by
Sean Ruck, Contributing Editor | January 21, 2013
From the January 2013 issue of HealthCare Business News magazine
The system is currently being used at the VA hospitals and post acute areas, but according to Doug Ferguson, director of global marketing for safety solutions with Joern, the technology is beginning to evolve from being a therapy of last resort to a preferred therapy to use at the start of a treatment.
While there are some very involved technical aspects involved in how the bed surface works, in simplistic terms, it works by using advanced sensors to measure airflow and then simulates the density of saltwater. “It’s literally taking air and treating it like a closed system,” says Ferguson.
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Although the technology is highly advanced, it’s not a daunting system for staff to set up. “The caregiver doesn’t have to input any specifics. Because of the sophistication of the technology, the system adjusts to the specific data of each patient. All the caregiver needs to do is keep the battery charged and keep it clean,” says Ferguson.
The technology is also available on wheelchairs and gurneys along with systems specifically designed for OR tables.
Toshiba’s patient transport MR gurney
Beyond beds
Beds aren’t the only furnishings or surfaces patients rest on and in many cases, it’s the transport of patients from one support surface to another that can cause problems not only for the patient, but for staff as well.
Common moves occur between beds and gurneys or gurneys and examination surfaces like MR tables. Recognizing this, Toshiba America Medical Systems developed a solution, revealing a prototype gurney at RSNA 2012.
The gurney’s design allows hospital staff to move a patient into the MR, position them over the MR’s table and then place the gurney’s surface on top of the MR table with the patient ready to scan – without having to transfer the patient. By cutting out that step, the likelihood of an injury to the patient due to a fall, or to staff due to muscle strain, is eliminated.
“Nothing is removed from the fixed table,” says Joel Urick, MR product manager for the company. “The gurney’s surface is separated from the MR tabletop by a ½ inch or less.”
The gurney weighs approximately 295 pounds and can support patients up to 550 pounds. It has foot pedals on the back and side as well as handles to help steer it. Urick says it should be available for delivery by February.
