JP2016202790A - Air mat for ct scan, air pump device, medical care assist tool for ct scan, manufacturing method of air mat for ct scan, and subject lifting method - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To enable a trunk of a subject to be lifted while leaving his/her arm without generating a noise on a CT scan examination image.SOLUTION: A disclosed air mat 21 for CT scan is used by being laid under a trunk of a laid subject, can take in/out air, is expanded/contracted by a storage amount of air, and has a wall body storing air and having a sheet shape. The air mat 21 includes bag bodies 25, 27, 29 arranged side by side and expanded/contracted by the storage amount of air. Adjacent bag bodies 25, 27, 29 are connected with each other along a line which the bag bodies face when expanded. The air mat 21 has a length in a head/leg direction 23 of the subject enough to lift a portion from a head of the subject to be applied with the air mat to a part of a thigh.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 2

Description

  The present invention relates to an air mat for CT scan, an air pump device, a medical aid for CT scan, a method for manufacturing an air mat for CT scan, and a method for lifting a subject. It relates to enabling technology.

  The CT scan inspection apparatus is an apparatus that continuously captures X-ray tomographic images along the body axis of a subject's body. In order to image the torso of the subject, it is necessary for the subject to have a so-called “many” posture in which both arms are extended on the shoulder so that the arms do not interfere with the imaging. However, when the subject is injured, it may be difficult to have this posture depending on the situation of the injury. In some cases, such as an emergency patient who was injured and carried in an accident, the inspection must be performed without knowing the situation of the trauma. Not always appropriate.

  As a solution to such a problem, Masao Funabashi, one of the inventors of the present application, has the idea that it is possible to inspect the torso without the influence of the arm by lifting the torso leaving the subject's arm. Got. In order to lift the torso, it is possible to assume a mechanism in which the center part that supports the torso leaves the both sides of the test floor on which the subject lies, and is moved up and down by the actuator. However, such a mechanism is complicated and expensive compared to a conventional inspection floor. In addition, the inspection floor is a part attached to the CT scan inspection apparatus, and replacing it itself requires high costs. Therefore, it has been desired to achieve the purpose of lifting the trunk by using a conventional inspection floor attached to an existing CT scan inspection apparatus as it is and applying simple and low-cost accessories.

JP 2012-19912 JP

  In order to solve this problem, an air mat of a size suitable for lifting the torso leaving the subject's arm is laid on the examination floor, and the torso of the subject lying on the air mat is attached to the air mat. The inventors of the present application have conceived a solution for moving up and down by taking air in and out. When an air mat with only one air chamber was prototyped and tested, the entire body swells like a cylinder when filled with air, so the head is light and the buttocks are heavy. The ups and downs of the air mat was confirmed to be intense. In other words, the head was greatly lifted, and the buttocks were greatly sunk, and almost touched the test floor. At the same time, however, the air mat is a desirable method that should be further developed because it has a gentle contact with the subject's body and thus is lightly loaded on the injured subject and can be lifted and lowered more easily by connecting to an air pump. It was also confirmed.

  Therefore, the inventors further connect the upper and lower sheet-like wall bodies 203 and 205 inside, as shown in FIG. 15, and have a long strip shape extending along the head-foot direction 207 of the subject, that is, the body axis direction. The air mat 201 having a structure that restricts the bulge by providing the connecting sheet 209 was conceived. When a prototype was made and tested, good results were obtained that the ups and downs were alleviated as expected. However, when the CT scan inspection apparatus is applied using a CT scan dummy subject (human body model), a virtual image of the connection sheet 209 is formed on the tomographic image 211 photographed as schematically shown in FIG. It has been found that streaky noise 213 (also referred to as “artifact”) appears along the extended surface. In this way, the inventors should take measures to restrict the uneven expansion of the air mat, and at the same time, there is a sheet-like member that forms a flat surface when the air mat expands so that no noise appears in the tomographic image. Through trial and error, we found the direction of further problem solving that we should not do. In addition, patent document 1 was discovered as a well-known literature relevant to this invention.

  The present invention has been made on the basis of the knowledge obtained through the above-described trial and error by the inventors of the present application. An object of the present invention is to provide an air mat for CT scanning that can lift the torso while leaving the subject's arm without causing noise. It is another object of the present invention to provide an air pump device that can raise and lower the body of a subject by taking air in and out of the CT scan air mat. The present invention further provides a CT scan medical aid that includes the CT scan air mat and the air pump device of the present invention, and can raise and lower the body of the subject by taking air in and out of the CT scan air mat. For the purpose. Another object of the present invention is to provide a manufacturing method suitable for manufacturing an air mat for CT scanning according to the present invention. The present invention further enables the body to be lifted while leaving the subject's arm without causing noise on the CT scan examination image by using the CT scan air mat or CT scan medical aid of the present invention. An object of the present invention is to provide a method for lifting a subject.

  In order to solve the above problems and achieve the above object, the first aspect of the present invention is to remove the influence of the arm by lifting the trunk while leaving the arm of the subject undergoing CT scan examination. CT scan air mat that can be inspected and used under a torso of a subject lying on the side, allowing air to be taken in and out, inflated and contracted by the amount of air accommodated, and air The wall body to be accommodated is in the form of a sheet. The air mat further includes a plurality of bags that are juxtaposed to each other and expand / contract depending on the amount of air contained therein. Adjacent ones of the plurality of bag bodies are connected along a line facing each other when inflated. Further, the air mat has a length sufficient for lifting the subject from the head of the subject to be applied to a part of the thigh.

  According to this configuration, by supplying air and expanding the air mat, it is possible to lift the trunk while leaving the subject's arm. Since the air mat is soft against the body, the load on the subject, particularly on the subject who is injured in the back or the like, is reduced. In addition, since the air mat has a plurality of bags that are juxtaposed to each other and expand / contract due to the amount of air contained therein, the head is light and the buttock is heavy, and the subject's weight imbalance on the air mat is heavy. The ups and downs of the air mat caused by Furthermore, since a plurality of bag bodies are connected to each other along lines that face each other when inflated, they do not come into contact with each other when inflated. For this reason, noise caused by the contact surface does not occur in the CT scan inspection image. Furthermore, since the air mat has a length sufficient to lift the subject's head and foot direction from the subject's head to be applied to a part of the thigh, The load can be further reduced and the body can be lifted without difficulty. In this specification, in order to simplify the description, “CT scan air mat” is abbreviated as “air mat” as appropriate.

According to a second aspect of the present invention, there is provided a CT scan air mat according to the first aspect, wherein the plurality of bags are juxtaposed in the left-right direction of the subject, and each extends in the head-and-foot direction.
According to this structure, since each bag body extends along the direction of the head and feet of the subject, the feeling that the subject receives from the air mat becomes better.

According to a third aspect of the present invention, there is provided a CT scan air mat according to the second aspect, wherein the plurality of bags are two to four bags.
According to this configuration, the height when the air is supplied and expanded is in a more preferable range.

According to a fourth aspect of the present invention, there is provided a CT scan air mat according to any one of the first to third aspects, wherein the air chambers of the plurality of bags communicate with each other.
According to this configuration, it is not necessary to individually supply air to inflate the plurality of bags, and the plurality of bags can be inflated with an equal pressure.

According to a fifth aspect of the present invention, there is provided an air mat for CT scanning according to any one of the first to fourth aspects, wherein the plurality of bags are along a line facing each other when expanded. Adjacent ones are connected to each other through an elongated belt-like and sheet-like connecting portion.
According to this configuration, an air mat having a plurality of bag bodies can be manufactured through a simple process of bonding two upper and lower sheets along the peripheral edge portion and the connecting portion.

According to a sixth aspect of the present invention, there is provided a CT scan air mat according to the fifth aspect, wherein the connecting portion is selectively formed with a vent hole for communicating an air chamber of an adjacent bag body. Thereby, the air chambers of the plurality of bags communicate with each other.
According to this configuration, when the two upper and lower sheets are bonded together along the connecting portion, the air chambers of the plurality of bags communicate with each other through a simple process of leaving the region where the vent hole is to be formed. An air mat can be manufactured.

According to a seventh aspect of the present invention, there is provided a CT scan air mat according to the sixth aspect, wherein a breathable sheet is engaged with the vent hole in a state of being inserted.
According to this configuration, since the air permeable sheet is inserted into the air hole, it is avoided that the air hole is blocked and obstructs the passage of air when air is extracted from the air mat. Since the air permeable sheet is locked to the air hole, the air permeable sheet is prevented from falling off the air hole.

  According to an eighth aspect of the present invention, there is provided an air mat for CT scanning that allows the body to be inspected by removing the influence of the arm by lifting the body while leaving the arm of the subject undergoing the CT scan inspection. Thus, the wall body is used under the body of the subject lying on the side, can take in and out air, expands and contracts depending on the amount of air accommodated, and accommodates air. The air mat is further surrounded by a plurality of bags that are juxtaposed to each other and inflated and contracted by the amount of air contained, and the plurality of bags are kept in surface contact with each other when filled with air. And a cylindrical sheet to be restrained. In the plurality of bags, the air chambers do not communicate with each other between adjacent ones. Further, the air mat has a length sufficient for lifting the subject from the head of the subject to be applied to a part of the thigh.

  According to this configuration, by supplying air and expanding the air mat, it is possible to lift the trunk while leaving the subject's arm. Since the air mat is soft against the body, the load on the subject, particularly on the subject who is injured in the back or the like, is reduced. In addition, since the air mat has a plurality of bags that are juxtaposed to each other and expand / contract due to the amount of air contained therein, the head is light and the buttock is heavy, and the subject's weight imbalance on the air mat is heavy. The ups and downs of the air mat caused by Since the plurality of bags are constrained by the cylindrical sheet, the spread in the juxtaposition direction is restricted when air is filled. For this reason, the filled air is effectively utilized for lifting the subject lying on the side. Since the air chambers do not communicate with each other between the adjacent bag bodies, it is possible to fill the air so that the air pressures are different from each other, so that the contact surfaces between the adjacent bag bodies are low pressure from the high pressure side. Curve to bulge to the side. For this reason, noise caused by the contact surface appearing in the CT scan inspection image does not occur. Furthermore, since the air mat has a length sufficient to lift the subject's head and foot direction from the subject's head to be applied to a part of the thigh, The load can be further reduced and the body can be lifted without difficulty.

According to a ninth aspect of the present invention, there is provided a CT scan air mat according to the eighth aspect, wherein the plurality of bags are juxtaposed in the left-right direction of the subject, and each extends in the head-and-foot direction.
According to this structure, since each bag body extends along the direction of the head and feet of the subject, the feeling that the subject receives from the air mat becomes better.

According to a tenth aspect of the present invention, there is provided a CT scan air mat according to the ninth aspect, wherein the plurality of bags are three bags.
According to this configuration, the height when the air is supplied and expanded is in a more preferable range. Moreover, the air pressure of the bag bodies at the left and right ends can be made equal, and the load on the subject is balanced between the left and right.

According to an eleventh aspect of the present invention, there is provided an air mat for CT scanning according to any one of the eighth to tenth aspects, wherein the plurality of bags are connected to each other.
According to this configuration, the plurality of bags are not dispersed with each other, which is convenient for handling.

According to a twelfth aspect of the present invention, there is provided an air mat for CT scanning according to the eleventh aspect, wherein the plurality of bags are elongated and sheet-shaped along lines facing each other when inflated. Adjacent ones are connected to each other through the connecting portion.
According to this configuration, an air mat having a plurality of bag bodies can be manufactured through a simple process of bonding two upper and lower sheets along the peripheral edge portion and the connecting portion.

According to a thirteenth aspect of the present invention, there is provided a CT scan air mat according to the eleventh or twelfth aspect, wherein the air chambers of every other bag body among the plurality of bag bodies are mutually connected. Communicate.
According to this configuration, in order to inflate the plurality of bags with a pressure difference, it is not necessary to supply air individually, and it is sufficient to supply air from two places with different pressures.

  According to a fourteenth aspect of the present invention, there is provided an air mat for CT scanning according to any one of the first to thirteenth aspects, an air supply / exhaust pipe for taking in and out air, a connection member, a supply / exhaust pipe support member, , Further. The air supply / exhaust pipe for taking in and out the air includes a protruding portion that protrudes outward from the wall body of the air mat, and an extended portion that is bent substantially at a right angle from the tip of the portion and extends along the wall body. And has a substantially “L” shape. The connecting member is connected to the distal end portion of the air supply / exhaust pipe, and enables connection to and removal from an air pump device that supplies and exhausts air to the air mat. The supply / exhaust pipe support member supports the extended portion of the supply / exhaust pipe on the wall body.

  According to this configuration, the extension portion of the air supply / exhaust pipe that is connected to the air pump through the connection member and is used for taking in and out of the air is supported by the wall body of the air mat through the air supply / exhaust pipe support member. Unnecessary rotational force applied to the connecting portion between the protruding portion of the air supply / exhaust pipe and the wall of the air mat is alleviated or eliminated.

According to a fifteenth aspect of the present invention, there is provided an air mat for CT scanning according to any one of the first to fourteenth aspects, wherein the air mat is provided at an air inlet / outlet, and is an air pump for supplying and exhausting air to the air mat. A check valve is further included to prevent the discharge of air when disconnected from the device.
According to this configuration, even after the air mat is filled with air, even if the air pump device is disconnected from the air mat, the air mat is kept filled with air. Inspection can be performed.

  According to a sixteenth aspect of the present invention, the air mat is expanded and contracted by being connected to the CT scan air mat according to any one of the first to fifteenth aspects and supplying and exhausting air to the air mat. An air pump device that can raise and lower the body of a subject, and includes a single pump, a supply / exhaust passage, and a valve. The air supply / exhaust path is a flow path of air that is connected to the air mat and is supplied and exhausted during use. The valve communicates the supply / exhaust path so that it can be switched between a discharge port and a suction port of the pump.

  According to this configuration, it is possible to send air to the air mat and discharge air from the air mat by switching the valves using a single pump. That is, the air mat can be inflated with a simple and inexpensive structure.

  According to a seventeenth aspect of the present invention, the air mat is expanded and contracted by being connected to a CT scan air mat according to any of the eighth to thirteenth aspects and supplying and exhausting air to the air mat. An air pump device that can raise and lower the body of a subject, and includes a single pump, a supply / exhaust passage, a first valve, and a pressure sensor. The air supply / exhaust path is a flow path of air that is connected to the air mat and is supplied and exhausted during use. The first valve communicates the supply / exhaust passage in a switchable manner between the discharge port and the suction port of the pump. The pressure sensor senses the pressure of air supplied and exhausted. Further, the air supply / exhaust passage is branched into two branch passages on the side connected to the air mat. The pressure sensor detects air pressure in a portion of the supply / exhaust passage that is not branched. The air pump device further includes a second valve and a controller. The second valve opens and closes one of the two branch paths. When the controller supplies air to the air mat, the second valve is opened until the pressure detected by the pressure sensor reaches a predetermined pressure, and when the pressure detected by the pressure sensor reaches the predetermined pressure, Close the second valve.

  According to this configuration, it is possible to send air to the air mat and discharge air from the air mat by switching the valves using a single pump. That is, the air mat can be inflated with a simple and inexpensive structure. Further, when air is fed into the air mat, air having a pressure difference can be automatically supplied.

According to an eighteenth aspect of the present invention, there is provided a medical aid for CT scanning, comprising a CT scanning air mat according to any one of the first to fifteenth aspects, and an air pump device according to the sixteenth aspect. ing.
According to this configuration, the same operations and effects as those described for the CT scan air mat according to the corresponding aspect and the air pump device according to the sixteenth aspect can be obtained.

According to a nineteenth aspect of the present invention, there is provided a CT scan medical aid, comprising the CT scan air mat according to any of the eighth to thirteenth aspects and the air pump device according to the seventeenth aspect. ing.
According to this configuration, the same operations and effects as those described for the CT scan air mat according to the corresponding aspect and the air pump device according to the seventeenth aspect can be obtained.

According to a twentieth aspect of the present invention, there is provided a method for producing an air mat for CT scanning according to any one of the fifth, sixth, seventh and twelfth aspects, wherein a pair of resin sheets are superposed on each other; And heat-sealing the paired resin sheets to each other along a portion corresponding to the connecting portion and a peripheral portion.
According to this configuration, the CT scan air mat according to a corresponding aspect can be manufactured by a simple process.

  According to a twenty-first aspect of the present invention, there is provided a test subject lifting method using the CT scan air mat according to any one of the first to fifteenth aspects or the CT scan medical aid according to the eighteenth or nineteenth aspect, By supplying air to the plurality of bags of the CT scan air mat and lifting the trunk while leaving the arm of the subject undergoing the CT scan examination, it is possible to inspect the trunk without the influence of the arm Is the method.

  According to this configuration, the same operations and effects as described for the CT scan air mat or the CT scan medical aid according to the corresponding mode can be obtained.

  According to a twenty-second aspect of the present invention, there is provided a subject lifting method using the CT scan air mat according to any one of the eighth to thirteenth aspects or the CT scan medical aid according to the nineteenth aspect. By supplying air to the plurality of bags of the CT scan air mat so that the air pressure of the adjacent bags is different, and lifting the trunk while leaving the arm of the subject undergoing the CT scan examination, the influence of the arms is reduced. It is a method that allows the body to be inspected.

  According to this configuration, the same operations and effects as described for the CT scan air mat or the CT scan medical aid according to the corresponding mode can be obtained.

  As described above, according to the present invention, the ups and downs caused by the imbalance of the body weight of the subject undergoing the CT scan examination are alleviated, and the torso is lifted while leaving the subject's arm without causing noise on the CT scan examination image. Is possible.

It is the schematic which illustrates the usage type of the medical aid for CT scan by embodiment of this invention. It is a perspective view which illustrates the appearance of the air mat for CT scan by an embodiment of the invention. FIG. 3 is a perspective cross-sectional view illustrating a vertical cross-sectional structure of the air mat in FIG. 2. FIG. 3 is a plan cross-sectional view illustrating a plane cross-sectional structure of the air mat in FIG. 2. FIG. 3 is a block diagram illustrating a schematic configuration of a pump device that supplies and exhausts air to and from the air mat in FIG. 2. It is a schematic diagram of a tomographic image when the air mat of FIG. 2 is applied to a dummy subject and subjected to a CT scan examination. FIG. 6 is a partial plan sectional view illustrating a modification of the air mat in FIG. 2. FIG. 9 is a schematic perspective view illustrating another modification of the air mat in FIG. 2. It is a perspective view which illustrates the external appearance of the air mat for CT scan by another embodiment of this invention. FIG. 10 is a cross-sectional plan view illustrating a plane cross-sectional structure of three bags in the air mat of FIG. 9. FIG. 10 is a perspective cross-sectional view illustrating the shape of the air mat in FIG. 9 when air is supplied. FIG. 10 is a block diagram illustrating a schematic configuration of a pump device that supplies and exhausts air to and from the air mat in FIG. 9. FIG. 10 is a cross-sectional view illustrating another shape of the air mat in FIG. 9 when air is supplied. FIG. 10 is a plan sectional view illustrating a modification of the air mat in FIG. 9. It is a perspective view which illustrates schematic structure of the air mat for CT scan by the background art of this invention. FIG. 16 is a schematic diagram of a tomographic image when the air mat of FIG. 15 is applied to a dummy subject and subjected to a CT scan examination.

  FIG. 1 is a schematic view illustrating a usage pattern of a medical aid for CT scanning according to an embodiment of the present invention. The CT scan medical aid 101 has an air mat 1 and an air pump device 3. The air mat 1 is laid on the test floor 7 on which the subject 5 lies, and the subject 5 lies on the air mat 1. The air pipe 9 associated with the air pump device 3 is connected to the air mat 1, and the air mat 1 expands when air is sent from the air pump device 3. As a result, the torso of the subject 5 is lifted leaving the arm. The air mat 1 is set in a shape and size suitable for lifting the trunk while leaving the arm of the subject 5. The subject 5 is inspected by the CT scan device 11 by horizontally sliding the inspection floor 7 while maintaining this posture. When the inspection is completed, the air pump device 3 extracts air from the air mat 1. As a result, the body of the subject 5 that has been lifted descends and returns to the examination floor 7.

  As illustrated in FIG. 1, the air mat 1 is not only from the torso but also from the head to the buttocks and further to a part of the thigh so that the torso can be lifted without excessive load on the body of the subject 5. It is set to a size sufficient to lift a wide range of. In consideration of differences between adults, children, etc. as the subject 5, it is also possible to prepare air mats 1 of a plurality of sizes for adults and children. The air mat 1 is set to a size sufficient to lift a wide range from the head to the buttocks and further to a part of the thigh, leaving the arm with reference to the subject to be applied. The air mat 1 may be large enough to lift the subject's arm to be applied and lift from the head to the entire thigh and even the foot.

  FIG. 2 is a perspective view illustrating the appearance of an example of the air mat 1 and shows the shape when filled with air. The air mat 21 in this example has three bags 25, 27, and 29 extending on the head and foot direction 23 of the subject 5 to be lying on the air mat 21, that is, in the body axis direction. The bags 25, 27, and 29 are arranged in the left-right direction of the subject 5 to be lying down. The bag bodies 25, 27, and 29 are each formed of a sheet-like wall body so as to form an air chamber therein and expand and contract in accordance with the amount of air accommodated. The air chambers of the bag bodies 25, 27, and 29 communicate with each other.

  The air mat 21 is provided with an air supply / exhaust pipe 31 for taking air into and out of the bag bodies 25, 27, and 29. Since the air chambers of the bag bodies 25, 27, and 29 are in communication with each other, it is sufficient that the air supply / exhaust pipe 31 is installed at one place as illustrated in FIG. In the example of FIG. 2, it is installed on the wall of the central bag body 27. The intake / exhaust pipe 31 is connected to the protruding portion 33 protruding outward from the bag body 27 and the tip of the protruding portion 33, bent so as to change the direction to a right angle from the protruding portion 33, and further along the wall body of the bag body 27. The extending portion 35 extends in the manner described above, and has a substantially “L” shape as a whole. A connecting member 37 that is detachably connected to the air pump device 3 that supplies and exhausts air to the air mat 21 is connected to the distal end portion of the air supply / exhaust pipe 31. In the example of FIG. 2, the connection member 37 is bent at a right angle from the distal end portion of the extension portion 35, and is rotatable around the axis of the extension portion 35. Thereby, even if the air pump device 3 is arranged on either the left or right side of the subject 5, it is possible to avoid applying unnecessary load to the air mat 21 by the air pipe 9 (FIG. 1) of the air pump device 3.

  The connection member 37 is provided with a check valve (not shown) that prevents the air from being discharged when the air pipe 9 of the air pump device 3 is disconnected. Thereby, after the air is filled, the CT scan inspection of the subject 5 can be performed with the air pump device 3 disconnected from the air mat 21. Further, the wall body of the bag body 27 is further provided with an intake / exhaust pipe support member 39 that supports the extended portion 35 of the intake / exhaust pipe 31. Thereby, the unnecessary rotational moment applied to the connecting portion between the protruding portion 33 and the wall body due to the load applied from the air tube 9 to the connecting member 37 is alleviated or eliminated, and the durability of the connecting portion is improved.

  FIG. 3 is a perspective cross-sectional view illustrating a vertical cross-sectional structure of the air mat 21 and shows a shape when filled with air. The bag bodies 25, 27, and 29 are connected to each other via a strip-like connecting portion 43 that is in the form of an elongated band along a virtual line 41 that faces each other when expanded. The connecting portion 43 is also shown in FIG. Vent holes 45 are formed in the connecting portion 43 at various places to allow communication between adjacent air chambers of the bag bodies 25, 27, and 29. Since the bag bodies 25, 27, and 29 are connected in this way, they do not come into contact with each other when they are expanded by receiving the supply of air. For this reason, it was expected that noise caused by the contact surface does not occur in the CT scan inspection image. The results of the verification test will be described later with reference to FIG.

  FIG. 4 is a plan cross-sectional view illustrating a plane cross-sectional structure of the air mat 21. The air mat 21 is produced by bonding two upper and lower sheets 46 made of, for example, soft vinyl chloride along the peripheral edge portion 47 and the connecting portion 43 by heat fusion or the like. When the sheet 46 is bonded along the connecting portion 43, the ventilation hole 45 is formed by bonding the sheet 46 leaving a region corresponding to the ventilation hole 45. FIG. 4 shows the lower sheet 46 of the two upper and lower sheets 46, but the air supply / exhaust holes 49 formed in the upper sheet 46 are shown by being overlapped by dotted lines. The air supply / exhaust hole 49 is a hole that is formed in the wall body to allow air to enter and exit from the air chamber of the air mat 21 and communicates with the intake / exhaust pipe 31 (FIG. 2). In FIG. 4, an enlarged view of one of the vent holes 45 and its periphery is inserted.

  Note that the imaginary line 41 shown in FIG. 3 also corresponds to the joint between the two upper and lower sheets 46 bonded together. For this reason, in FIG. 3, the virtual line 41 is represented by a solid line.

  FIG. 5 is a block diagram illustrating a schematic configuration of an example of the air pump device 3 that supplies and exhausts air to and from the air mat 21. The air pump device 51 includes an air pump 53 that sucks air from the suction port and discharges the air from the discharge port, an air supply / exhaust passage 55 that is connected to the air mat 21 and forms a flow path of air to be supplied and exhausted, and the air supply / exhaust passage 55. Valves 57 and 59 that are switchably connected to the discharge port and the suction port, a pressure sensor 61 that senses the air pressure in the air supply / exhaust passage 55, and a controller 63 are provided. In the air pump 53, the air pipe 9 (FIG. 1) forms a supply / exhaust passage 55.

  The controller 63 includes a computer (not shown), and controls the air pump 53 and the valves 57 and 59 based on the manual operation of the attached operation panel 65 and the pressure sensed by the pressure sensor 61. A signal line 64 represented by a dotted line with an arrow in FIG. 5 represents a path of a signal exchanged between the controller 63 and another device element and a direction of a signal flow. The valves 57 and 59 illustrated in FIG. 5 are both three-way valves, and when the electromagnetic coil is energized, the discharge port or the suction port of the air pump 53 communicates with the supply / exhaust passage 55. If no power is supplied, the air supply / exhaust passage 55 is closed, and the discharge port and the suction port of the air pump 53 are opened to the outside air.

  A target pressure corresponding to the pressure of air to be filled in the air mat 21 can be set in the controller 63 through the operation of the operation panel 65. When a “supply” button (not shown) displayed on the operation panel 65 is touched, the controller 63 starts the air pump 53 and energizes the valve 57. Thereby, air is sent from the air pump 53 to the air mat 21. When the subject 5 lying on the air mat 21 is pushed up to an appropriate height and the pressure detected by the pressure sensor 61 reaches the target pressure, the controller 63 stops energizing the valve 57 and the air pump 53. Stop. Thereby, the air filled in the air mat 21 is kept at a constant pressure without leaking. After that, even if the air supply / exhaust passage 55 is disconnected from the air mat 21, the air filled in the air mat 21 does not leak and is kept at a constant pressure by the check valve of the connecting member 37 (FIG. 2) of the air mat 21. Is done.

  When the CT scan inspection of the subject 5 is completed, the air supply / exhaust passage 55 is connected to the air mat 21 and a “exhaust” button (not shown) displayed on the operation panel 65 is touched. As a result, the controller 63 starts the air pump 53 and energizes the valve 59. Thereby, air is discharged from the air mat 21 to the suction port of the air pump 53. If the pressure detected by the pressure sensor 61 becomes a negative pressure exceeding a preset reference value due to the sufficient discharge of air in the air mat 21, the controller 63 stops energization of the valve 59 and the air pump 53. Stop. In this way, the subject 5 that has been pushed up is lowered onto the examination floor 7. The negative pressure reference value can also be set through the operation of the operation panel 65 in the same manner as the target supply pressure. Further, when the “stop” button (not shown) displayed on the operation panel 65 is touched in the middle of supply or exhaust, the controller 63 stops energizing the valve 57 or 59 and stops the air pump 53. Let By using this manual operation stop function, the operator can also adjust the amount of air filled into the air mat 21 by manual operation.

  FIG. 6 is a schematic diagram of a tomographic image when the air mat 21 is applied to a dummy subject and subjected to a CT scan examination. Unlike the background image shown in FIG. 16, no noise appeared in the tomographic image 73 of the dummy subject displayed on the screen 71. That is, the expected result was obtained. Note that the substantially circular white image that appears in the lower center of the tomographic image 73 is an image of the spine of the dummy subject.

  FIG. 7 is a partial plan sectional view illustrating a modification of the air mat 21 of FIG. In FIG. 7, for convenience of understanding, the same or corresponding members as those in FIG. 4 are denoted by the same reference numerals. The air mat 81 is provided with a breathable sheet 83 that is inserted into and locked into the vent hole 45 inside the air mat 81. The air permeable sheet 83 has, for example, a porous sheet shape having a function of passing air, and is, for example, a felt sheet. By inserting the air permeable sheet 83 through the air holes 45, it is possible to prevent the air holes 45 from being blocked when air is extracted from the air mat 81.

  In order to lock the breathable sheet 83 in a state of being inserted into the vent hole 45, in the example of FIG. 7, the two vent holes 45 are brought close to each other and the breathable sheet 83 is inserted into the ring shape through which the vent holes are inserted. Is forming. In addition, two ventilation holes 45 that are close to each other are formed in the vicinity of the air supply / exhaust hole 49 formed in the upper sheet 46, and the air permeable sheet 83 is formed in two pairs of communication holes formed on the left and right of the air supply / exhaust hole 49. By arranging so as to span the air holes 45, the air supply / exhaust holes 49 can be covered with the air permeable sheet 83 when the upper and lower sheets 46 approach each other in the process of extracting air. Thereby, it is possible to prevent the air supply / exhaust hole 49 from being blocked by the lower sheet 46 when the air is extracted. As illustrated in FIG. 7, by forming a through hole 85 smaller than the air supply / exhaust hole 49 in a portion of the air permeable sheet 83 corresponding to the air supply / exhaust hole 49, only a part of the air supply / exhaust hole 49 is air permeable. You may make it cover with the sheet | seat 83. FIG.

  FIG. 8 is a schematic perspective view illustrating another modification of the air mat 21 of FIG. As illustrated in the air mat 91, the bag bodies 25, 27, and 29 follow the virtual line 93 that faces each other when inflated without passing through the connecting portion 43 (FIGS. 2, 3, and 4). Adjacent ones may be directly connected by bonding or the like, the air chambers may not communicate with each other, and the air supply / exhaust pipe 31 may be provided in each of the bags 25, 27, and 29. . Also in the air mat 91, the bag bodies 25, 27, and 29 do not come into contact with each other when they are expanded by receiving the supply of air. For this reason, noise caused by the contact surface does not occur in the CT scan inspection image.

  FIG. 9 is a perspective view illustrating the external appearance of a CT scan air mat according to another embodiment of the present invention, and shows a state in which the air of the air mat is extracted. The air mat 111 has three bags 25, 27, and 29 connected to each other, like the air mat 21 shown in FIG. However, the air chambers of these bag bodies 25, 27, 29 are not in communication with each other, and the intake / exhaust pipe 31 is provided in each of the bag bodies 25, 27, 29. The air mat 111 further includes a cylindrical sheet 113 that surrounds the bag bodies 25, 27, and 29 like a pillow cover that wraps a pillow. The tubular sheet 113 is set to a size that restrains the bag bodies 25, 27, and 29 so as to keep the surfaces in contact with each other when the bag bodies 25, 27, and 29 are filled with air. For this reason, the lateral width of the bag bodies 25, 27, 29 when expanded without being filled with air and inserted into the tubular sheet 113, that is, the lateral width, is larger than the lateral width of the tubular sheet 113. The contour 115 of the bag bodies 25, 27, and 29 when inserted into the tubular sheet 113 is narrowed down from the unfolded contour to the contour of the tubular sheet 113 as illustrated by the dotted line in FIG. 9. Will be.

  FIG. 10 is a plan cross-sectional view illustrating a plane cross-sectional structure of the bag bodies 25, 27, 29 in the air mat 111 of FIG. For convenience of understanding, in FIG. 10, members that are the same as or correspond to those shown in FIG. This planar sectional structure is different from the planar sectional structure of the air mat 21 in FIG. 4 in that there is no vent hole 45 and that the air supply / exhaust hole 49 is formed in each of the three bags 25, 27, and 29. Yes.

  FIG. 11 is a perspective cross-sectional view illustrating the shape of the air mat 111 in FIG. 9 when air is supplied. In order to use the air mat 111, among the three bag bodies 25, 27, 29, the bag bodies 25, 29 at both ends and the central bag body 27 are filled with air with different pressures. In the example of FIG. 11, the bags 25 and 29 at both ends are relatively high, and the central bag 27 is filled with air at a relatively low pressure. As a result, as illustrated in FIG. 11, the contact surface is curved so as to bulge from the high pressure side to the low pressure side between the adjacent bag bodies 25 and 27 and between the adjacent bag bodies 27 and 29. That is, a flat contact surface is not formed. For this reason, similarly to the case where the air mat 21 is used, noise due to the contact surface does not appear in the tomographic image 73 (FIG. 6).

  FIG. 12 is a block diagram illustrating a schematic configuration of a pump device that supplies and exhausts air to / from the air mat 111 in FIG. 9. In FIG. 12, in order to facilitate understanding, the same or corresponding components as those of the air pump device 51 shown in FIG. In the pump device 121, the supply / exhaust passage 55 is branched into two flow paths on the side closer to the air mat 21 to be connected than the pressure sensor 61, and the one branch path 125 is further branched to be connected to both ends of the air mat 111. The other branch passage 127 is connected to the central bag body 27 via the valve 123. The valve 123 is a two-way valve, and when the electromagnetic coil is energized, the branch path 127 is conducted, and when there is no energization, the branch path 127 is closed.

  The controller 63 controls the valve 123 in addition to the air pump 53 and the valves 57 and 59 based on the manual operation of the attached operation panel 65 and the pressure sensed by the pressure sensor 61. Through the operation of the operation panel 65, the controller 63 has a first target pressure corresponding to a relatively low pressure of air to be filled in the bag body 27 and relatively high air to be filled in the bags 25 and 29. A second target pressure corresponding to the pressure can be set. As an example, the first target pressure is 13 Pa and the second target pressure is 20 Pa.

  When a “supply” button (not shown) displayed on the operation panel 65 is touched, the controller 63 starts the air pump 53 and energizes the valve 57 and the valve 127. Thereby, air is sent from the air pump 53 to the three bags 25, 27, and 29 of the air mat 111. When the pressure detected by the pressure sensor 61 reaches the first target pressure, the controller 63 stops energizing the valve 123. Thereby, the supply of air to the bag body 27 is stopped, and the air pressure of the bag body 27 is kept constant. On the other hand, air is continuously supplied to the bags 25 and 29.

  When the subject 5 lying on the air mat 111 is pushed up to an appropriate height and the pressure detected by the pressure sensor 61 reaches the second target pressure, the controller 63 stops energizing the valve 57. Then, the air pump 53 is stopped. Thereby, the air with which the bag bodies 25 and 29 were filled is hold | maintained at the fixed pressure higher than the air pressure of the bag body 27, without leaking. At this time, the contact surfaces between the bags 25, 27, 29 are curved as shown in FIG. Thereafter, the air supply / exhaust passage 55 can be separated from the air mat 111.

  When the CT scan inspection of the subject 5 is completed, the air supply / exhaust passage 55 is connected to the air mat 111 and a “exhaust” button (not shown) displayed on the operation panel 65 is touched. As a result, the controller 63 starts the air pump 53 and energizes the valve 59 and the valve 123. As a result, air is discharged from the three bags 25, 27, 29 of the air mat 111 to the suction port of the air pump 53. If the pressure detected by the pressure sensor 61 becomes a negative pressure exceeding a preset reference value due to the sufficient discharge of air in the air mat 111, the controller 63 stops energizing the valve 59 and the valve 123. Then, the air pump 53 is stopped. In this way, the subject 5 that has been pushed up is lowered onto the examination floor 7. The reference value of the negative pressure can be set through the operation of the operation panel 65 in the same manner as the target pressure of the supply air, as described for the air pump device 51 of FIG. Further, when the “stop” button (not shown) displayed on the operation panel 65 is touched during the supply or exhaust, the controller 63 stops energization of the valve 57 or 59 and the valve 123 is also turned on. If energized, for example, the energization is stopped and the air pump 53 is stopped. By using this manual operation stop function, the operator can also manually adjust the amount of air charged into the air mat 111.

  FIG. 13 is a cross-sectional view illustrating another shape of the air mat 111 of FIG. 9 when filled with air. In the example of FIG. 13, the air chamber of the bag body 27 at the center of the air mat 111 is filled with relatively high pressure air, and the air chambers of the bag bodies 25 and 29 at both ends are filled with relatively low pressure air. . For this reason, between adjacent bag bodies 25 and 27 and between adjacent bag bodies 27 and 29, it curves so that a contact surface may bulge from a center to both ends. That is, as in the example of FIG. 11, a planar contact surface is not formed. For this reason, similarly to the case where the air mat 21 is used, noise due to the contact surface does not appear in the tomographic image 73 (FIG. 6). In order to make the pressure of the air filled in the central bag body 27 higher than the bag bodies 25 and 29 at both ends, the valve 123 is moved from the branch path 127 to the branch path 125 in the air pump device 51 of FIG. It is good to change.

FIG. 14 is a plan sectional view illustrating a modification of the air mat in FIG. For convenience of understanding, in FIG. 14, the same or corresponding members as those shown in FIG. 10 are denoted by the same reference numerals. This planar cross-sectional structure is different from the planar cross-sectional structure of the air mat 111 illustrated in FIG. 10 in that the air holes 133 are formed between the peripheral edge portion 47 and the connecting portion 43 so that the air in the bag bodies 25 and 29 at both ends. The chambers are in communication with each other, and a single air supply / exhaust hole 49 is formed in order to install a single intake / exhaust pipe 31 in the two bags 25 and 29. In this way, by connecting the air chambers that can have the same pressure to each other, the air supply / exhaust pipe 31 can be reduced, and the air pipe 9 of the air pump device 51 can be made simpler.
(Other embodiments)

  Each of the air mats 21, 81, 91, 111 described above has three bag bodies 25, 27, 29 each extending in the head-foot direction 23 of the subject 5. On the other hand, it is generally possible to implement an air mat having a plurality of bags. For the purpose of lifting the torso leaving the arm so that the arm of the subject 5 does not interfere with the CT scan inspection image of the torso of the subject 5, the height for lifting the torso is approximately 10 to 20 cm. Therefore, the number of bags is preferably 2 to 4. Among these, 3 is more desirable. Furthermore, an air mat in which a plurality of bags are arranged in the direction of the head and feet of the subject 5 may be implemented, or an air mat that is arranged in both the directions of the head and feet and in the left and right directions may be implemented. In general, an air mat in which a plurality of bags are juxtaposed with each other may be implemented.

  1, 51, 81, 91, 111 Air mat; 3, 51, 121 Air pump device; 5 Subject; 7 Test floor; 9 Air tube; 11 CT scan device; 23 Head and foot direction; 25, 27, 29 Bag body: 31 33 Projection part; 35 Extension part; 37 Connection member; 39 Intake / exhaust pipe support member; 41, 93 Virtual line; 43 Connecting part; 45, 133 Vent hole; 46 Seat; 49 Air supply / exhaust hole; 53 Air pump; 57, 59, 123 Valve; 61 Pressure sensor; 63 Controller; 65 Operation panel; 64 Signal line; 71 Screen; 73 Tomographic image; 83 Breathable sheet; 101 Medical aid for CT scan; Sheet; 115 Contour; 125, 127 Branch

Claims (22)

A CT scan air mat that allows examination of the torso without the influence of the arm by lifting the torso leaving the arm of the subject undergoing the CT scan examination,
It is laid under the trunk of the subject lying on its side, can take in and out the air, expands and contracts due to the amount of air accommodated, and the wall body that contains air is in the form of a sheet,
The air mat has a plurality of bags that are juxtaposed to each other and inflated and contracted by the amount of air contained therein,
The plurality of bags are connected to each other along the lines facing each other when inflated,
The CT mat is an air mat for CT scanning in which the length of the subject in the cranio-foot direction is long enough to lift from the subject's head to be applied to a part of the thigh.   2. The CT scan air mat according to claim 1, wherein the plurality of bags are juxtaposed in the left-right direction of the subject and each extends in a head-and-foot direction.   The CT mat according to claim 2, wherein the plurality of bags are 2 to 4 bags.   The CT scan air mat according to claim 1, wherein the air chambers of the plurality of bags communicate with each other.   The plurality of bags are connected to each other adjacent to each other via a strip-like and sheet-like connecting portion along lines facing each other when inflated. The CT scan air mat described.   6. The connecting portion is selectively formed with a vent hole that communicates air chambers of adjacent bag bodies, whereby the air chambers of the plurality of bag bodies communicate with each other. CT scan air mat.   The air mat for CT scan according to claim 6, wherein a breathable sheet is locked in the vent hole in a state of being inserted. A CT scan air mat that allows examination of the torso without the influence of the arm by lifting the torso leaving the arm of the subject undergoing the CT scan examination,
It is laid under the trunk of the subject lying on its side, can take in and out the air, expands and contracts due to the amount of air accommodated, and the wall body that contains air is in the form of a sheet,
The air mat is
A plurality of bags that are juxtaposed to each other and inflated or contracted by the amount of air contained;
A cylindrical sheet that surrounds and restrains the plurality of bag bodies so as to maintain a state of being in surface contact with each other when filled with air,
In the plurality of bags, the air chambers do not communicate with each other between adjacent ones,
The CT mat is an air mat for CT scanning in which the length of the subject in the cranio-foot direction is long enough to lift from the subject's head to be applied to a part of the thigh.   The CT scan air mat according to claim 8, wherein the plurality of bags are juxtaposed in the left-right direction of the subject and each extends in a head-and-foot direction.   The CT scan air mat according to claim 9, wherein the plurality of bags are three bags.   The CT scan air mat according to claim 8, wherein the plurality of bags are connected to each other.   The CT bag according to claim 11, wherein the plurality of bags are connected to each other via a strip-like and sheet-like connecting portion along a line facing each other when inflated. Air mat.   The air mat for CT scan according to claim 11 or 12, wherein the air chambers of the bag bodies in every other relationship among the plurality of bag bodies communicate with each other. By having a projecting portion protruding outward from the wall body of the air mat and an extending portion that bends at a substantially right angle from the tip of the portion and extends substantially along the wall body, an approximately “L And an air supply / exhaust pipe for taking in and out the air,
A connection member connected to the tip of the air supply / exhaust pipe, enabling connection to and removal from an air pump device for supplying and exhausting air to the air mat;
The air mat for CT scan according to any one of claims 1 to 13, further comprising: an air supply / exhaust pipe support member that supports the extended portion of the air supply / exhaust pipe on the wall body.   The air mat according to any one of claims 1 to 14, further comprising a check valve that is provided at an inlet / outlet of air and prevents discharge of air when disconnected from an air pump device that supplies and exhausts air to / from the air mat. CT scan air mat. An air pump device that is connected to the CT scan air mat according to any one of claims 1 to 15 and is capable of expanding and contracting the air mat by supplying and exhausting air to the air mat, thereby raising and lowering the body of the subject. Because
With a single pump,
An air supply / exhaust passage that is connected to the air mat during use and is an air passage for supplying and exhausting air;
An air pump device comprising: a valve that allows the supply / exhaust passage to be switched between a discharge port and a suction port of the pump. An air pump device that is connected to the CT scan air mat according to any one of claims 8 to 13 and is capable of expanding and contracting the air mat by supplying and exhausting air to the air mat, thereby raising and lowering the body of the subject. Because
With a single pump,
An air supply / exhaust passage that is connected to the air mat during use and is an air passage for supplying and exhausting air;
A first valve that switchesably connects the supply / exhaust passage to a discharge port and a suction port of the pump;
A pressure sensor for sensing the pressure of air to be supplied and exhausted,
The air supply / exhaust passage is branched into two branch passages on the side connected to the air mat,
The pressure sensor is for detecting the pressure of air in a portion of the supply / exhaust passage that is not branched,
The air pump device is
A second valve for opening and closing one of the two branch paths;
When supplying air to the air mat, the second valve is opened until the pressure detected by the pressure sensor reaches a predetermined pressure. When the pressure detected by the pressure sensor reaches the predetermined pressure, the second valve is opened. A controller for closing the air pump device. An air mat for CT scanning according to any one of claims 1 to 15,
A medical aid for CT scanning comprising the air pump device according to claim 16. An air mat for CT scanning according to any one of claims 8 to 13,
A medical aid for CT scanning comprising the air pump device according to claim 17. A method for producing an air mat for CT scanning according to claim 5, 6, 7 or 12,
Superposing a pair of resin sheets on each other;
Heat-sealing the pair of superimposed resin sheets to each other along a portion corresponding to the connecting portion and a peripheral portion;
A method for producing an air mat for CT scanning, comprising:   Air is supplied to the plurality of bags of the CT scan air mat using the CT scan air mat according to any one of claims 1 to 15 or the CT scan medical aid according to claim 18 or 19. Then, a subject lifting method that allows the body to be inspected without the influence of the arm by lifting the body while leaving the arm of the subject undergoing the CT scan examination.   A bag body adjacent to the plurality of bags of the CT scan air mat using the CT scan air mat according to any one of claims 8 to 13 or the medical aid for CT scan according to claim 19. A method for lifting a subject, wherein air is supplied so that the air pressure of the subject is different, and the torso is lifted while leaving the arm of the subject to be subjected to CT scan inspection, thereby allowing the body to be inspected without the influence of the arm.

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