Beds – Field stretcher – Combined or convertible
Reexamination Certificate
1999-05-11
2001-01-23
Grosz, Alexander (Department: 3628)
Beds
Field stretcher
Combined or convertible
C005S503100, C005S507100, C005S658000, C128S845000, C224S153000, C224S584000, C312S209000
Reexamination Certificate
active
06175977
ABSTRACT:
FIELD OF THE INVENTION
The invention relates to a system for transporting a sick or injured person between a location at which the person became ill or injured and a medical facility, essentially including a stretcher for carrying the patient as well as medical care devices such as an infusion pump, an oxygen supply device, and a defibrillator, for example.
BACKGROUND INFORMATION
According to the current state of the art and current practice, a person who is sick or injured in an accident for example, generally called a “patient” herein, is typically transported the location at which he became ill or injured to a hospital or other medical facility by emergency medical technicians (EMTs) or other medical or rescue personnel, in a transport vehicle such as an ambulance or medical evacuation aircraft. The patient is carried and supported on a stretcher from the location of illness or injury into the ambulance, during transport in the ambulance, and then from the ambulance into the hospital.
During such transportation of the patient, and especially a seriously ill or seriously injured patient, various first aid and emergency medical response procedures are carried out and administered to the patient. For this purpose, it is often necessary for the EMTs or other personnel to carry along various medical devices such as an infusion pump, an oxygen supply device, a defibrillator, an electrocardiograph (EKG), intravenous (IV) equipment and the like, as well as medical supplies. Conventionally, these medical accessories must be carried by an additional attendant, or in many cases, these devices are simply laid on the stretcher next to the patient or directly onto the body of the patient. Moreover, due to the lack of portability and the limitations of the medical personnel in carrying all of the possibly needed medical accessories, certain medical devices or supplies will not even be carried along, and thus will not be utilized for treating the patient during transport from the location of injury or accident to the medical facility.
The above mentioned situations, of course, detract from the quality of the first aid and emergency medical response procedures being administered to the patient. Moreover, it is difficult or impossible to continuously administer the necessary treatments or to carry out the necessary assessments without interruption from the time the patient is first picked up on the stretcher until the patient is transferred to a hospital bed or the like.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
In view of the above, it is an object of the invention to provide a system for transporting an ill or injured patient that meets the needs of a modern emergency medical response and rescue service and makes it possible to continuously provide the necessary medical treatment and assessment without interruption from the time of picking up the patient at the location of illness or injury until the time of transferring the patient to the hospital or other end destination. It is particularly an object of the invention to provide a stretcher that provides means for storing and carrying along any necessary medical devices, equipment and supplies, without requiring the medical personnel to individually carry the several devices or to place the devices loosely on top of the stretcher or the patient. The invention further aims to avoid or overcome the disadvantages of the prior art, and to achieve additional advantages, as apparent from the present specification.
The above objects have been achieved in a system for transporting a person from a location of illness or injury to a medical facility comprising a stretcher in combination with at least one modularized medical care device, i.e. a medical care module. The medical care module particularly includes a modular housing and a medical care accessory arranged therein, such as an infusion pump, an oxygen supply device, a defibrillator, an electrocardiograph (EKG), an electroencephalograph (EEG), a fetal monitor, or a medical supply kit containing bandages, compresses, splints, antiseptics, IV solutions and equipment, drugs, syringes, and/or medical sharp instruments such as scissors, scalpels, trocars, and the like. The stretcher includes a frame and a patient support surface adapted to support the patient thereon. The stretcher further includes at least one module bay in which the medical care module can be received and carried, and/or at least one module carrier on which the medical care module can be mounted and carried. Particularly, the module bay is embodied as a receiving space below the patient support surface of the stretcher, in which a medical care module may be slidingly received. The module carrier is particularly embodied as a stacking carrier on which one or more medical care modules can be stacked and supported, for example on support bars or cross bars provided at the head end or foot end of the frame of the stretcher. Each medical care module has a standardized external configuration, i.e. a standardized shape and standardized dimensions, so that the several modules can be interchanged and received in any one of the module bays or on the module carrier.
With the inventive system it is especially advantageous that all of the necessary and important medical devices and medical supplies can be carried along directly in or directly on the stretcher. Thus, it is possible to provide an uninterrupted medical care or treatment of the patient continuously from the location at which the patient is first picked up, while carrying the patient on the stretcher into the ambulance or other vehicle, while transporting the patient in the vehicle, and then while carrying the patient from the vehicle to the final destination such as a medical facility. This can be carried out while continuously keeping the various devices connected to the patient, entirely without requiring additional attendants for carrying the various devices and without requiring the EMTs or other medical personnel to carry the devices or balance or otherwise support the devices on the top of the stretcher or on the body of the patient.
Once the patient has been brought to a hospital or other medical facility, the medical devices in the form of medical care modules can remain connected to the patient. When the patient is transferred to a hospital bed, the medical care modules can be transferred from the module bays provided in the stretcher to similarly configured module bays provided in a medical device cabinet that can be portably positioned next to the patient's hospital bed. Alternatively, the module carrier with the modules thereon can be removed from the stretcher and mounted directly on the side rail, headboard or footboard of the patient's hospital bed.
REFERENCES:
patent: 2678792 (1954-05-01), Gallion et al.
patent: 2696963 (1954-12-01), Shepherd
patent: 3427668 (1969-02-01), McManus, Jr.
patent: 3761968 (1973-10-01), Besler
patent: 3954244 (1976-05-01), Gopstein
patent: 4223819 (1980-09-01), Wright
patent: 4352991 (1982-10-01), Kaufman
patent: 4557453 (1985-12-01), McCloskey
patent: 4691397 (1987-09-01), Netzer
patent: 4747172 (1988-05-01), Hobol et al.
patent: 4783109 (1988-11-01), Bucalo
patent: 5573154 (1996-11-01), Tietze
patent: 5634576 (1997-06-01), Arbel
patent: 5860176 (1999-01-01), Norberg
patent: 5918331 (1999-07-01), Hall et al.
patent: 9006453 U (1990-11-01), None
patent: WO96/08218 (1996-03-01), None
Muin Andrew
Schumacher Markus
DaimlerChrysler Aerospace Airbus GmbH
Fasse W. F.
Fasse W. G.
Grosz Alexander
LandOfFree
System for transporting a sick or injured person to a... does not yet have a rating. At this time, there are no reviews or comments for this patent.
If you have personal experience with System for transporting a sick or injured person to a..., we encourage you to share that experience with our LandOfFree.com community. Your opinion is very important and System for transporting a sick or injured person to a... will most certainly appreciate the feedback.
Profile ID: LFUS-PAI-O-2444338