A stretcher , gurney , litter , or pram is an apparatus used for moving patients who require medical care. A basic type (cot or litter) must be carried by two or more people. A wheeled stretcher (known as a gurney, trolley, bed or cart) is often equipped with variable height frames, wheels, tracks, or skids.
12-484: Stretchers are primarily used in acute out-of-hospital care situations by emergency medical services (EMS), military, and search and rescue personnel. In medical forensics, the right arm of a corpse is left hanging off the stretcher to let paramedics know it is a deceased person. They are also used to hold prisoners during lethal injections in the United States. An early stretcher, likely made of wicker over
24-428: A collapsible wheeled stretcher, or gurney, is a type of stretcher on a variable-height wheeled frame. Normally, an integral lug on the stretcher locks into a sprung latch within the ambulance in order to prevent movement during transport, often referred to as antlers due to their shape. It is usually covered with a disposable sheet and cleaned after each patient in order to prevent the spread of infection. Its key value
36-509: A frame, appears in a manuscript from c. 1380 . Simple stretchers were common with militaries right through the middle of the 20th century. Generally spelled gurney , but also guerney or girney . The first usage of the term for a wheeled stretcher is unclear, but it is believed to have been derived from Pacific Coast slang. Its use in a hospital context was established by the 1930s. EMS stretchers used in ambulances have wheels that makes transportation over pavement easier, and have
48-519: A lock inside the ambulance and straps to secure the patient during transport. An integral lug on the stretcher locks into a sprung latch within the ambulance in order to prevent movement during transport. Modern stretchers may also have battery-powered hydraulics to raise and collapse the legs automatically. This eases the workload on EMS personnel, who are statistically at high risk of back injury from repetitive raising and lowering of patients. Specialized bariatric stretchers are also available, which feature
60-426: A wider frame and higher weight capacity for heavier patients. Stretchers are usually covered with a disposable sheet or wrapping, and are cleaned after each use to prevent the spread of infection. Shelves, hooks and poles for medical equipment and intravenous medication are also frequently included. Standard stretchers have several adjustments. The bed can be raised or lowered to facilitate patient transfer. The head of
72-526: Is a medical speciality of acute medicine , as often primary care is not positioned to assume this role. Signs and symptoms Syndrome Disease Medical diagnosis Differential diagnosis Prognosis Acute Chronic Cure Eponymous disease Acronym or abbreviation Remission Acute leukaemia Acute leukemia or acute leukaemia is a family of serious medical conditions relating to an original diagnosis of leukemia . In most cases, these can be classified according to
84-636: Is often to distinguish diseases from their chronic forms, such as chronic leukaemia , or to highlight the sudden onset of the disease, such as acute myocardial infarct. Related terms include: P er acute ("very") is not to be confused with p re acute ("before", the opposite of postacute ). Acute care is the early and specialist management of adult patients who have a wide range of medical conditions requiring urgent or emergency care usually within 48 hours of admission or referral from other specialties. Acute hospitals are those intended for short-term medical and/or surgical treatment and care which
96-434: Is to facilitate moving the patient and sheet onto a fixed bed or table on arrival at the emergency department . Both types may have straps to secure the patient. Acute (medicine) In medicine , describing a disease as acute denotes that it is of recent onset ; it occasionally denotes a short duration . The quantification of how much time constitutes "short" and "recent" varies by disease and by context, but
108-444: The acute form or phase of ulcerative enteritis. A mild stubbed toe is an acute injury. Similarly, many acute upper respiratory infections and acute gastroenteritis cases in adults are mild and usually resolve within a few days or weeks. The term "acute" is also included in the definition of several diseases, such as severe acute respiratory syndrome , acute leukaemia , acute myocardial infarction , and acute hepatitis . This
120-497: The core denotation of "acute" is always qualitatively in contrast with " chronic ", which denotes long-lasting disease (for example, in acute leukaemia and chronic leukaemia ). In the context of the mass noun "acute disease", it refers to the acute phase (that is, a short course) of any disease entity. For example, in an article on ulcerative enteritis in poultry , the author says, "in acute disease there may be increased mortality without any obvious signs ", referring to
132-534: The functionality of a stretcher, a recliner chair, and a treatment or procedural table into one device. A flexible stretcher, also known by the brand names Reeves sleeve or SKED, is a stretcher that is often supported longitudinally by wooden or plastic planks. Essentially a tarpaulin with handles, it is primarily used to move a patient through confined spaces , e.g., a narrow hallway , or to lift obese patients. Reeves stretchers have six handholds, allowing multiple rescuers to assist extrication. For ambulances,
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#1732765921677144-499: The stretcher can be raised so that the patient is in a sitting position (especially important for those in respiratory distress) or lowered flat in order to perform CPR , or for patients with suspected spinal injury who must be transported on a spinal board . The feet can be raised to what is called the Trendelenburg position , indicated for patients in shock . Some manufacturers have begun to offer hybrid devices that combine
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