A Novel First Aid Stretcher for Immobilization and Transportation of Spine Injured Patients

Abstract

Effective immobilization and transportation are vital to the life-saving acute medical care needed when treating critically injured people. However, the most common types of stretchers used today are wrought with problems that can lead to further medical complications, difficulty in employment and rescue, and ineffective transitions to hospital treatment. Here we report a novel first aid stretcher called the “emergency carpet”, which solves these problems with a unique design for spine injured patients. Polyurethane composite material, obtained by a novel process of manually mixing isocyanate and additives, can be poured into a specially designed fabric bag and allowed to harden to form a rigid human-shaped stretcher. The effectiveness of the emergency carpet was examined in the pre-hospital management of victims with spinal fractures. Additionally, it was tested on flat ground and complex terrain as well as in the sea and air. We demonstrated that the emergency carpet can be assembled and solidified on the scene in 5 minutes, providing effective immobilization to the entire injured body. With the protection of the emergency carpet, none of the 20 patients, who were finally confirmed to have spinal column fracture or dislocation, had any neurological deterioration during transportation. Furthermore, the carpet can be handled and transported by multiple means under differing conditions, without compromising immobilization. Finally, the emergency carpet allows the critically injured patient to receive multiple examinations such as X-ray, CT, and MRI without being removed from the carpet. Our results demonstrate that the emergency carpet has ideal capabilities for immobilization, extrication, and transportation of the spine injured patients. Compared with other stretchers, it allows for better mobility, effective immobilization, remarkable conformity to the body, and various means for transportation. The emergency carpet is promising for its intrinsic advantages in the pre-hospital management of accident victims.

Extrication techniques of entrapped car crash victims: a scoping review

“…A novel first aid stretcher for immobilization and transportation of spine injured patients (37) Observational Science Direct Grade B/3e…”

“…Regarding the devices used to assist in the victim's extrication, according to the retrieved studies, cervical collar (15)(16)(24)(25)(28)(29)(30)(31)(32)(33)(34)(35)(36) , long spine board (14)(15)(16)(24)(25)(26)(28)(29)(30)(31)33,36) , short spine board (14,(29)(30)(31) , head block (15)(16)24,33) , vacuum stretcher (16,26,(35)(36)(37) , scoop stretcher (14,26,28) , and Kendrick Extrication Device (KED) stand out (15)(16)22,(25)(26)30,36) .…”

“…It should be noted that immobilization on a long spine board is not the preferred method and, therefore, emergency service providers often perform spinal immobilization with injury mechanism as the only indication (42) . KED (21,24,(37)(38)(39) is a low-flexibility device that fixes the patient's trunk, legs and head in order to prevent movement. It consists of three straps on the torso, an additional strap for the groin and another strap that goes over the forehead.…”

“…A vacuum stretcher is a flexible polystyrene bag that becomes rigid with the application of the vacuum (37) . In Europe, this device, in combination with a rigid neck brace, is a common option for immobilization (16) .…”

Management strategies for acute spinal cord injury

“…The presence of an unstable spinal injury must be suspected in any patient who sustained a high-energy trauma mechanism, independent of a neurological impairment [43 & ]. In the prehospital setting, the management of patients with suspected spine injuries consists of complete immobilization, exact documentation and timing of the clinical findings, and immediate evacuation to a designated level 1 trauma centre [45,46]. In the prehospital setting, the management of patients with suspected spine injuries consists of complete immobilization, exact documentation and timing of the clinical findings, and immediate evacuation to a designated level 1 trauma centre [45,46].…”