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Examination table with variable tiltRelated Patent Categories: Beds, Invalid Bed Or Surgical SupportExamination table with variable tilt description/claimsThe Patent Description & Claims data below is from USPTO Patent Application 20070011810, Examination table with variable tilt. Brief Patent Description - Full Patent Description - Patent Application Claims
[0001] This application claims the benefit of priority under 35 U.S.C. .sctn. 119(e) to U.S. provisional application No. 60/633,437, filed Dec. 7, 2004, which is hereby incorporated by reference in its entirety. I. FIELD OF THE INVENTION [0002] The present invention relates to apparatuses and methods for positioning subjects while conducting examinations. More particularly, the present invention relates to a table adapted for ergonomically positioning patients while performing examinations, such as sonograms. II. BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION [0003] Examination tables are known in the art. However, as will be appreciated, while some examination apparatuses, such as a dental chair, allow patients to be positioned from a seated position, to an inclined position, to a supine position, in order to allow the dental profession to easily access the patient's mouth depending on the examination or procedure being performed, these apparatuses suffer from the drawback that they are not only expensive but also the fact that they do not provide for repositioning to access the left or right of the patient. The inability of prior art examination tables to allow for ergonomic repositioning of patient's is particularly acute with medical examination tables. [0004] In many instances, medical examination tables remain constant while the examination equipment in various areas of the hospital differs. Typically, these tables do not provide for any movement beyond perhaps allowing patients to be moved from the supine position to a reclined position. The inability of examination tables to provide for positioning of patients is particularly acute in sonography. While obstetrician-gynecological tables may allow for a patient to be placed in the supine position or reclined, the tables do not allow for access of the left or right of the patient absent movement by the sonographer. Studies have shown that a significant number of sonographers experience pain while performing sonography on a patient. Further, some of the sonographers eventually experience a career-ending injury. The increasing loss of sonographers due to work-related musculoskeletal disorders exacerbates the existing shortage of sonographers in the workplace. As sonography can be a vital healthcare service to patients such as pregnant women, it is important to minimize sonographers' exposure to the type of health disorders referenced above. [0005] One of the more common types of injury to a sonographer is injury to the upper extremities and to the back. Such a type of injury is often caused by the position of the sonographer in relation to the patient. For instance, in a situation where the sonographer is performing ultra sound imaging on a female patient who is pregnant, the sonographer is typically sitting on an examination stool or chair while the patient is lying on an obstetrician/gynecology examination table. In some instances, the sonographer needs to position the ultra sound processing head on the patient's left abdominal side, for example, to achieve a particular image. As the imaging may begin with the patient in the supine position, the patient will need to transition to her right side for the sonographer to access her left side. Such a transition can be precarious for bariatric patients or any patient not accustomed to a new center of gravity such as a pregnant female. Moreover, the patient is sometimes suffering from a pregnancy-related illness such as "morning sickness" and is prone to nausea and vomiting. Thus, the sonographer attempts to minimize disturbance of the patient. In doing so, however, the sonographer often places himself or herself at risk for the type of work-related injuries referenced above by reaching over or across the patient to access a particular side of the patient. This can place stress on the sonographer's back and other areas such as his or her shoulders. [0006] In some instances, in an attempt to minimize his or her risk to injury, the sonographer sometimes places a pillow, for example, underneath the patient's back to tilt the patient such that the side of the patient to which the sonographer requires access is tilted more toward the sonographer. For example, if the patient is lying in the supine position and the sonographer needs to access the patient's left side, the sonographer places the pillow underneath the back of the patient such that the patient's left side is rolled or tilted upward toward the sonographer. Although such a solution can reduce stress on the sonographer's upper extremities, it often requires the sonographer to disturb the patient. For example, the sonographer must often disturb the patient several times due to exchanging one pillow with another or placing an additional pillow underneath the patient. Moreover, sonographers are often not willing to take the time required to adjust the pillows. As a result, in some instances, the sonographers simply do not attempt to use a pillow and resort to reaching around the patient to access the desired side, thereby exposing the sonographer to the risk referenced above. [0007] The foregoing underscores some of the problems associated with conventional examination tables. Furthermore, the foregoing highlights the need in the art for an examination table for ergonomic positioning of patients. Accordingly, there exists a long-felt, yet unresolved need for an examination table capable of tilting a subject to provide ergonomic access to remote areas of the subject. More particularly, there exists a need in the art for a sonography table that is capable of tilting to allow a patient to lie such that his or her body is horizontally inclined, such that, for example, the patient's left side is elevated and exposed to a sonographer positioned on the patient's right side. III. SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION [0008] The present invention overcomes the aforementioned drawbacks in the art and offers new advantages as well. Accordingly, it is an object of the invention to provide an examination table for ergonomic positioning of patients. It is another object of the invention to provide an examination table capable of tilting a patient in a horizontal direction to provide ergonomic access to an area of the patient's body. It is another object of the invention to provide a sonographer's table that tilts to provide access to the remote side of a patient's body during examination. [0009] In accordance with these objects of the invention, there is provided an examination table configured to be tilt table to allow horizontal inclination of a patient, thereby allowing an examiner ergonomic access to an elevated side of the subject. As the elevated side of the patient is more easily accessible to the examiner, the examiner's risk to work-related injuries caused by having to reach around a subject, such as a patient in a supine position, is minimized. [0010] According to the invention, a presently preferred embodiment includes an examination table for supporting a patient to allow the patient to undergo examination, comprising: a platform having a first side and a second side, a first leaf hinged to the first side, a second leaf hinged to the second side, and an elevation device adapted to raise the platform, wherein the elevation device is adapted to cause the platform to incline toward a first direction or a second direction, thereby activating the first or second hinged leaf depending upon which of the first and second directions the platform is elevated. [0011] According to one advantageous aspect of the invention, in one embodiment, the hinged leaves comprise two-way hinges. According to this feature of the invention, the leaves are gravitationally positioned pointing downward perpendicular to the floor when the platform is lying flat. This configuration allows the leaves to be positioned out of the way when not in use. When the platform is inclined to the left or right, the two-way hinges allow the leaf opposite the inclining side to actuate to form a lying surface for the side of the patient to retain the patient when tilted. As will be appreciated, the more the platform is inclined, the less the angle between the platform and the leaf. However, the leaf is kept predominantly parallel to the floor throughout the inclination process to ensure the patient is supported at all times. [0012] In a preferred embodiment, the table includes an undersurface that actuates and provides support of the hinged leaf of the platform to ensure it can support the weight of a patient. According to this embodiment, the raising of a first side of the platform is cooperatively associated with a movement of the platform towards the inclining side. This cooperative movement causes the second side of the platform to retract towards the center of the examination table thereby actuating the hinge of the second side leaf by contact with the undersurface. The leaf is then supported by the undersurface to ensure support for the patient. As will be appreciated, the more the first side of the platform is inclined, the more the second side moves towards the center or that side of the table, and the less the angle between the platform and the second leaf (or the greater the angle of inclination of the patient). Preferably, the leaf of the second side is held substantially parallel to the floor by the undersurface throughout the tilting process. [0013] In at least one embodiment, the hinged leaves are extendable and extend when the opposite side of the platform is inclined. [0014] According to an alternative embodiment, instead of using an undersurface, the leaves of the platform are configured to be moved and locked into position relative the inclination of the platform via electromechanical elements. [0015] According to another aspect of the invention, in one embodiment, the platform includes one-way hinges for securing the leaves. In accordance with this feature of the invention, the leaves are configured to allow the leaves to lock planar to the platform and parallel to the floor. Rather than require movement of the platform in a lateral direction to actuate a two-way hinge, this configuration allows the platform and its leaves to rest on an undersurface when the table is in the supine position. As one side is raised, the hinge keeps the leaf of that side open while the other leaf bends in on its hinge to provide a lying surface that remains substantially parallel to the floor. Again, as the angle of inclination increase, the angle between the opposite leaf and platform decreases. However, when one side of the platform is elevated, the geometry of this configuration allows the opposite side leaf to remain parallel to the floor and support the patient throughout the inclination process. Again, this disposition of hinges obviates the need to move the platform laterally into contact with an undersurface. [0016] Any suitable means of inclining the platform may be used in accordance with the invention. For example, motors, hydraulic lifts and the like may be used. Manual actuation and positioning is also possible, but not preferred. While the exact mode of tilting the table is not critical to the invention, presently preferred modes seek to optimize the ease and inexpensive of the invention. [0017] In accordance with a preferred embodiment of the invention, to incline the platform a worm screw lever and elevation rod are provided. Also in a preferred embodiment using this mode of tilting, the platform uses one-way hinged leaves. Given this disposition of the hinges, a worm screw lever and elevation rod allow for selective inclination of either side of the platform in a relatively easy and inexpensive manner. Preferably, the platform includes a track or belt cooperatively associated with the platform and the worm screw lever and elevation rod. According to this embodiment, as the platform is inclined by the lever, the track or belt cooperatively moves inwardly towards the inclining side. This configuration provides preferable support area for the patient during tilting process and maintains the relative inexpensive of the table and its ease of operation. Preferably, the cooperative lever and track movement are motorized and operable by controls accessible by a user, whether the controls comprise buttons, touch screens, levers, foot pedals or other controls. [0018] According to one object of the invention, there is provided a novel sonographer's table. Various embodiments of the sonographer's table may incorporate some or all of the novel features of the examination tables discussed above. [0019] According to one advantageous aspect of the sonographer's table according to the invention, the table is configured to allow a patient's remote side to be tilted towards the sonographer to allow ergonomic access to the remote side of the patient. While the use of a hinged leaf as described above is contemplated by the invention, in a presently preferred embodiment, the table includes fixed right and left sides (or "leaves") and relies upon a movable and inclinable central platform portion. In an alternative embodiment, a fixed table frame with a movable platform is used. [0020] Preferably, the table is configured to allow the platform to incline to tilt a patient in the direction of a seated sonographer. Alternatively, the table could be configured to allow the platform to be titled from the right or left side towards the center of the table. [0021] In a preferred embodiment, the table platform is configured to move towards the inclining side to provide more horizontal table space to prevent a patient from rolling off the table. In other words, as the table platform inclines the platform moves in the inclining direction to reveal a supporting surface. In one embodiment, the supporting surface is spooled out cooperatively as the table platform is moved. In an alternative embodiment, the entire table lying surface moves in cooperative movement with a belt or linked spool associated with a table undersurface for supporting the patient during tilting. Continue reading about Examination table with variable tilt... 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