Patient Transport Base Stabilizer for Cantilevered Litter Docking
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Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional patient transport systems, such as cots and stair chairs, often require patients to be transferred between different apparatuses, leading to inefficiencies and increased handling risks during transport, especially when moving between floors in healthcare settings.
Innovation Solution
A patient transport apparatus with a base and litter system that includes a trolley and stabilizer, allowing for vertical configuration changes and cantilevered positioning to facilitate seamless docking and undocking, enabling efficient movement between floor surfaces and staircases without the need for patient transfer.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Adaptability or versatility
If conventional separate patient transport apparatuses (cot and stair chair) are used, then each apparatus can perform its specialized function, but the patient must be transferred between apparatuses causing inefficiency and increased handling risks
Solution Approach 1:
The patent combines a cot and stair chair into a single integrated patient transport apparatus. The cot includes a base with a litter support surface and a stair chair assembly that can be positioned at the foot end of the litter, allowing the same apparatus to function as both a cot for horizontal transport and a stair chair for vertical transport up or down stairs.
Solution Approach 2:
The integrated apparatus provides multiple functions: it can transport patients horizontally as a cot, vertically up or down stairs as a stair chair, and can be configured in different positions (e.g., the stair chair can be at the head end or foot end of the litter). This multi-functionality eliminates the need for separate apparatuses and intermediate patient transfers.
2Reliability
If conventional separate patient transport apparatuses are used, then each apparatus is optimized for its specific use, but patient handling time and risk increase due to required transfers
Solution Approach 1:
By merging the cot and stair chair into one apparatus, the patient remains on the same device throughout transport operations, eliminating the need for intermediate transfers between separate apparatuses. This continuous support reduces handling time and minimizes safety risks associated with patient transfers.
3Ease of operation
If the litter is cantilevered off the foot end of the base to facilitate docking and undocking, then litter docking is simplified, but the base becomes less stable
Solution Approach 1:
The stabilizer is designed to be dynamically deployable - it can be extended when needed during litter docking or undocking operations to provide additional support and stability, and retracted when not needed to avoid interfering with operations. This dynamic adjustment allows the base to maintain stability while still facilitating easy litter docking.
Solution Approach 2:
The stabilizer acts as an intermediary element between the base and the floor surface. When deployed, it provides an additional contact point with the floor to brace the base and prevent tipping or instability during litter docking or undocking operations, effectively mediating the stability issue caused by the cantilevered configuration.
Data Source
AI summary
A patient transport apparatus for patients. The patient transport apparatus comprises a base having a base frame and an intermediate frame. The patient support further comprises a litter configured to be docked to and undocked from a trolley that is configured to slidably translate along the intermediate frame between a plurality of positions including a trolley forward position and a trolley docking position. The litter is configured to be supported by the base in a cantilevered position when the trolley is in the trolley docking position. The base includes a stabilizer that is configured for movement between a retracted configuration and a deployed configuration. In the deployed configuration the stabilizer engages a floor surface to brace the base at an additional point of contact with the floor surface to stabilize the base when the litter is in the cantilevered position.