One Person Stretcher Lower (without patient)

bnn987

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Total FNG Question: I've seen this done before on a basic Stryker unit (without a patient of course) and I've never been able to find it. Can anyone explain where the release is? It looks like a button on handle on the side that I can never find.
 
On ours it's a lever just like at the feet of the gurney on the right side about mid-way down the stretcher.
 
No offense but I feel ridiculous even answering this lol.

Stryker makes everything so blatantly obvious. If its red, it makes something more...

Its on the right side towards the foot end of the guard rails.
 
I wouldn't call it blatantly obvious. It's fairly obscured by the mattress pad if you don't know where you're looking.

I think he thought it was on the side rail
 
OP- it's kinda one of those "once you see it in person" type things... couldn't you ask your partner or a coworker?

FWIW, it's generally on one side under the mattress (not both sides- you might not be able to find it if you're looking on the wrong side!) and you can help counterbalance the weight by putting your foot on the lower bar so you have enough leverage to lower it on your own.
 
The middle release is optional of I'm not mistaken, so the OPs stretchers may not have it.
 
The middle release is optional of I'm not mistaken, so the OPs stretchers may not have it.

If my company has them, they have to be on the most basic of models :rofl:
 
No offense but I feel ridiculous even answering this lol.

Stryker makes everything so blatantly obvious. If its red, it makes something more...

Its on the right side towards the foot end of the guard rails.

*MOVE


More would be nice sometimes, but at this time, red only makes it move. :)
 
mine has a cute little (-) button, right next to the cute little (+) button. but seriously, there is a handle on the side in the middle behind the frame. pull it in, lift then lower. if you have the X-frame design (the legs look like an X not an H) you can tip it up so the load wheels are on the ground then pull in the regular release and lower that way, it is much safer for you back.
 
Only x frame Stykers have it to my knowledge. H frames don't.. i think. And you can raise it as well solo with that side lever. I've never seen an Xframe without it (manual gurneys only)
 
This is why when I had a ride along, if I had time I took the mattress off to teach them about the gurney. With anything mechanical, it's always best to learn how it works, not just how to use it.
 
With anything mechanical, it's always best to learn how it works, not just how to use it.

I wish more people understood this
 
I wish more people understood this


It's amazing what you learn from playing with things and learning how it works. For example, teaching people about how you can silent test the Whelen sirens.
 
It's amazing what you learn from playing with things and learning how it works. For example, teaching people about how you can silent test the Whelen sirens.

Really?
 
Check to make sure your model is on the list. The majority of the ones for the companies I've worked for was from the line that had them, but...


Two different real time diagnostic tests include: Continuous dynamic testing during normal siren operations and a unique silent test while in the "Radio" mode with the "Manual" button depressed. During either operation, one or both red LED lamps will extinguish instantly upon sensing a siren or speaker(s) malfunction.
Si-Test® instantly assures you of proper warning capability and two speaker operation for high risk situations. It also eliminates the need for annoying siren "blasts" during vehicle inspections or shift changes. Only Whelen offers this "silent" testing, day or night.


http://www.whelen.com/_AUTOMOTIVE/details_prod.php?head_id=9&cat_id=66&prod_id=186#
 
On both the stryker and ferno x frames I've used, it's on the patient right if the patient was on the furney, it's a handle you can pull with you right hand as if you were on the patient right by their head. It is a red handle that is underneath. With gurney all the way up, just go to the right sit down, and look under the gurney to see it.

If it's an H frame, you can still raise and lower without a partner, but H frames are outta style I think and they don't make parts for them I heard. On the H frame, there is no switch like on the X frame, you still use the one where the patient feets would be. I I go to the patients left, by the feet, I put my right fiot onto the undercarriage, I use my left hand to pull the trigger, I then lift the with my left arm until the wheel of the gurney on that side is off the ground and I hear a click, you should feel it be able to lower. Let go of the switch when you want it to stop. To raise with out a patient, I go to the feet as if I had a partner, but instead I tip the furney onto where the head is at, and I keep lifting up until the undercarriage drops.

You could hurt yourself doing any of this especially if you haven't been trained to do it.

There are no H frames for me at the company I work at to demonstrate this by video. I know of a volunteer organization with an H frame so next time I see this, I might record a demonstration.
 
Awesome! Thanks for the tip.
 
In theory, the history of that side latch pre-dates the foot latch. Watch old movies with EMS... The Ferno Model 21's were a 2-man load, with one on each side of the cot. As the X-frame model 30 came into existence, it kept this mechanism for loading in/out and adjusting the height. It wasn't until the first Model 35's appeared that X-frame cots were designed to be loaded from the foot end.

Look around hospitals, nursing homes, prisons, and training centers. Bet you'll find more than a few Model 30's still in use today.
 
Another thing with one person stretchers is if you need to load or unload an unloaded gurney, that can also be done one man.

To pull out, pull the stretcher out so that the catch bar catches on the hook, squat down (keep your back straight), pull the release bar, stand up, release the release bar. The procedure to load follows the same principle.
 
The side release lever is on the side that the foot end levers are on. So not all are on the right. If the feet levers are on the left then the side lever will be on the left.

Just saying.
 
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