Ambulances now have winches and ramps

[MSDeltaFlt]

point made. I understand about safety. But why won't the regular cots hold the heavier pt.? The ones used around here have electronic lift with a battery pack out of like a cordless drill and they can lift almost 1500 lbs. The EMS director says that it is not uncommon to roll someone into the ER with 2 or 3 people on top of them doing CPR, taking vitals, etc. Has anyone ever seen this? I mean, it's cramped enough for me to get on there (back when I had that stinkin' head on wreck I measured 6'2'' and had freakishly wide shoulders. Now I'm 6'4'' and still have really wide shoulders. How can you have room for 3 people on there when 1 person does good to fit on?

Because those stretchers are only guarranteed to hold up to 500lbs or whatever is listed on it. Any heavier and they cannot guarrantee that the stretcher will work properly. If it bends, it won't lock. If it won't lock, it won't be secure as you travel down the road to the hospital. As it is not secure enroute, it won't be still while you are working on the pt. Kinda hard to start an IV, cardiovert, and/or intubate a moving target.

Add to that the fact that standard EMS stretchers are very narrow making them very top heavy with an obese pt on them. Imagine a 450lb pt on a stretcher and it hits a curb wrong tipping it over. Usually only one thing will stop that very large pt from falling. And it is called "the ground". When that happens, personal lawyers tend to start drooling.

Picture this situation and I'm sure everything will begin to make more and more sense.

 

[usafmedic45]

But why won't the regular cots hold the heavier pt.?

Basic structural integrity. Also the fact that the rated weight is not the absolute weight it will tolerate. The manufacturers purposely lowball the figure to provide a margin of safety.

How can you have room for 3 people on there when 1 person does good to fit on?

Normally, they aren't "on" the cot but are rather standing on the undercarriage of and riding the side of the cot. Now occasionally you might see someone straddle a patient but I have only seen it a handful of times (often when TV news cameras are nearby) and done it once (when I had my hand in a would on a guy's groin holding pressure on a severed femoral artery). I've never seen more than one person "riding" the cot along with the patient at a time but that doesn't mean it does not happen from time to time.

As Mike said, it makes a cot even more top heavy and I've seen one blown over in a strong crosswind with a patient on it. Thankfully the patient (a 70+ year old guy) had a sense of humor and looked at us and goes "So what do I owe you guys for thrill ride?"

 

[MSDeltaFlt]

Basic structural integrity. Also the fact that the rated weight is not the absolute weight it will tolerate. The manufacturers purposely lowball the figure to provide a margin of safety.



Normally, they aren't "on" the cot but are rather standing on the undercarriage of and riding the side of the cot. Now occasionally you might see someone straddle a patient but I have only seen it a handful of times (often when TV news cameras are nearby) and done it once (when I had my hand in a would on a guy's groin holding pressure on a severed femoral artery). I've never seen more than one person "riding" the cot along with the patient at a time but that doesn't mean it does not happen from time to time.

The ones I've seen riding the cot are usually the small crew members.