AMBULANCE STRETCHERS FOR CARRYING OF PATIENTS

The invention relates to an ambulance stretcher for transporation of patients in accordance with the preamble of claim 1, a stretcher according to the preamble of claim 1 being known from SE-B-424 141.

Usually, as ambulance stretcher a stretcher is used, which has two longitudinal frame beams with connecting cross-brackets, which form a supporting frame with bearing wheels in order to facilitate placing the stretcher onto the underframe in the ambulance. Such an underframe in an ambulance can usually be pulled outwards from the inside of the ambulance. Further, these known strechers have telescopically adjustable handles at each end of both frame beams. In addition, there is in the ambulance usually a carrying chair to enable carrying the patient in narrow places. On leaving to fetch a patient who is to be transported by an ambulance, one does not always know beforehand whether the patient has to be transported in prone or, possibly, in sitting position. Furthermore, sometimes the lack of space can make the use of normal ambulance stretchers very complicated or even impossible. This often leads to situations where, for instance, one usually leaves to fetch the patient first with a carrying strecher and establishes on reaching the patient that the situation calls for a carrying chair, which means an extra visit to the ambulance. Therefore, the aim of this invention is to produce such an ambulance strecher for transportation of patients which makes it possible with simple technique to turn the strecher into a carrying chair, whereby additional running about is avoided. In order to achieve this aim, the stretcher according to this invention is characterized in what is presented in the patent claims.

In the following the invention is presented with reference to the enclosed drawings, where

Fig. 1

is a diagrammatic side view of a strecher, as per the invention, in normal carrying stretcher position,

Fig. 2

is a diagrammatic top view of a stretcher, as per fig. 1, where the patient bed is taken off, and

Fig. 3

is a diagrammatic side view of a strecher, as per the invention, turned into carrying chair position,

Fig. 4

is a frame construction that takes the greatest forces.

According to figures 1-3 the strecher has two longitudinal frame beams 2 with an articulated part 20 that divides frame beams into two parts 3a and 3b. The parts 3a and 3b of the frame beams are rigid and so dimensioned that the frame beam part 3b at the patient head end is substantially longer than the frame beam part 3a at the patient foot end. The ratio of the lengths 3b and 3a is, advantageously, about 6:1 and 3:1, suitably about 4,5:1. The frame beams 2 are joined together with cross-brackets 18, which form together with the frame beams 2 a supporting frame. On top of the supporting frame a patient bed is arranged, which is formed of several parts 4, 5, 6 och 7 that are furnished with articulated parts 8, 9, 10 enabling adjustment of the patient bed into a wanted position. In addition, the patient bed is fitted with supporting means 11, 13 in the supporting frame and in the disclosed embodiment joined to parts 5 and 7 of the patient bed. There can, of course, be a greater number of such supporting means and the their construction can be anything wanted, which allows turning the different parts of the patient bed into wanted angular positions. For instance, the patient head end of patient bed 4 is advantageously furnished, on both sides, with a supporting rod (not shown), which is at its one end articulated close to top end lower edge (the outmost top end edge) and from its other end articulated in the frame beam part 3b. In addition, this support rod is advantageously furnished with handles at the top end 4 in order to facilitate carrying the stretcher in sitting position. The articulated point in part 3b of the frame beam is advantageously furnished with locking means, by means of which the stretcher is made more rigid in its sitting position. At both ends of frame beam 2 there are bearing wheels 14, which are mostly used to facilitate the placing of the stretcher into the ambulance. Usually, the ambulance is furnished with a stretcher underframe with locking means which, due to interlocking with the axle journals of the bearing wheels, anchor the stretcher to the underframe during transportation. At both ends of frame beam 2 there are telescopically adjustable handles 16. With the articulated part 20 the supporting frame is divided into a supporting part 30 at the patient foot end and a frame part 31 at the patient head end. The supporting part 30 at the patient foot end can be folded backwards under frame part 31 and locked into a wanted angular position with respect to frame part 31. The angular position illustrated in figure 3 is marked α.

Further, the supporting part 30 at the patient foot end is equipped with transport wheels 15 fastened, for instance, by means of a supporting plate 24 to the frame beam part 3a. The transport wheel 15 has a substantially bigger diameter than the bearing wheels 14 at both frame beam ends. The transport wheels 15 enable pushing a sitting patient with the stretcher folded into sitting position or, upon need, pushing the stretcher also in the position of a carrying stretcher.

Furthermore, the stretcher according to this invention is furnished with adjusting and/or locking means 22, 23 in order to adjust and lock the stretcher into a wanted angular position. In the illustrated embodiment an arch 22, with the function of adjusting/locking means, is articulated to the head end part 3b of both frame beams and this arch reaches between both frame beams. In sitting position the lower edge of arch 22 hits against the stoppers 23 in the foot end part 3b of both frame beams. In this embodiment there are three of such stoppers. In the embodiment illustrated in the figure, where the stretcher is folded into sitting position, the patient bed is comprised of a support 4 in the foot end, which rests against the ground when the stretcher is parked. In addition, in the articulated 20 area of the foot end part 3b of frame beam 2 a support 19 is arranged that leans against the ground when the stretcher is parked and folded into sitting position.

Further, the stretcher has locking means in order to lock the supporting foot end part 30 of the supporting frame and the head end of the spporting part 31 into an angular position of 180°, where the frame beam parts 3a and 3b form, essentially, a straight frame beam.

Figure 4 shows a stretcher frame construction, where beams 2 are throughout rigid. The beams are joined together with supporting parts 18. Two adjacent supporting parts 18a in the middle section of the stretcher are connected with two supporting rods 34, at the ends of which there are hinges 35 to allow articulated fixing of patient bed parts 5 and 7 to them. Further, the supporting parts are connected with an auxiliary frame 32, at both ends of which points of attachment are arranged for supporting rods 11 and 36, by means of which the patient bed parts 5 and 7 are supported in different angles with respect to the stretcher frame. Part 6 of the patient bed is firmly fixed onto supporting rod 34. All forces from the patient are directed to this part between supporting parts 18a, which is made rigid by auxiliary frame 32 and supporting rods 34. Only this part of the frame must be made rigid, among others rigid against torsion, so it would sustain its original level also by inclined loading. The frame becomes light when the points of force application are concentrated to one single rigid and rather small part. Other parts of the frame can be dimensioned for smaller forces. The disclosed frame part is applicable also to the constructions as per figures 1 - 3.

When glass fibre is used as stretcher material, which is insulator, a non-conducting construction is produced and voltage pulses given are not conducted from the patient through the stretcher to a dangerous environment, as for example a car.