JME 4110: Inflatable Patient Wedge

Authors

Thomas Gunsten, Washington University in St. LouisFollow
Bushra Zaidi, Washington University in St. LouisFollow
Zachary Howell, Washington University in St. LouisFollow
Luke Prichard, Washington University in St. LouisFollow

Publication Date

Summer 2024

Document Type

Final Report

Problem Statement

The goal of this project was to design, model, and build an inflatable patient wedge, capable of lifting a patient from a laying position to an appropriate sitting position. This system had to be cheap, reliable, and strong enough to lift a wide range of different patients. The design of this project includes repurposed air mattresses, resealed with an epoxy, and shaped into an appropriately angled wedge.

Author's School

McKelvey School of Engineering

Author's Department

Mechanical Engineering and Materials Science

Class Name

Mechanical Engineering Design Project (UMSL JME 410)

Comments

Ultimately, we decided that this method, if done right, would be a very strong candidate to choose for the final design because it does everything a patient would need while not taking up any space in front of them, and requires the most minimal amount of installation out of all four designs, all while being made of cheap and accessible materials.

Recommended Citation

Gunsten, Thomas; Zaidi, Bushra; Howell, Zachary; and Prichard, Luke, "JME 4110: Inflatable Patient Wedge" (2024). Washington University / UMSL Mechanical Engineering Design Project JME 4110. 67.
https://openscholarship.wustl.edu/jme410/67