Hospital stretchers are an important item of furniture in the hospital used for carrying patients, dead or alive. These stretchers ensure the safe transportation of patients to and from the many different areas that each campus has, may it be from the emergency room to inpatient surgery to the post-op recovery area, or whatever the individual case calls for. It is a simple type of litter, and still called by that name in some cases. There are stretchers of different styles to suit the demands of different patients.
Today, hospital stretchers are designed to prevent further injury and facilitate safe movement of the patient onto a fixed hospital bed or examination table. This is accomplished by the specific engineering that modern stretchers incorporate. Every hospital stretcher is built to the strictest standards in the industry, superior welding, incorporating steel construction and designs that combine sturdiness, ease of motion, and comfort for the patient.
Stretchers used in hospitals are of two types
- Stretcher with wheels , also known as stretcher trolley
- Stretcher without wheels
The hospital stretchers used in ambulances have wheels that makes transportation over pavement easier, and have a lock inside the ambulance to secure the victim during transport. The hospital stretchers without wheels are the normal folding stretchers and are the simplest type of stretcher.
Nornal Patient Stretcher
Nornal Patient Stretcher is the most common variety of stretcher used in all hospitals, especially in the general hospitals. This type of stretcher comes without wheels and two or more persons are always required to carry the stretcher with the patient.
The normal patient stretcher is the original version of stretcher used in hospitals. Normal stretchers or folding stretchers, are the simplest type. They are made of two poles and two transversal hinged bars with a cloth stretched between the poles and four feet. The bars can be folded for storing. The bars or the poles are made of various metals. The cloth is canvas material, can be removed and washable.
This kind of stretchers are now rarely used by modern emergency services, but are still widely used by organizations for whom the storage space is an important factor or in general hospitals or hospitals in the rural areas. These stretchers are often used as beds. As normal stretcher has no wheels, it is usually carried by two people, one at the head and the other at the feet. The casualty is placed on the stretcher, and can then be carried away. This usually occurs if the person is unable to walk on his own, or if other requirements like a wheelchair, or similar could not be used. Many times the casualty is strapped down to avoid injuring themselves further.
