Stryker Corporation

Manikantan Seshadrinathan

Patrick Lafleche

Krishna Sandeep Bhimavarapu

Donna-Marie Robertson

Michael T Brubaker

Kent D Pilcher

Stephen Frederick Peters

Todd A Zeilinger

David A Dunlap

Benoit Martel

Christopher Cate

David Allen Dunlap

Mike T Brubaker

A patient support, such as a mattress, includes a plurality of inflatable bladders. Depth sensors are included in the support that measure the degree of penetration of a patient into the mattress. An air pressure sensor is also included that measures the pressure inside at least one bladder. A suitable inflation level of the mattress is determined by monitoring the rate of change of the depth with respect to air pressure as the bladder is either inflated or deflated. By detecting an inflection point in the graphical relationship of the depth and pressure outputs, a suitable inflation point for the bladders is determined that reduces interface pressures experienced by the patient, yet does not overly sink the patient into the mattress to a degree of discomfort. Analyzing the outputs of the depth and pressure sensors can also be used to detect a patient's heart rate and respiration rate.

Inflatable mattress and control methods

Patient support cover

Growing community of inventors

Portage, MI, United States of America

Manikantan Seshadrinathan