Folks in the ICU often have many tubes, IV wires and other attachments to their body. These folks are often old, usually sick, and often full of mind altering drugs. This, combined with the boredom of lying in a bed with nothing to do, oftne leads these folks to tug on their various tubes and wires. Usually this is an aimless sort of tugging - the tube is within reach and so they tug. This causes all sorts of trouble.

Dilution is the solution. I propose the ICU Octopus, a fabric, spiderlike device which would be poised above the bed, or possibly attached to the front of the patient's hospital gown. It would have multiple large terrycloth legs which would lie across the patient. Chance would suggest that the random gropes would encounter an octopus leg rather than an IV or feeding tube. The legs might be attached to springs, to provide a more satisfying tug experience.
-- bungston, May 20 2003

Matrix Octopus - a device with multiple legs of tubes and wires which are attached to humans in the Matrix but don't actually do anything, to make freeing minds more of a hassle and thus buying more time for the sentinels to find the Nebuchadnezzar.
-- calculust, May 20 2003


So, these people are old, sick, and full of mind altering drugs, and you propose a spiderlike device poised above the bed, or possibly attached to the front of their hospital gown. Yep, that should fix the tube-pulling problem all right, they'd pull their own heads off!
-- OnionBread, May 21 2003


Would it carry a spare pen in the bottom center of it?
-- rapid transit, May 24 2003


fidgeting is a huge problem in icu patients. after 48 hours of loss of appropriate sleep patterns due to constant interventions and loss of day/night orientation most develop icu psychosis.

physical or chemical restraints are a terrible last resort , so i think this certainly is worth a shot. i doubt that an appropriately fasioned "octopus" would cause any additional anxiety, especially if theres a pleasurable tactile feedback. could be combined with other interventions aimed at orienting and soothing the patient. (+)
-- xclamp, Aug 18 2004


Different legs could have different stretchinesses.
-- phundug, Aug 20 2004


This might be the strangest thing I've come acrossed here yet. I won't vote against it, but It made my mind shiver.
-- Zimmy, Sep 26 2006


The octopus legs should also be attached to the patient's arm or leg, for some tactile feedback.
-- phundug, Sep 26 2006



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