STRETCHER

Abstract

A stretcher is provided that may include a patient support, a base, a connection member being pivotally connected to the patient support and pivotally connected to the base such that the patient support, the base, and the connection member can form a Z-shape with a first angle at the corner of the Z-shape between the patient support and the connection member and a second angle at the other corner of the Z between the base and the connection member, a first angle adjustment device for controlling the first angle, and a second angle adjustment device for controlling the second angle such that the first angle adjustment device and the second angle adjustment device can be operated independently of each other. A method of loading and unloading a stretcher from an ambulance is also provided.

Claims

1. A stretcher, the stretcher comprising: a patient support; a base; a connection member, the connection member being pivotally connected to the patient support and pivotally connected to the base such that the patient support, the base and the connection member can form a Z-shape with a first angle at the corner of the Z-shape between the patient support and the connection member and a second angle at the other corner of the Z between the base and the connection member; a first angle adjustment device for controlling the first angle; and a second angle adjustment device for controlling the second angle, wherein the first angle adjustment device and the second angle adjustment device can be operated independently of each other so that the first angle and second angle can be controlled independently.

2. A stretcher according to claim 1, wherein the stretcher is movable into a first position in which the patient support and the base are substantially parallel to each other and separated from each other to form the Z shape with the connection member.

3. A stretcher according to claim 2, wherein the stretcher is movable into a second position in which the base and patient support are angled relative to each other.

4. A stretcher according to claim 3, wherein in the second position the base is in a position so that during loading of the stretcher into an ambulance it can at one end be in contact with the floor of an ambulance and at the other opposite end be in contact with the surface from which the stretcher is being loaded.

5. A stretcher according to claim 3, wherein the stretcher comprises a support wheel, wherein the support wheel is arranged so as to be in contact with the ground when the stretcher is in the second position and is being loaded into an ambulance.

6. A stretcher according to claim 3, wherein the stretcher is movable into a third position in which the patient support and the base are substantially parallel to each other and in close proximity to other.

7. A stretcher according to any preceding claim 1, wherein the pivotal connection between the connection member and the patient support is in a fixed position relative to the patient support and/or wherein the pivotal connection between the connection member and the base is in a fixed position relative to the base.

8. A stretcher according to claim 1, wherein the patient support comprises one or more loading wheels that are located on the underside of the patient support.

9. A stretcher according to claim 1, wherein the length of the base is shorter than the length of the patient support.

10. A stretcher according to claim 1, wherein the base is shaped so that when one end of the base is in contact with the floor of the ambulance and the other end of the base is in contact with the ground from which the stretcher is being loaded, the stretcher can be pushed into the ambulance so that at least 50% of the weight of the stretcher can be inside the ambulance before the back edge of the ambulance floor meets the underside of the base.

11. A stretcher according to claim 1, wherein the first angle adjustment device is an actuators that is arranged so as to be able to control and hold a certain angle between the patient support and the connection member and the second angle adjustment device is an actuator that is arranged so as to be able to control and hold a certain angle between the base and the connection member.

12. A stretcher according to claim 11, wherein the actuators use pressurised air as a propellant.

13. A method of loading a stretcher into an ambulance, the method comprising: providing a stretcher comprising: a patient support; a base; and a connection member, the connection member being pivotally connected to the patient support and pivotally connected to the base such that the patient support, the base and the connection member can form a Z-shape with a first angle at the corner of the Z-shape between the patient support and the connection member and a second angle at the other corner of the Z between the base and the connection member; loading one end of the patient support into the ambulance; adjusting one of the angles so that the base is angled relative to the patient support; loading a first end of the base into the ambulance whilst a second end of the base is in contact with the ground; moving the stretcher further into the ambulance; adjusting the other angle so that the base is substantially parallel to the patient support; and moving the stretcher entirely into the ambulance.

14. A method of unloading a stretcher from an ambulance, the method comprising providing a stretcher comprising: a patient support; a base; and a connection member, the connection member being pivotally connected to the patient support and pivotally connected to the base such that the patient support, the base and the connection member can form a Z-shape with a first angle at the corner of the Z-shape between the patient support and the connection member and a second angle at the other corner of the Z between the base and the connection member; moving the stretcher so that it is partially out of the ambulance; adjusting one of the angles so that the base is angled relative to the patient support so that one end of the base is in contact with the ground whilst the other end is in contact with the floor of the ambulance; moving the stretcher further out of the ambulance until the base is no longer in contact with the floor of the ambulance; adjusting the other of the angles so that the base is substantially parallel to the patient support and in contact at each end with the ground; and moving the stretcher entirely out of the ambulance.

15. A stretcher according to claim 1, further comprising a handle that is pivotally connected to the stretcher, the handle being movable between a stored position in which the handle is substantially parallel to the end of the stretcher and a deployed position in which the handle extends away from the end of the stretcher, wherein, when the handle is moved from the stored position to the deployed position the handle does not extend beyond the side of the stretcher.

Description

[0074] Certain preferred embodiments of the present invention will now be described by way of example only with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which:

[0075] FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a stretcher;

[0076] FIG. 2 is a side view of the stretcher;

[0077] FIG. 3 is a side view of the stretcher during loading into or unloading from an ambulance;

[0078] FIG. 4 is a side view of the stretcher at a different stage of loading into or unloading from an ambulance;

[0079] FIG. 5 is a perspective view of the stretcher during loading into or unloading from an ambulance;

[0080] FIG. 6 is a perspective view of a second stretcher;

[0081] FIG. 7 is a side view of the second stretcher;

[0082] FIG. 8 is a side view of the second stretcher during loading into or unloading from an ambulance;

[0083] FIG. 9 is a side view of the second stretcher at a different stage of loading into or unloading from an ambulance;

[0084] FIG. 10 is a perspective view of the second stretcher during loading into or unloading from an ambulance;

[0085] FIG. 11 is a perspective view of the second stretcher with a bed attached.

[0086] FIG. 1 shows a stretcher 1 which is used to facilitate the loading and unloading of a patient into or from an ambulance. The stretcher 1 comprises a patient support 2, a base 4 and a connection member 6. A bed 130 on which a patient will sit or lie in use may be provided on the patient support 2 (an example stretcher with the bed 130 is shown in FIG. 11).

[0087] The base 4 may have an angled or raised portion 5 as shown most clearly in FIG. 2 which facilitates loading and unloading the stretcher into or from an ambulance (as shown for example in FIGS. 3 and 5).

[0088] The connection member 6 is pivotally connected at one end to the patient support 6 to form a first angle 8 and pivotally connected at the other end to a base 4 to form a second angle 10. The connections are such that the patient support 2, the connection member 6 and the base 4 can form a Z shape as shown in FIGS. 1 and 2.

[0089] The first angle 8 can be controlled using a first angle adjustment device, actuator 12 and the second angle 10 can be controlled using a second angle adjustment device, actuator 14. The first actuator 12 and the second actuator 14 may be operated independently so that the size of first angle 8 and the size of second angle 10 can be controlled and set independently. The first angle 8 may be adjusted without adjusting the second angle 10 and the second angle 10 may be adjusted without adjusting the first angle 8.

[0090] In normal operation the stretcher 1 may assume the position shown in FIGS. 1 and 2 in which the base 4 and the patient support 2 are substantially parallel to each other and located a distance from each other (for example between 0.5 and 1.5 m depending on the height it is desired to have the patient).

[0091] The stretcher 1 may comprise one or more handles 16. The handles 16 are pivotally connected to the patient support 2 and may be moved between a stowed position as shown on the left-hand side of FIG. 1 and a deployed position as shown on the right-hand side of FIG. 1 as desired. The handles 16 are arranged so that when they are moved between the stowed position and deployed position, or vice versa, they never extend beyond the sides of the stretcher 1. This is so that the handles 16 can be deployed and stowed even when the stretcher is in a narrow space.

[0092] The patient support 2 comprises two loading wheels 18 near one end. This is the end that will be first loaded into an ambulance in use as described in more detail below.

[0093] The base 4 comprises four base wheels 20. These wheels 20 are the wheels which will be in contact with the ground during normal wheeling operation of the stretcher. The base 4 also comprises two support wheels 22. These are the wheels which may be in contact with the ground during loading or unloading of the stretcher 1 from an ambulance. The base 4 may also comprise two base loading wheels 24. These are the wheels which may be in contact with the floor of the ambulance during loading or unloading of the stretcher 1.

[0094] When it is desired to load the stretcher 1 into an ambulance first the height of the patient support 2 may be adjusted so that it is at the correct height to be wheeled into the ambulance. This is achieved by adjusting both the angles 8 and 10 simultaneously using the actuators 12, 14 to increase or decrease the angles to adjust the height of the patient support 2.

[0095] Once the patient support 2 is at the desired height the first end of the patient support 2 can be wheeled into the back of the ambulance so that the loading wheels 18 are received on the surface of the ambulance to which the stretcher is to be loaded.

[0096] The second actuator 14 may then be operated to reduce the second angle 10 so that one end (the end to be loaded into the ambulance first) of the base 4 moves towards the patient support 2 until it is in the position shown in FIG. 3. The stretcher 1 may then be pushed further into the ambulance and the base loading wheels 24 are received on the floor of the ambulance. At this point, part of the weight of the stretcher 1 will be supported by the support wheels 22 or base wheels 20 which are at the end of the base 4 which is not yet loaded into the ambulance.

[0097] The stretcher 1 may then be pushed into the ambulance until at least 50% of the weight of the stretcher 1 (and patient if present) is in the ambulance. The first actuator 12 may then be operated to reduce the first angle 8 until the base 4 is located near and substantially parallel to the patient support 2 as shown in FIG. 4.

[0098] The stretcher 1 may then be pushed entirely into the ambulance.

[0099] The unloading of the stretcher 1 from the ambulance may be the opposite of the loading method described above.

[0100] The floor of the ambulance may be provided with rails as shown most clearly in FIG. 5 which facilitates the loading and unloading of the present stretcher 1. The patient support loading wheels 18 and the base loading wheels 24 may be positioned on the stretcher to be received on the rails as shown in FIG. 5 whilst the base wheels 20 may be received between the rails.

[0101] FIGS. 6 to 11 show another stretcher. Features of this second stretcher 100 which are the same as the first stretcher 1 shown in FIGS. 1 to 5 will not be described again. Instead, the main features which are different in this second stretcher 100 will be described.

[0102] The second stretcher 100 has a first angle adjustment device 112 and a second angle adjustment device 114 which are each a separate motor. As with the first stretcher the first angle adjustment device 112 and a second angle adjustment device 114 may be operated independently so that the size of first angle 8 and the size of second angle 10 can be controlled and set independently.

[0103] Each motor 112, 114, is coaxial with the axis of the respective pivotal connection. Each motor may control the pivotal connection so as to adjust the respective angle.

[0104] The second stretcher 100 comprises a cross bar 126 which extends between and connects the pair of loading wheels 18 provided at one end of the patient support. Further, each loading wheel is supported by an oblique (oblique relative to the patient support) support bar 128. This may increase the strength of the loading wheels.