EP1400227B1

EP1400227B1 - Rescue stretcher

Info

Publication number: EP1400227B1
Application number: EP02720023A
Authority: EP
Inventors: Manuel Luis Avellanas Chavala; Laurentino Cena Coro; José Antonio CUCHI OTERINO; José Luis VILLARROEL SALCEDO
Original assignee: Asociacion Deportiva Cultural Pena Guara
Current assignee: Asociacion Deportiva Cultural Pena Guara
Priority date: 2001-04-10
Filing date: 2002-04-10
Publication date: 2006-12-06
Anticipated expiration: 2022-04-10
Also published as: ES2177463A1; ES2177463B1; WO2002080836A1; EP1400227A1; DE60216591D1; ATE347342T1

Abstract

Rescue stretcher, designed for all types of rescue operations in high and middle mountains and ravines. The stretcher is characterized in that it is formed by a base or structure (1), which can be folded and separated into two different parts. It is fitted with protective elements for the head and feet areas and handles for manual transportation; an insulation blanket (2) that can be separated into independent parts; a fixing harness (3), horns (4) to carry the assembly on the shoulders and a protective and immobilizing element for the head (5). <IMAGE>

Description

The present descriptive memory refers, as its title indicates, to a rescue stretcher, designed for all types of rescue operations in high and middle mountains and canyons.
Although currently there are stretchers specifically designed for these types of rescues, they have significant limitations.
Mountain sports, such as canyoning and other water sports and sports practiced on snow, have revealed new problems with the stretchers that have been used up to now. One of the types of stretcher most used currently is based on a structure, usually of welded tubular elements. See for example U.S. Patent 4,970,739 (Bradford), French Patent 1.469.755 (Petzl), Spanish Patent 2.107.767 (Daouk) or U.K. Patent 2.175.216 (Taylor&Allport). This type of structure gets easily trapped on anything that sticks out from the terrain, and it is difficult to drag. Sliding it on snow is also made difficult by snow accumulation on the stretcher's structure.
Another important factor to be considered is that the stretchers currently used, in the most cases, do not float, therefore they can easily be lost in water rescues in ravines, rivers, reservoirs and the sea, and they put in danger the life of the injured person. Only the stretchers for sea rescues, as Spanish Patent 2.107.767 (Daouk), have this feature.
It is very difficult to access sites where these kinds of rescues are performed. Usually it is necessary to use a means of transport, such as a helicopter, or go there on foot. Consequently, the stretcher needs to be small in size to fit into the helicopter, and light in weight to be carried on land.
The small size of most stretchers currently used is not suitable for tall injured people whose lower limbs or head hang partially out of the stretcher causing discomfort to the injured person and making him or her less secure.
The commercial stretchers that are robust enough for mountain rescue are also heavy and therefore difficult to carry on land. When stretchers can be folded (see for example Spanish Patent 2.107.767 (Daouk) or U.K. Patent 2.175.216 (Taylor&Allport), the folding parts present maintenance and robustness problems.
A further security problem are the conditions for the injured person being rescued, mostly used stretchers do not provide enough security, making it necessary to use helmets or other additional protection. This factor is very important considering the possible severity of high mountain sport injuries, which are usually caused by falls, and require the injured person to be completely immobilized, especially in body areas such as the spine and the head, of vital importance for the eventual recovery of the injured person and his or her injuries.
Currently used rescue stretchers are not usually fitted with thermal insulation features for the injured person, and if they do, they are a single piece as in U.S. Patent 4,970,739 (Bradford), which means that the insulation has to be completely removed from the injured person in order to provide any medical treatment during the evacuation.
Most currently used rescue stretchers, see for example U.S. Patent 4,970,739 (Bradford) or French Patent 1.469.755 (Petzl), do not provide a correct support for the injured person's torso (that is, a rigid and flat surface), which is essential for medical recovery measures such as a heart massage and for immobilizing patients having spinal injury. There are stretchers that incorporate this feature. Stretcher U.S. Patent 5.154.186 (Laurin & Kuehn) is a rigid board for spinal restrain, however is not valid for rescue purposes due, for example, to the lack of protections for the injured or anchor points to be hauled from a helicopter. An other stretcher with a rigid board is Spanish Patent 2.107.767 (Daouk). This invention has a lot of features adapted for their use in mountain and canyon rescues (e.g. mechanical protection for the injured, float) but is based in a structure that is not well suited, for example, for slide on snow and for drag for mountain terrains. Finally, an other example is the stretcher presented in U.K. Patent 2.175.216 (Taylor & Allport) that has the same problems that the previous stretcher and in addition has not adequate protections for the injured.
To solve these problems, the stretcher that is the subject of the present invention has been developed.
The stretcher is formed by a base or hull similar to that of a canoe, fitted with various components in order to increase its usefulness, covers that protect the injured person from the elements and other accessorizes that enhance security.
The hull is made of composite material that ensures the strength, weight and buoyancy requirements.
This hull is made up of two parts joined at a linkage axis with assembling elements, and can be dismantled manually in order to separate it into these two different parts. Once the structure is unfolded, a clamping system secures both parts together.
The external surface of the hull is flat except for some longitudinal grooves that make it easier to drag it over any terrain and to slide it on snow. This design also prevents the stretcher from getting caught on anything that sticks out from the terrain. The inside of the base, where the injured person lies, is completely flat and rigid. The hull's side walls have six openings that can be used as handles for manual transportation and handling.
The stretcher is provided with two protector elements, one for the head and the other one for the feet, these protect the injured person from direct knocks and possible overturns. These protector elements can be folded onto the structure if they are not needed.
At the feet side, there is a trap that can be opened in order to accommodate an injured person more than 1.95 meters tall.
The hull is fitted with insertions to attach cinches and other protective elements.
It is also possible to fit an additional protective element for the head that immobilizes it in case of lateral swings, lurches, etc.
In addition, an injured person fits inside the stretcher with all the necessary protective medical splints to immobilize the injured.
To make transportation of an injured person easier, tubular structures, called horns, have been designed to carry the stretcher on the shoulders or by hand. The tubular structures can be inserted into holes provided for this purpose in the stretcher's hull.
Fixed on to the hull there is an integral harness to secure and immobilize the injured person, and side cinches to hold the injured person and the cover.
There are also six anchoring points inserted in the stretcher's hull, on the sidewalls, that allow for different modes of transportation.
The cover system has three parts, a base to isolate the injured person from the base of the stretcher, a top part that includes a hood to protect the injured person from the waist up, and a bottom one that can be stretched to accommodate a tall person. They are closed using Velcro. The cover system includes pockets to lodge additional floats.
The system put forward, which did not exist before, has multiple advantages over those currently used for the same purposes.
Firstly, this hull like stretcher brings together several features only present separately in some rescue stretchers (e.g. float, mechanical protection for the injured, several transport possibilities, a rigid and flat support for the injured, can be folded, etc.). These features are explained in the following paragraphs.
All the stretcher's manufacturing materials are highly abrasion-resistant and also light weight.
When it is empty, one person can easily transport the stretcher, as it can be folded and fitted into a specially designed rucksack.
Also, when it is empty, the stretcher floats, so it is not lost in water rescues.
As for transportation with an injured person, the stretcher can be easily carried in two ways, always securing the integrity of the injured person. The first one is transportation by two mountain rescue workers, one in front and the other one at the rear using the horns attached to the stretcher for this purpose, in such a way that the weight falls on the mountain rescue workers' shoulders. The second one is transportation by one or more mountain rescue workers on each side of the stretcher using the lateral handles provided for this purpose. The carriers can wear high mountain winter technical gloves and still be able to introduce their hands into the handles easily.
It can also be transported using Tyrolean traverses; it can be hauled up and down from a helicopter or attached to a rock wall, by means of the anchoring points provided on the sidewalls. These manoeuvres can be performed with the stretcher in a horizontal or a vertical position. The set of handles around the stretcher make it possible to provide manual assistance for these manoeuvres at any position.
The stretcher floats on water, and thanks to the floats and a convenient ballast, it ensures the injured person can breath when the stretcher and the injured person on it are in the water. The stretcher does not have any element liable to retain water and, if any water were to enter, it can be quickly drained once the stretcher has been taken out of this medium.
The stretcher protects the injured person from any direct knock, either from the sides, the inside or as a consequence of an overturn. If the stretcher is upside down on a flat surface, it keeps the body of the injured person separated from the ground.
The injured person is attached to the stretcher in such a way that no part of his or her body can protrude from the protection area offered by it, even if the stretcher is banged against something or overturned, and it ensures that the injured person does not move in relation to it at any manoeuvre, whatever position the stretcher is in.
The stretcher is made up of three overlapping fixing elements. The first one is the integral harness that holds the pelvic area and the chest. If necessary, the head can also be immobilized. The second one is the closed cover, and finally there are three straps: one at shoulder level, the second one at hip level and the third one under the knees that are fastened after closing the cover.
The cover is made of a material suitable for the thermal insulation of the injured person, it is resistant to tearing and abrasion, and it also makes it possible to constrain the injured person's arms preventing them from coming out from under the cover.
The stretcher is also designed to make any life support measures easy to perform, as the base that supports the torso of the injured person is flat and rigid to allow a full and correct cardiac massage.
The stretcher makes it possible to correctly immobilize any injury, as it has the necessary devices to immobilize the head in such a way that it is in line with the body, and the injured person can wear any necessary splints to immobilize the limbs, the trunk and the neck inside the protected area.
As for its capacity, it can accommodate one injured person comfortably, and the range of sizes and heights it is suitable for, without detriment to any of its features, is wider than that of the stretchers currently used.
The anchorage points allow for all transportation manoeuvres, and they are as far away from each other as possible to help stability. The rest of the necessary fixing elements, like screws, fasteners, etc. are fixed to the stretcher to avoid loosing them.
In addition to the previously explained features, the stretcher has new features that are not present in the rescue stretchers currently used.
It is easy to slide the stretcher in a longitudinal direction forwards and backwards: with either the head or the feet end in front. The longitudinal grooves on the external base allows a longitudinal movement avoiding transversal displacements. The shape of the base of the hull helps to slide the stretcher on snow or ice and minimizes the possibility of snow or ice accumulation on and under the stretcher, which would then become heavier and more difficult to transport. It is possible to drag the stretcher over any rough terrain, during which it protects and supports the injured person. It does not have any elements that stick out and might get caught on vegetation or rock protuberances. Moreover, the stretcher does not have any edges or pointing elements that might hinder its transportation or endanger the physical integrity of the injured person or the mountain rescue workers.
The cover of the stretcher is made up of two separate sections, a bottom one that covers the legs up to the hips, and a top one up to the neck. Both can be taken off or loosened independently to treat localized injuries without removing the cover from the rest of the body. In this way, it is allowed the examination of the injured person and the performance of medical operations without the need to remove the protection of his or her whole body, only the area that needs to be examined or treated. The cover can be closed quickly with Velcro or something similar, and it can accommodate an injured person of any height wearing any necessary medical splints or any other devices. It also has a hood for protection of the head.
The protective elements for the head and the feet can be folded onto the stretcher hull allowing a clear access to the injured person's head from the front of the stretcher in order to apply medical tubes or provide artificial respiration assistance.
To better understand the subject of the present invention, a possible assembly is represented in the annexed plans.
In these plans:

Figure 1 shows a plan view of the base or structure hull of the stretcher unfolded and ready to be used.
Figure 2 shows a side view of the hull, both folded for transportation and unfolded for use.
Figure 3 shows a close view of the protective element for the head, both folded and ready to be used.
Figure 4 is a representation of the possible positions of the protective element for the feet, with the trap closed and with the trap opened.
Figure 5 shows the two possible positions of the stretcher's built-in trap.
Figure 6 is a plan view, with the stretcher's hull behind the cover.
Figure 7 shows the horns for transportation of the stretcher on the shoulders, and the points where they are fixed on to the hull.
Figure 8 is a representation of the protective and immobilizing element for the head.
Figure 9 shows the stretcher with the cover folded, and we can see the pockets for the floats.

The rescue stretcher put forward is formed by a base or hull (1), the covers (2) that protect the injured person from the elements, as well as the fixing harness (3), the horns (4) used for transportation of the stretcher on the shoulders, and the protective and immobilizing element (5) for the head.
The hull (1) is divided into two parts of the same length, (1.1) and (1.2), joined by fixing elements (1.3.1) that become the linkage axis (1.3). These elements (1.3.1) can be dismounted manually to separate the structure into the two parts that form it: (1.1) and (1.2). When folded, the two parts can be held together by an anchoring point (1.8).
The unfolded hull (1), similar to a canoe, has a base that inside is flat and outside has grooves that make it easier to slide longitudinally.
The unfolded hull (1) is joined by grips (1.32) that, when turned, secure the parts (1.1) and (1.2) together, making the whole set rigid.
The hull (1) has six holes on the sidewalls that can be used as handles (1.9) for manual transportation. They are reinforced to protect them from possible and unavoidable knocks. They have a rough finish to prevent the mountain rescue workers' hands or gloves from slipping out. These handles (1.9) reach the bottom of the hull (1) so that the hole is big enough to quickly and easily drain out any water or snow that might have entered it.
At the feet end of the hull (1) there is a trap (1.10), made of the same material, which can be opened to allow a tall injured person to take his or her feet out of the hull (1).
The trap (1.10) is thrown back into alignment with the rest of the hull (1) to prevent any knocks on the bottom part of the stretcher from hitting it directly. It can be opened and closed thanks to a fastener that locks the door into position by means of two side flange tiles.
There are also six anchorage points (1.8) inserted in the sidewalls of the hull (1) that allow all possible transportation manoeuvres. They are separated from each other as much as possible to help stability.
The hull (1) has some insertions (1.11) for fix cinches and protective elements. The four central insertions are used to fix the harness (3.1), and the rest are used to fix the cinches for the blankets (2).
The top protective elements (1.4) are made up of two arches, one that goes from one side of the stretcher to the other (1.1) around the head at chin level (1.4.1), and another one (1.4.2) that starts at the centre of the first one (1.4.1) and ends at the top end of the hull protecting the head longitudinally.
The bottom protective element (1.7), which can be put away inside the hull (1) of the stretcher when it is not in use, is formed by a single arch that can have two positions. The first one up at 90° over the horizontal axis, protecting the feet from any possible knocks from the top, and the other one is turned 180°, protecting the feet when they stick out of the rear end of the structure (1.2), through the opened trap (1.10).
The linkage element (1.3.1) is designed in such a way that the hull (1) can be separated into two parts. The element (1.3.1) is fixed onto one of those two parts to avoid loosing it.
The horns for transportation (4) are made up of two separate elements for the rear (4.2) and a single one for the front (4.1).
The horns (4) are cushioned to make transportation on the shoulders as comfortable as possible. They are locked into holes in the hull (1) by fasteners. To prevent foreign bodies (such as stones or dirt) from getting into the holes, they are closed with covers that must be removed before the horns can be inserted.
The hull (1.2) has a trap (1.10) made of the same material, that once opened allows a tall injured person to take his or her feet out of the stretcher. The trap is thrown back into alignment with the rest of the hull (1) to ensure as much as possible that knocks on the feet area do not hit the trap (1.10) directly. It is fixed into both positions, opened and closed, thanks to a fastener that locks the door by means of two side flange tiles.
The cover (2) is made up of a set of elements that protect the injured person from the elements as well as from falling out of the stretcher.
These elements include a base (2.1), made of insulating material, on which the injured person lies isolated from the hull (1), and two parts, (2.2) and (2.3), made of wear and abrasion resistant, watertight and breathable material, one at the top (2,2) and one at the bottom (2.3). These two parts of the cover (2) can be separated completely.
The top cover part (2.2) has a hood and two pockets on the sides, all the way down to the waist, which can accommodate two floats.
The bottom cover part (2.3) has a lapel (2.4) at the bottom that can be stretched to accommodate a tall injured person. Otherwise, the lapel (2.4) remains folded inside the blanket.
The different cover (2) elements are joined by means of lapels with Velcro or other means that allow easy attaching and detaching.
The areas of the cover close to the linkage axis (1.3) are fixed onto the hull (1) in the same way.
The cover (2) is provided with side cinches that surround the injured person once he or she is covered with the cover (2). These cinches are made of the same material as the flat cinches used for mountaineering in high mountains, and they have press studs. Each cinch is joined to the cover (2) and goes under some fasteners provided on the hull (1).
In certain areas, the cover (2) has net fabric to allow any possible water to be drained.
The integral harness (3) has two fixing elements; the top one (3.1) holds the injured person by the shoulders, and the bottom one (3.2) goes between the legs at groin level. The harness (3) is joined to the hull (1) by inserts.
The protective and immobilizing element for the head (5), made of a light but resistant and comfortable material for the injured person, is fixed on to the hull (1) with Velcro.
All the fasteners and fixing elements are attached to the hull (1) to avoid loosing them.

Claims

Rescue stretcher for rescue operations in mountains and canyons, being of the type of those ones including
protection devices, comprising an insulating cover (2), a fixing harness (3)and a protective and immobilising element for the head (5),
characterized in that
the rescue stretcher has a floatable and slidable hull (1) having a base and sidewalls, horns (4) for carrying the assembly on the shoulders, anchoring elements (1.8) allowing transportation of the stretcher, and handles (1.9) on the side walls for carrying the stretcher by hand, the rescue stretcher being foldable and separatable into two different parts (1.1) and (1.2), and forming a rigid assembly for protecting the injured person when unfolded, wherein the inside surface of the base, on which in use the injured person lies, is flat and rigid.
Rescue stretcher according to claim 1,
characterized in that the bottom surface of the stretcher (1) which in use is in contact with the ground is flat except for some longitudinal grooves that make it easier to slide it longitudinally instead of transversally.
Rescue stretcher according to any preceding claim,
characterized in that the cover (2) is made up of two separate sections, a bottom one that protects the legs up to the hips, and a top one up to the neck, the cover having pockets for floats and net fabric in certain areas to drain any water that might have entered the cover (2).
Rescue stretcher according to any preceding claim,
characterized in that inside the hull base (1) there is a top protective element (1.4) for the head area, and a bottom protective element (1.5) for the feet area that can be placed in different positions either for transportation and medical operations or for protection.
Rescue stretcher according to claim 3,
characterized in that two floats are provided in two pockets on the top cover section (2.2).