New paramedic assistance device by design engineer

[smiatke]

Hi guys, I am a final year Product Design Engineering student in Melbourne, Australia. I am currently doing a project in the area of ambulance and paramedic services.
I have found that there is a large problem with lifting patients (and especially obese patients) in a prehospital scenario and all though there has been quite a few designs to assist paramedics with this there is currently no great piece of equipment which can lift a patient from ground level up, say to a collapsed stretcher.
I am hoping to design a piece of equipment which can allow paramedics to lift pateints from ground level while minimising the amount of actual physical lifting they are required to do.
Any feedback towards this project or any ideas which you may have would be strongly appreciated! Thanks, Sam

 

[smiatke]

Hi guys, I am a final year Product Design Engineering student in Melbourne, Australia. I am currently doing a project in the area of ambulance and paramedic services.
I have found that there is a large problem with lifting patients (and especially obese patients) in a prehospital scenario and all though there has been quite a few designs to assist paramedics with this there is currently no great piece of equipment which can lift a patient from ground level up, say to a collapsed stretcher.
I am hoping to design a piece of equipment which can allow paramedics to lift pateints from ground level while minimising the amount of actual physical lifting they are required to do.
Any feedback towards this project or any ideas which you may have would be strongly appreciated! Thanks, Sam

 

[Shishkabob]

Pneumatics powered by the D-tank

Hydraulics

Electrically assisted hydraulics


You're the engineering student here!

 

[JPINFV]

How are you quickly and safely going to attach the patient to this device so that they could be lifted.

 

[smiatke]

Hi guys, I am still in a research stage at the moment and am trying to fully understand the problem and the factors that associate with it, and most importantly if workers in the industry beleive there is a real need for such a device. I am interested to find out what features would be necessary for ease of use, portibility, ergonomics etc and maybe what are good and bad features of current equipment which is used for patient lifting and transfer. I intend to get a sound understanding of the issue and what features paramedics beleive to be most importand before I progress to a concept develpment stage.
Thanks so much for your interst so soon!

 

[Shishkabob]

Seeing as how debilitating back injuries are a major cause for early retirement in EMS, I think it's important ^_^


Many European ambulances have lifts so that the medics hardly ever have to do any manual lifting.

Here in the US, it's a lot more rare to have a lift. I've seen some on bariatric rigs for the more... err... hefty, but it's not a common sight.

 

[MusicMedic]

Ive had a Bariatric Call a few times when i was working at an IFT, the best way we did it was call an extra crew and muscle the patient on to the gurney (it was an extra wide gurney and it really wasnt that good for our backs) it would be a nice idea to have a hydrolic lift or somthing like that but it would require lots of delicate engineering and planning.

 

[firetender]

Were you to design an ergonomic gurney that will easily move up to a 350 lb. patient from ground level into an ambulance with minimal stress placed on the medics you'd have 98% of their calls covered.

 

[akflightmedic]

Those stretchers already exist.

The question the student posed was getting them from the ground to the stretcher, which seems at first thought to me more practical in theory than application.

Some one else asked how would you quickly and safely apply said device and under what circumstances would you utilize such a device?

Currently if we cant pick them up from ground to the stretcher, we simply roll them onto a spine board. Does it need to be mroe complicated than this?

If they are too large for a spine board, we roll them onto a man sack (which is basically a heavy duty tarp with sturdy handles around the entire thing so people have lots of choices to grab onto or lots of rescuers can carry).

I agree back injuries are serous and anything which can minimize is a great idea, I simply do not yet comprehend how this particular problem is all that of an issue with the other devices mentioned.


Good Luck!

 

[medic417]

And in England and other places there are ambulances that have back doors that lower flat to the ground you then roll cot onto it. Door lifts flush with ambulance floor you roll cot into ambulance then door raises shut. So combined with power cot only lifting left to do is onto the cot. We need those door lifts in the USA for all the skinny challenged people we have.

 

[mycrofft]

The tricky spot is getting the pt onto the device without injuring them further.

There is a device in hospitals which extends like a 1 inch nylon board with a tapered edge and covered with a plasticized canvas cloth that rolls out with the board as it is slid under the pt, essentially keeping the canvas surface stationary in relation to the pt. This prevents the shearing force to pt backside and clothes as the board slides under. Then the entire deal is retracted onto the gurney, the canvas band keeping still in relation to the board.

A lot of the injury comes not during the lift but during the movement to the vehicle (moving, and controlling over uneven surfaces and elevations).

Linus has the idea, only don't use O2, use CO2 (six times the expansive force at least versus air).

Make it rugged, cheap, narrow enough to fit, light enough to carry, compatible with extant equipment.

PS: to eliminate many EMS calls altogether, make a briefcase size device so pts who fall down but are uninjured can get up again without calling 911. The Bullbag people said they were.looking into it...in 2000.

 

[reaper]

We already have it. It's called a Shamu tarp and extra hands! Easy as can be.

 

[ffemt8978]

Duplicate threads merged.

 

[smiatke]

Hey guys thanks for all the feedback. 'mycrofft', wondering if you knew the name of the device you decribed. It might be worthwhile researching it for my project. thanks again

 

[mycrofft]

I do not think they actually developed it.

Google "bullbag extrication" and sede if you can ask them vias email.
Big barrier to developing any pt care device is it immediately becomes subject to bigger lawsuits than if you sell it as one use but others use it for pt care without your instructins...like blankets, polyethylene tubing, do it yourself plywood backboards...

 

[MrEMT63]

Although this seems like a good idea it really has no practical applications. Given that the patient has no spinal immobilization, the Theoretical lifting device would have to go under the patient. We cant trust that their clothes would be strong enough to pick them up with, if they are even wearing clothes. Therefore, the patient would have to be rolled or lifted into the device. If we do that we are wasting time to put the patient onto the device when we could just lift them to the gurney. If we roll them we should use the backboard, the breakaway flat, or the "giant tarp." We as EMS professionals should also be thinking of patient safety and comfort. Last but not least we need to think of our own safety. We DO NOT bring victims o the scene. One more piece of equipment for us to carry and increase the chance for straining our backs and dropping it on a foot.
Don't get me wrong. I would love that have a tool like this and it is great to see people looking out for us in the business.

 

[mycrofft]

The point is not for EMS to use it, but to prevent EMS being called.

Many calls each year are received from otherwise unijured people who fell and cannot get up without assistance. A very flat pad to roll onto, with handles, which inflates up to about five feet tall would be a godsend to many individuals as well as the people who monitor their lifesaver lockets and 911.