Unconscious Patients and Stair Chairs

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Abigail

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Hello there! I'm currently a student and my textbook says that an unconscious patient that is not on the first floor should not be transported via stair chair, but didn't necessarily explain why or what to do instead. Is it because the patient's head is not supported, and what kind of stretcher would I use instead (probably a flexible stretcher)? Thank you for taking the time to read my question! :)
 
Unconscious patients tend to move around a lot in the stair chair which can lead to issues while moving them down the stairs, at least in my experience . We will normally use a megamover (pretty much a strong tarp with 10 handles) and move them down the stairs that way.
 
Reeves flexible stretcher, backboard reeves sleeve, stokes basket... pretty much anything that can keep the person flat/kinda supine where they can maintain their own airway. megamovers are being more popular, but i'm a little old school when it comes to the carrying the unconscious people.

While I HAVE carried down a sick patients who was unconscious in a stairchair (only once, and we used the stupid head strap that comes with the chair to maintain his airway), I don't recommend it at all. It's very easy for the patient to occude their own airway when they are slumped down. If I had to do it over again, I would have used a reeves flexible stretcher.
 
You will use whatever your company provides, some places give you a multitude of options and others you're lucky to have more than just a backboard to move the patient.
 
And if you don't have one of those nice patient moving tarp thingies, get a sheet and call for some help if they're too big for just you and your partner. Call for another unit, call first responders, hell I'll start knocking on doors. Neighbors love help.

Now I'm not urban. I'm rural EMS in Mississippi. Which means every square foot of this state is BFE. Not only that but Mississippi varies from year to year as either the heaviest state in the union or the second heaviest state in the union.

That being said there is a positive side to being considered "redneck". You learn that "redneck" is also an action verb. Sometimes you just have to redneck it.
 
Rigid C-collar to help maintain their airway and stair chair them. They'll be tilted backward for most of the move so slouching shouldn't be an issue for long. Using any kind of stretcher/litter on stairs sucks for everyone involved. If you need to fully extend the rear handle, a nylon strap buckled around the handle will keep their head from tipping back nicely.
 
Stairchairs are way easy for unconscious people, if you secure them the right way (meaning you have at least two torso straps, head strap, leg strap), tightly, and consider a collar or something if they're listing one way or another. Way safer for you and your partner in the real world than a wiggly weird mega-mover (done both, prefer stair chair), especially when you're on your own. Also, great answers when you're going up a staircase, which mega-movers kind of suck at.
 
RocketMedic said:
Stairchairs are way easy for unconscious people, if you secure them the right way (meaning you have at least two torso straps, head strap, leg strap), tightly, and consider a collar or something if they're listing one way or another. Way safer for you and your partner in the real world than a wiggly weird mega-mover (done both, prefer stair chair), especially when you're on your own. Also, great answers when you're going up a staircase, which mega-movers kind of suck at.
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Yea, I've never really loved the mega-mover that much. Patient's have a bad habit of bending.
 
Thump thump thump goes the skull...
 
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