Pediatric Restraints

[bkelley]

Hello,

I am Brandon and have some expertise in this area. I have enjoyed reading what is posted here and for the most part it is good counsel. Adult straps on stretchers are for adults. Pediatric tools are available use them. Never put a kid on the bench seat, allow them to be unrestrained, or held. Car seats are not tested for ambulance stretchers, the things that make them safe do not apply in ambulances on stretchers; They are safer than unrestrained for sure, but they aren't designed for this use.

 

[NomadicMedic]

How are you qualify yourself as an expert in child restraint in an ambulance?

 

[bkelley]

I have not qualified myself as an expert... I said I have some expertise. I have studied this topic for some time now. I have met, discussed, planned, written about, and helped develop a strategy the future of this problem with some of the greatest minds in the field. I am not an expert, that is the problem.... there isn't one. I know my piece (education, prevention, and protocol development surrounding the issue); the standards folks at NIOSH, NHTSA, SAE know their piece; The physician researchers know the injury profiles, and physiological piece; and the manufacturers make products to try to fill the gaps. Thats the current picture of the problem.

I wish there was an "expert", but today there are different folks, working with different folks, to build the expertise in all of the affected areas so that a solution can be developed for the problem.

Here is some fun bathroom reading
https://www.nhtsa.gov/staticfiles/nti/pdf/811677.pdf

and

http://www.carseat.org/Resources/Bull_Ambulance.pdf

 

[VFlutter]

Pedi-Mate as well

According to PTLS and the manufacturers once a car seat has been in a motor vehicle accident it should no longer be used for transport even if there is no visible damage.