SLING

Abstract

 A sling for lifting a person comprises a back panel for supporting the back of a person, two leg panels each for supporting the leg of a person, two intermediate panels, each connected to the back panel and to a respective leg panel, and one or more fastening components connected to the panels, wherein the intermediate panels are comprised of water draining material and comprise less than 50% of the surface area of the sling. Preferably, the sling also comprises one or more steering strips connected to the back panel.

Description

[0001] This invention relates to a sling and to a method of manufacturing the sling.

[0002] While caring for elderly or infirm people, it is common to use slings to move such people, for example from a bed to a wheelchair or in and out of a bath. The sling is designed to be used to lift a person and to support their entire weight while they are being moved. Normally some sort of overhead mechanical system will be used in addition to the sling, with the sling being attached to a hoist or gantry, to provide the necessary mechanical support for the weight of the person being moved. Such slings are commonly used for moving people in and out of baths and there is therefore a need for a sling that is practical for use in many different situations.

[0003] European patent application EP 1,031,339 A2 discloses a lifting sling. The lifting sling can be used with either an invalid hoist which includes lifting studs or a hoist having a coat-hanger type support. The sling includes a main body portion which is shaped to support the back and thighs of a patient and is provided with four-point suspension means, two at the sides of the sling in the shoulder region and two at the bottom end of the main body portion of the sling. The material forming each suspension means has one or more elongated slots for engagement with either the lifting studs or the coat-hanger type support. This sling, like many prior art slings is not practical for use in situations involving water, such as lifting a person in and out of a bath or in and out of a swimming pool. Water tends to collect in the sling as the person is lifted out of a bath or pool and this can lead to unnecessary water spillage which can cause a slip hazard and/or transfer water to undesirable locations.

[0004] It is therefore an object of the invention to improve upon the known art.

[0005] According to a first aspect of the present invention, there is provided a sling for lifting a person comprising a back panel for supporting the back of a person, two leg panels each for supporting the leg of a person, two intermediate panels, each connected to the back panel and to a respective leg panel, and one or more fastening components connected to the panels, wherein the intermediate panels are comprised of water draining material and comprise less than 50% of the surface area of the sling.

[0006] According to a second aspect of the present invention, there is provided a method of manufacturing a sling for lifting a person comprising attaching together a back panel for supporting the back of a person, two leg panels each for supporting the leg of a person, two intermediate panels, each connected to the back panel and to a respective leg panel, and one or more fastening components connected to the panels, wherein the intermediate panels are comprised of water draining material and comprise less than 50% of the surface area of the sling.

[0007] Owing to the invention, it is possible to provide a sling that can be used comfortably with a person who is being moved in and out of a bath or pool, since the water draining material used for the intermediate panels, such as preferably a mesh material, will allow water to drain away when the person is being lifted from the bath or pool, but only a relatively small proportion of the sling is actually constructed from the water draining material, which means that there is a reduced chance of any course material that is being used as the water draining material causing skin irritation on the part of the person being moved.

[0008] The tissue viability risk of the sling is much reduced by the use of only a small amount of water draining material (less than 50% of the total surface area of the sling), but nevertheless good draining functionality is achieved by the design of the sling, which uses the water draining material in the intermediate panels between the main back and leg supports of the sling to allow water to escape. When a person is being lifted from a bath, for example, the water will drain away through the sling via the intermediate panels, which are preferably of a mesh construction.

[0009] Preferably the sling further comprises one or more steering strips connected to the back panel. It is possible to provide a sling that can be used to move and lift a person and will have steering strips (not loops) provided, that are functional for a carer to use to guide the movement of the person, without the carer being tempted to lift the person. For example, if a person is being moved from their bed to a wheelchair, then while they are in the sling and being moved on a hoist or gantry, the steering strips can be used by a carer to guide the person into the wheelchair, but without the possibility that the carer will use the strips for lifting the person, since these will slip through the hands of the carer. It has been found that carers will use hoops on slings to try and lift a person (perhaps the final few centimetres into the wheelchair) and this is dangerous for the carer's back.

[0010] By providing only strips, these cannot be used for anything other than steering the sling with the person while their weight is supported by the hoist or gantry. A carer cannot grasp the strip to move the person, as the carer's hand will simply slip off the steering strip if they attempt to use the strip to move the weight of the person under their care. A second advantage of using a strip rather than a loop of material is that the steering strip cannot get caught on something when the sling is being used to move a person, which can happen with a loop of material, with the consequent dangers for the health of the person being moved. A steering strip cannot get snagged, which is not the case if a loop of material is used for this purpose.

[0011] The steering strips are preferably connected to the back panel of the sling, for example in a group of three steering strips that are located in a central region of the back panel, without being located near the sides of the back panel. This location of the steering strips means that they are highly unlikely to get trapped in any other part of the sling or hoist and are freely accessible by the carer, when they are using the sling with a person present in the sling. The steering strips are no longer than 10cm in length and are attached to the sling at one end, while the other end is freely available to be handled by the carer.

[0012] Embodiments 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 front view of a sling,

Figure 2 is a rear view of the sling,

Figure 3 is a side view of the sling in use, and

Figure 4 is a different side view of the sling in use.

[0013] Figure 1 shows the front of the sling 10, which is for lifting a person, and comprises a back panel 12 for supporting the back of a person, two leg panels 14 each for supporting the leg of a person, two intermediate panels 16, each connected to the back panel 12 and to a respective leg panel 14, and one or more fastening components 18 connected to the panels 12 and 14, where the intermediate panels 16 are comprised of water draining material and comprise less than 50% of the overall surface area of the sling 10. The intermediate panels 16 are constructed from a mesh material, in this preferred embodiment. The fastening components 18 are connected to the edges of the respective panels.

[0014] The mesh area 16 is functionally a drainage area and could be made of materials other than a mesh, as long as water will drain through. The mesh panels 16 are set in a position where any water will drain easily when a person is lifted from a bath or pool. In this embodiment, the back support area 12 is made from a closely knitted fabric and the leg supports 14 are made from a closely woven fabric, neither of which would drain as fast as the drainage panels 16. The mesh material can be the base for the entire sling, with the back panel 12 and the leg panels 14 manufactured individually and then added to the mesh material to make the sling 10.

[0015] The drainage panels 16 make up less than half (less than 50%) of the surface area of the sling 10. The shape of the sling 10 may vary, but the drainage panels 16 can be used on alternative styles of sling 10. The principle is that the majority of the sling 10 is made from a material that is not a draining type and this will mean that the user of the sling 10, for example when they are being placed or removed from a bath or pool, will have only a relatively small area of their exposed skin in contact with the draining panels 16. This reduces the likelihood of tissue viability risk for the person who is placed in the sling 10, since the draining panels 16 can be coarse against a person's skin.

[0016] In an alternative embodiment, the back panel 12 and the leg panels 14 can be constructed from a uniform non-draining material and have a smooth surface. This assists in the drainage of water, when the sling 10 is in use. Water that is present internally within the sling 10 will tend to move away from the back panel 12 and the leg panels 14 and pass to the intermediate panels 16 where the water is free to drain from the sling 10. The design and construction of the back panel 12 and the leg panels 14 will depend upon the type of use for which the sling 10 is designed, but as long as the intermediate panels 16 are formed from a water draining material such as a mesh, then the sling 10 will provide the necessary draining function.

[0017] Figure 2 shows the reverse of the sling 10, which is identical to the front of the sling 10, except for the provision of three steering strips 20, which are located in a central region of the back panel 12. The steering tails 20 are not closed loops and this provides a significant advantage in that they prevent a carer from using too much force on the steering strips 20 and also prevents them from snagging during a transfer. Whilst the tails 20 on the sling 10 are preferably flat webbing tape, they could be a cord or chain. There are three steering strips 20 on the sling 10 but there could be one or more tails 20 for use when steering/guiding the person in the sling 10 into position when lowering onto a chair or toilet, for example. The steering strips 20 are no more than 10cm in length.

[0018] Figure 3 shows the sling 10 in use for a person 22 who is being lifted out of a bath 24. The fastening components 18 of the sling 10 are connected to a gantry or hoist 26, which supports the weight of the person 22. In this side view of the sling 10 in use, a single leg panel 14 and a single intermediate panel 16 can be seen, with the back panel 12 being connected to the drainage panel 16, which is connected to the leg panel 14. The drainage panel 16 is formed of a mesh material, in the preferred embodiment, and as the person 22 is lifted from the bath 24, water 28 is able to flow through the drainage panel 16 and back into the bath 24.

[0019] As can be seen from this schematic Figure, the majority of the person's weight and skin area are borne by the back panel 12 and leg panels 14. This greatly reduces the likelihood of the coarse nature of the drainage panel 16 causing any skin irritation to the person 22, thereby minimising any tissue viability risk, while still providing a good draining solution to the sling 10. The mesh material that forms the drainage panels 16 is used throughout the sling 10 as a base onto which the back panel 12 and the leg panels 14 are added, so the sling 10 is a robust design that does not have panel joins at the edges of the drainage panel 16, strengthening the sling 10 against failure.

[0020] Figure 4 shows the sling 10 in use for a person 22 being manoeuvred into a wheelchair 30. A carer 32 is able to use a steering strip 20 to guide the person 22 into the wheelchair 30, while the person's weight is being supported overhead using the gantry or hoist 26. The carer 32 can grasp the steering strip 20 with their hand and move the sling 10 into the desired position as the person 22 is placed in the wheelchair 30. The steering strip 10 is deliberately not a loop, firstly to avoid any possibility of snagging occurring, but also to remove the temptation for the carer 32 to try and lift the weight of the person 22 using a loop, should one be present.

[0021] The steering strips 20 are located in a central portion of the back panel 12 and as can be seen in Figure 2, in a preferred embodiment of the sling 10, there are three steering strips 20, which can be used by the carer 32. The steering strips 20 can be grasped by the hand of the carer 32, but they cannot be used to try and manipulate the weight of the person 22, since the carer's hand will slip off the steering strip 20, should the carer 32 attempt to use the steering strips 20 in this way. This helps to prevent any damage to the back of the carer 32, as they will not be able to use the steering strips 20 for any purpose other than the simple action of the guiding the movement of the person 22.

[0022] The steering strips 20 increase the usability of the sling 10, while also protecting the health and safety of the carer 32, who will not be able to provide any lifting force with the steering strips 20. The short length of material provided by the steering strip 20 has a single primary purpose, which is to allow the carer 32 to steer the sling 10 and person 22 as they are being manoeuvred while they are within the sling 10. Ideally, multiple steering strips 20 are provided so that the carer 32 can use both hands to perform the manoeuvring or so that if multiple carers 32 are present, they can all assist in this task.

Claims

1. A sling (10) for lifting a person (22) comprising:

• a back panel (12) for supporting the back of a person (22),

• two leg panels (14) each for supporting the leg of a person (22),

• two intermediate panels (16), each connected to the back panel (12) and to a respective leg panel (14), and

• one or more fastening components (18) connected to the panels 12, 14, 16),

characterised in that the intermediate panels (16) are comprised of water draining material and comprise less than 50% of the surface area of the sling (10).

2. A sling according to claim 1, wherein the intermediate panels (16) comprise a mesh material.

3. A sling according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the back panel (12) and the leg panels (14) comprise a uniform non-draining material.

4. A sling according to claim 1, 2 or 3, wherein the back panels (12) and the leg panels (14) comprise a smooth surface.

5. A sling according to any preceding claim, and further comprising one or more steering strips (20) connected to the back panel (12).

6. A sling according to claim 5, wherein the or each steering strip (20) is connected to the back panel (12) in a central region of the back panel (12).

7. A method of manufacturing a sling (10) for lifting a person (22) comprising attaching together:

• a back panel (12) for supporting the back of a person (22),

• two leg panels (14) each for supporting the leg of a person (22),

• two intermediate panels (16), each connected to the back panel (12) and to a respective leg panel (14), and

• one or more fastening components (18) connected to the panels 12, 14, 16),

characterised in that the intermediate panels (16) are comprised of water draining material and comprise less than 50% of the surface area of the sling (10).

8. A method according to claim 7, wherein the intermediate panels (16) comprise a mesh material.

9. A method according to claim 7 or 8, wherein the back panel (12) and the leg panels (14) comprise a uniform non-draining material.

10. A method according to claim 7, 8 or 9, wherein the back panels (12) and the leg panels (14) comprise a smooth surface.

11. A method according to any one of claims 7 to 10, wherein the sling (10) further comprises one or more steering strips (20) connected to the back panel (12).

12. A method according to claim 11, wherein the or each steering strip (20) is connected to the back panel (12) in a central region of the back panel (12).

Drawing