An ambulance cot and cot loading and unloading system for an emergency vehicle comprises a cot having a head end, a base for mounting to a deck of an emergency vehicle, a track mounted for linear movement along said base, and an arm mounted for linear movement along said track from a retracted position to an extended position. The arm is and configured to engage the cot, and wherein when the track is extended along the base and the arm is extended along the track the arm is extended from the base in an extended position and is configured for lifting the cot and providing cantilevered support to the cot while in the extended position.

A patient transport apparatus for moving a patient from one location to another. The patient transport apparatus comprises a suspension system to limit discomfort to the patient when the patient transport apparatus moves over disturbances in floor surfaces. The suspension system comprises suspension devices such as a spring and/or a damper. The suspension system is operable in an energy-absorbing mode in which the suspension system absorbs energy as wheels move over the disturbances during transport or a lockout mode in which the suspension system is relatively more rigid as compared to the energy-absorbing mode. A control system operates to place the suspension system in one of the modes.

A patient transport apparatus for use with a vehicle, comprising a lift mechanism between a base and a support frame to move between an extended configuration defining a first distance and a retracted configuration defining a second distance. An interface generates a user signal. A sensor generates a sensor signal corresponding to force acting on the base relative to the support frame. A controller determines if the user signal corresponds to an extend or retract command; determines if the force acting on the base has exceeded a predetermined threshold value based on the sensor signal; drives the lift mechanism toward the extended configuration where the user signal corresponds to the extend command and toward the retracted configuration where the user signal corresponds to the retract command; and interrupts driving the lift mechanism to stop motion of the lift mechanism in response to the sensor signal exceeding the predetermined threshold value.

A patient support apparatus comprises a litter and a base configured to receive and support the litter when the litter is docked to the base in a docked state. A foot end extension is coupled to a foot end of an intermediate frame of the base, with the foot end extension defining an extended position wherein at least a portion of the foot end extension extends outwardly beyond the foot end of the litter in a direction opposite the head end of the intermediate frame when the litter and base are in the docked state. The foot end extension includes a top surface that is axially aligned with a substantially flat configuration of the litter in the extended position. The foot end extension can be fixedly coupled in the extended position or movably coupled to the intermediate frame and movable between the extended position and a non-extended position.

A system is disclosed including a transporter, having a top load bearing surface or bed, and four wheeled articulating legs, that may be operated by a single user/operator, and can be lowered or raised by changing the lengths or angles of its legs while maintaining the transporter bed level. The legs that may be folded up to be loaded onto or unloaded from a truck bed, or a stationary platform, by a single operator while carrying heavy load. The loading and unloading process is assisted by various safety brakes that prevent accidental slippage of the transporter off the truck bed. The legs' angles are changed using a dual-threaded lead screw. The transporter further includes two edge detectors on the front-end and the rear-end to detect the edge of the truck bed automatically, and prepare the folding of the transporter legs for loading onto the truck bed.

Embodiments of a cot comprise a support frame, legs coupled to the support frame, at least one hydraulic actuator configured to raise or lower the legs, and a manual release system coupled to the at least one actuator and configured to lower the cot manually at a controlled descent rate. The manual release system comprises a manual actuation component, a manual release valve operable to be opened upon actuation by the manual actuation component, a fluid reservoir operable to receive hydraulic fluid from the at least one actuator upon opening of the manual valve; and a flow regulator configured to control the flow rate of the hydraulic fluid into the fluid reservoir, wherein the release of hydraulic fluid into the fluid reservoir at the controlled flow rate is configured to manually lower the cot at the controlled descent rate.

A patient support system with chest compression system and harness assembly with sensor system. The harness assembly secures shoulders and hips of the patient on a patient support surface during transport. A chest compression system is integrated into the harness assembly in a manner that provides chest compressions to the patient while the patient is secured on the patient support surface. The tension of the harness assembly is selectively adjusted and/or a fluid bladder may be selectively expanded. A controller is in communication with the chest compression system and controls operation of the chest compression system. The sensor system is integrated into the harness assembly and in communication with the controller. The chest compression system may be removable from the harness assembly via an adapter. The chest compression system may be integrated into the patient support apparatus to secure the patient to the patient support surface while providing chest compressions.

A power ambulance cot having a cot control system operably connected to a cot actuation system to control independent raising and lowering of front and back legs thereof, and which detects a presence of a signal requesting a change in elevation of a support frame thereof and causes the cot actuation system to raising or the lowering of the front and/or back legs automatically upon detecting a condition during loading/unloading a patient from an emergency vehicle or transporting the patient up or down an escalator and methods thereafter are disclosed.

According to one embodiment, a roll-in cot may include a support frame, a pair of back legs, a pair of front legs, and a cot actuation system. The pair of back legs and the pair of front legs can be slidingly coupled to the support frame. Each of the pair of front legs can include a front wheel and an intermediate load wheel. The intermediate load wheel is offset from the front wheel by a load wheel distance. A front actuator can raise the pair of front legs such that the front wheel and the intermediate load wheel of each of the pair of front legs are aligned along a loading level. The intermediate load wheel of each of the pair of front legs can be offset from the pair of back legs by a loading span. The load wheel distance can be greater than the loading span.

A harness system for a patient transport apparatus. The harness system comprises one or more harness assemblies. Each harness assembly comprises a flexible restraint member formed of a coated fabric and comprising one or more joints in which stitches join sections of the coated fabric. Covers are attached to the coated fabric over the stitches to provide a barrier to outside contaminants and to ease cleaning of the flexible restraint member.