Medical Uses for Stretchers

Often used in hospitals, by rescue personnel and law enforcement officers, stretchers are an invaluable tool in securing the safety of an injured person when transporting him, and accommodating ease of accessibility for medical personnel. There are various types of stretchers you can use depending upon the particular purpose it will serve and the location of the person it is to be used on. For medical purposes, a stretcher is an invaluable tool.

Transporting to the Hospital

• Stretchers are used by emergency medical personnel to transport wounded persons from the point of the accident in a manner that exposes an injured person to the least possible amount of pain and movement. A stretcher is employed to minimize the handling of a patient when removing her from peril. Its use can minimize the danger of shock and further injury by securing a patient to complete the transfer to a rescue vehicle. Spine boards are used in instances where trauma to the spine may be suspected as it helps to immobilize the spine. Obese persons are often placed upon Reeves stretchers which flex and minimize discomfort while facilitating multiple medical personnel to lift and carry.

Patient Safety

• Rescue vehicles employ stretchers to maximize the safety of a patient in transport while allowing medical personnel the ability to access and treat injuries. These stretchers typically have a locking mechanism to prevent them from moving with the vehicle and prevent medical personnel from injury while they are working. Straps that hold a patient in place on the stretcher during transport are a further way of preventing patients from aggravating injuries while on the way to a treatment facility. Many stretchers are insulated to assist in the prevention of hypothermia in transit.

Transportation Inside the Hospital

• Hospitals and doctors often use stretchers to make it easier to transport a patient to treatment while minimizing the potential for further injury by potentially harmful movement. Patients who are scheduled for surgical procedures are often placed on stretchers while being moved to the various areas where they will be treated and are useful in allowing medical personnel to transfer patients to examination or surgical tables as the height of the device may be adjusted to assist in lifting a patient.

Stretchers as Beds

• Stretchers are also employed as convenient and space-saving accommodation for patients in hospitals where beds may be otherwise unavailable. They are also valuable in ensuring that the patient is at a height which allows for ease of treatment when performing injections, transfusions or other important medical procedures.