Rescue Strap with Girth Hitch Loops for Safe Patient Lifting

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Solution Overview

Problem

Current methods for rescuing or moving patients, especially large ones, pose risks of back injury to first responders due to inadequate weight distribution and require space for rolling, which may not always be feasible.

Innovation Solution

A rescue strap designed with durable and flexible materials, featuring a top and bottom strap with stitch-work loops, allowing secure lifting from the torso and hips, enabling efficient weight distribution and easy handling by one or more rescuers without the need for rolling.

Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles

VSEngineering Contradiction Analysis

1Ease of operation

If rescuers lift large patients by placing arms under armpits, then patient can be moved, but rescuer is at risk for back injury due to poor weight distribution

Engineering Contradiction:

Improvepatient movement capabilityVSAvoidback injury risk to rescuer

Core Design Contradiction:

Ease of operationVSObject-affected harmful factors

Solution Approach 1:

The rescue strap serves as an intermediary tool between the rescuer and patient. The strap is wrapped around the patient's torso and hips, with the rescuer lifting by gripping the strap ends rather than directly supporting the patient's weight with arms under armpits. This intermediary mechanism distributes the patient's weight across the strap and allows the rescuer to maintain proper lifting form, eliminating direct contact with the patient's body and reducing back injury risk.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #24Intermediary (Mediator)

2Ease of operation

If rescuers use a tarp with handles to move patients, then patient can be transported, but space is required for rolling which may not be available

Engineering Contradiction:

Improvepatient transport capabilityVSAvoidspace requirement for rolling

Core Design Contradiction:

Ease of operationVSArea of stationary object

Solution Approach 1:

The invention extracts the essential function of the tarp (secure attachment and lifting) while removing the cumbersome rolling requirement. The rescue strap is a compact, rollable device that can be quickly deployed without requiring the patient to lie flat or roll onto a large surface. The strap's flexibility and compact storage form eliminate the space requirements associated with traditional tarp methods.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #2Taking out (Extraction)

3Ease of operation

If rescuers lift patients from behind with arms under armpits, then patient can be moved, but grip on patient is poor and other rescuers cannot assist

Engineering Contradiction:

Improvepatient movement capabilityVSAvoidmulti-rescuer coordination capability

Core Design Contradiction:

Ease of operationVSAdaptability or versatility

Solution Approach 1:

The rescue strap is segmented into distinct functional zones: a torso portion wrapped around the upper body and a hips portion wrapped around the lower body. Multiple rescuers can simultaneously grip different sections of the strap at various points along its length, allowing coordinated lifting efforts. This segmentation enables each rescuer to contribute independently to the lifting operation, improving multi-rescuer coordination compared to the single-point grip method.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #1Segmentation

Data Source

PatentUS11471348B2Rescue strap for carrying a patient

Publication Date: 2022.10.18 ROMANG TIMOTHY M

AI summary

A rescue strap is provided with a plurality of strap loops that wraps around the torso of a patient and is fed through one of the strap loops to make a girth hitch around the patient's torso. The rescue strap then wraps around the patient's upper legs and through another strap loop making another girth hitch to lift from the hips.