Powered stretchers

[CamMedic]

Looking for input/feedback on power-assisted stretcher, specifically the Stryker. Service I work for is switching over to these and I'm trying to get opinions on them. Thanks.

[mnrfd09]

I know of 2 services in the minneapolis, mn area which use the powered units. I have asked the medics and they say it's very nice to have the power assist, saves on the back, and one person can reload the cot alot easier after the run while the other tends to paperwork but they are heavier and it's embarrassing when the battery goes out in the middle of a lift.

[ChicagoAnthony]

powered stretchers? now that's badass. would love to see chicago get these

[MedicSpitz]

Hey yall

So the service I'm with has used the Stryker power lift stretchers for about 6 months. Yeah, they seem like a great idea until you have to lift one and wait for the wheels to come up to put it in the back of the ambulance. They are very sturdy, have a higher weight limit, and come with dewalt drill style batteries, however the overall weight of JUST the stretcher is significantly greater. While on scene, lifting the patient in the air is as easy as pusing a button, but when ya have to load them, grab your back brace. Not to mention, because of the new design, there is no more cargo nets under the head of the patient to carry sheets,gear,clipboards,gloves etc etc....I would just assume trade them in for the old style aluminum, light-weight ferno stretchers.

[tbonetrexler]

We have the striker power version where i volunteer and where i work part time. Love it, saves a lot of effort and my back.

[tubby8]

Love em and hate em all at the same time.
Cons:
-They weigh a significant amount more, making them unstable especially where I run (in a rural setting).
-The DeWalt battery packs seem to last about a day (they are known to have problems killing the ability to recharge (memory effect?))
-Have to remember to change battery packs
-They are harder to clean due to all of the additional mechanics that get dirty
-Expensive

Pros:
-Save your back
-Save your back
-Make switching from cot to ER bed a sinche...you just move the cot to the ER bed and your done
-Great for those LARGE patients
-Greater weight cappacity (750 instead of ususal Stryker 500)
-Have manual controls as backup
-Newer features
--Instead of the part behind the head folding down for tight spaces, it pushes in (and doens't keep hitting your knee!)

Overeall, love the thing...we've had our about a year now and two of our rigs still have the older Stryker cots and I'd take the power cot anyday. Not to mention how many ambulances can put a DeWalt sticker on the side of them :)

[CamMedic]

Well..like 'em or not, we got them now. We had a demo for a short time but didn't get to play around with it our use it much. So far so good, except for the increased weight. We're not high volume where at work at now, so the battery issue hasn't reared it's head yet. I guess time will tell. Sure beats the hell out of the old two-man stretchers that were being used when I first got in to this field. Sometimes I'm amazed by how far things have come and changed since then.

[medicmaster]

I have had the benefit of having these available for over two years now. I personally think they may be one of the best things to come along in EMS for a while...I noticed a huge difference in any back pain or knee pain I had when I switched to these.

Yes, they are heavier than a standard cot...I've heard a alot of complaints about that...However consider the following...

The power assist is designed to prevent the need of your partner stooping down to raise the undercarriage...thus allowing them to assist you in lifting the cot. The weight also makes it much more difficult to lift up someone's front steps and into their house. We have the Stryker tracked stair chair and we have found the we use the stair chair much more frequently to remove someone from their house if they cannot walk.

[Firemedic 61]

We have tried everything out there and I still like my Ferno H frame the best. We started with the air assist stretchers which used an SCBA bottle. They lasted two shifts until an airline broke and we had to call another rescue to transport for us. The new Strykers are good, much faster than the older ones but they are still heavy. I've had to take it up and down stairs at tennis courts, across golf courses and construction sites and my back still hurts. The Ferno power stretcher is nothing but a big POS, thats all I have to say about that. The biggest problem I have with the Stryker stretcher is the Dewalt batteries. It doesn't matter if its a drill or a stretcher, Dewalt batteries still need a lot of work. Now the Milwaukee V28 batteries, well thats a different story.

[redneckemt]

Love 'em. Have yet to have problem with them.

Not as much cargo space on them as the old style but still enough for extra sheets, and the clipboard.

[medic27205]

Our service doesn't use them.. so take my statement for what it is...

I think the concept is nice.. but we still need to get the patient out of the house or around the scene.. do we really need the extra weight the stretcher brings?

The services around here that use them are convolesent transport and critical care transport, where they are primarily transporting from one hospital bed to another and all you are doing is sliding the patient from one bed to another and then getting into and out of ambulance.

[preston124]

They are a little bet heavier, but if you are like us and seem to pick up all the bigger people in your area, the pro's far outweigh the cons. I see a signifigant diffrence in the effects on my back. Buying batteries is much cheaper than paying for an employee to be out on injury with back problems.

[mjmallo]

One of the services that I'm familiar with in my area is using the powered Strykers with good results. The only caveat is that they have a University as part of thier service area. That University has many buildings without elevators. The powered cot are very heavier and are not easily carried up filghts of stairs. The solution that this service came up with was to equipment each transport with the Stryker stair chair to be used as an adjunct to moving to the patients to the cot. They too like the fact it saves your back, saves your back, saves your back!

[medic218]

I evaluated both the Stryker and the Ferno power cots. I went with the Ferno because of the Integral Charging System (ICS). No batteries to change, the cot charges while the ambulance is plugged to a shoreline or running with the inverter. The Ferno's can also be cleaned with a water hose without damaging the system. There have been some contact problems with the charging system, but Ferno is working them out ( Stryker has had some problems with the DeWalt batteries that its system uses). Overall I am pleased with the power cot concept and my coworkers appreciate it.