile manual access to all parts of the bed area from outside the bed area, f. one end wall of said unit comprising an air filtration unit having an inlet area and an outlet area, both areas communicating with the interior of the unit, and means for drawing ambient air from the interior of the unit in through said inlet area, then through a filter, and expelling said filtered air through said outlet area into said isolation unit at a positive pressure with respect to the ambient air pressure, g. and means for reversing the direction of flow of air from the filtration unit with respect to the bed area so as to maintain the Bed area optionally at a higher or lower air pressure than the ambient air outside of the unit.

Claim 10

The invention according to claim 6, h. wall fastening means for optionally moving said inner wall into either of two positions within said unit between said inlet area and said outlet area of the end wall so that said bed area is in one of said positions of the wall under positive pressure so as to isolate the bed area from the ambient environment, i. and in the other position of the inner wall the bed area includes said outlet area and is under a slight negative air pressure.

Claim 11

a. For use in a patient isolation unit having an enclosed bed compartment containing a bed area and a service corridor and supplied with a laminar flow of bacteria-free air under a slight positive pressure from a pressure source at one end of the compartment, over the bed in the compartment, to an access opening at the other end of the compartment, beyond the foot end of the bed, b. the improvement comprising a patient service unit above the bed and movable over the bed from a position near the head end of the bed to a position adjacent said access opening, c. said service unit being provided with compartments for holding patient supplies and needs, d. said service unit having a top covering said compartments and serving as a bed tray, e. and hinge means for said top for swinging it into an upright position to provide access to said compartments, f. slide guide means for sliding said top on said service unit transversely of said bed, g. whereby said top can be slid on the service unit partially into said access opening for supplying a patient in the bed without entering said compartment.

Claim 12

a. For use in a patient isolation unit having an enclosed bed compartment containing a bed area and a service corridor and supplied with a laminar flow of bacteria-free air under a slight positive pressure from a pressure source at one end of the compartment, over the bed in the compartment, to an access opening at the other end of the compartment, beyond the foot end of the bed, b. the improvement comprising a patient service unit above the bed and movable over the bed from a position near the head end of the bed to a position adjacent said access opening, c. said service unit being provided with compartments for holding patient supplies and needs, d. said service unit having a top covering said compartments and serving as a bed tray, e. and hinge means for said top for swinging it into an upright position to provide access to said compartments, f. slide guide means for sliding said top on said service unit transversely of said bed, g. whereby said top can be slid on the service unit partially into said access opening for supplying a patient in the bed without entering said compartment.

Claim 13

The invention according to claim 8, h. and fixed overhead track means in said isolation unit above the bed area of the unit, i. service unit suspension means slidably mounted on said track means and supporting said patient service unit above the bed.

Claim 14

The invention according to claim 8, h. said slide guide and hinge means comprising a tubular element fitted to said service unit and having a longitudinal slot along its entire length, i. a hinge pin lying within said slotted tubular element and projecting beyond it at both ends, j. a short arm fixed at one end to said flat top and at the other end to the projecting end of said hinge pin, there being one short arm at each end of the hinge pin, at least one said short arms being slidable within the slot of said tubular element when said top is slid on the surface unit.

Claim 15

The invention according to claim 10, k. said hinge pin having a maximum thickness greater than the width of the slot in said tubular element so that it can be slid along the slot but not pulled through it.

Claim 16

The invention according to claim 11, l. and a mirror fastened to the underside of said top.