Patent Description:
The transport and evacuation of patients injured during sport activities are currently rather incomplete operations. In fact, devices generically defined as "stretchers," which come from other specialties to meet specific needs and which are simply adapted to the typical situations of the sports competition scenarios, are used. The adaptation of these stretchers has inevitably highlighted, for the operators of the sector, the inadequacy of the devices, up to a real danger of use.

Different types of stretchers are known in the art. For examples, see <CIT>, <CIT>, <CIT>, <CIT>, <CIT>, <CIT>, and <CIT>.

For example, the "pole" type of rescue stretcher is essentially constituted by a rigid tubular frame, possibly foldable in two or more parts, on which a canvas intended to accommodate a patient is stretched. The canvas generally yields to the weight of the patient and cannot therefore ensure the correct position of the patient being transported, for example whenever the patient is a big sized athlete.

The "scoop" type of stretcher is a special stretcher useful in lifting and transporting an injured patient. It generally consists of two shells made of metal that are laid down on the sides of the patient lying down and which are then joined together in a synchronized movement. However, this requires a complex procedure and, consequently, rather long rescue times.

The spinal stretcher or board is perfectly flat and designed to achieve the immobilization of the entire body of the patient by maintaining the head, neck and trunk aligned, especially in case of multiple traumas. However, it has limited dimensions and requires much time and not few difficulties to achieve the correct immobilization of the patient.

The "basket" type of stretcher was originally designed for open sea rescues and is also used for snow rescues or whenever lifting and/or transport by helicopter is necessary. It has a very high retaining side wall, therefore there is a high risk of causing further traumas and injuries while laying down a patient inside it and while removing him from the stretcher itself.

The Patent Application n. <CIT> describes a spinal board having a rigid body constituted by an outer shell in which stiffening elements are inserted. All of the cavities inside the outer shell are filled with expanded urethane foam that also maintains the stiffening elements in position.

The rescue of a traumatized sports patient, for example in activities such as American football, rugby, soccer, baseball, athletics, cricket, tennis, motor sports, basketball, volleyball, handball or gymnastics, with the types of known stretchers is rather critical, if not even dangerous, for the patient and first aid operators in the field.

Moreover, it should be noted that the first aid intervention time is often a crucial factor in ensuring prompt treatments and the necessary clinical exams to the patient being transferred in the stretcher from the place of injury to a medical center.

This said, a task of the present invention is to propose an improved stretcher that combines all of the positive characteristics of the stretchers currently available on the market.

In the scope of this task, an object of the present invention is to provide a stretcher that is safe for the patient being laid down and immobilized on the stretcher and for the operators involved in the rescue and transport of the patient.

A further object of the present invention is to provide a stretcher that allows to easily load the patient and to rapidly achieve his proper immobilization.

A further object of the present invention is to provide a versatile stretcher that can also be used as a spinal board or as a simple stretcher, that further allows to facilitate the patient withdrawal operations and his transfer to an ambulatory bed or the like.

Still a further object of the present invention is to provide a stretcher that makes it easier for the medical personnel to visit the patient, also when the patient is immobilized on the stretcher.

Still a further object of the present invention is to provide a stretcher of limited weight anyhow having high rigidity.

These and other objects are achieved by the present invention thanks to a stretcher according to claim <NUM>. Further peculiar characteristics of the stretcher according to the invention are reported in the respective dependent claims.

In general, a stretcher comprises a rigid body made in one piece and extending longitudinally. In the stretcher there is an upper seat, intended to accommodate a patient in laying position, wherein the upper seat includes a bearing plane perimetrically surrounded by retaining side walls.

According to a possible embodiment of the invention, the rigid body made in one piece is a hollow rigid body, the retaining side walls are tilted with respect to a bearing plane and the lower surface of the hollow rigid body includes continuous convex curved portions extending at least under the retaining side walls.

Longitudinal stiffening bars can be embodied in the hollow rigid body of the stretcher, for example under the bearing plane, to strengthen the structure as a whole whenever big sized patients must be transported.

The continuous convex curved portions extend between the lower surface of the hollow rigid body covering each of said longitudinal stiffening bars and the outer surface ends of the retaining side walls.

The inclination of the retaining side walls and the continuous convex curved portions of the lower surfaces arranged under the retaining side walls themselves facilitate the sliding or slipping of the stretcher under the body of the patient whenever "log roll" maneuvers are adopted, therefore limiting the risk of causing secondary damages whenever the patient must be laid down on the stretcher. The bearing plane present in the upper seat allows to lay down the patient in a correct position, as the one achieved, for example, with a spinal board in order to achieve the subsequent immobilization of the patient with the head, neck and trunk aligned correctly.

Advantageously, in an embodiment of the stretcher, the retaining side walls are tilted with respect to the bearing plane by an angle not greater than <NUM>° and protrude from the lower surface of the hollow rigid body by a height not higher than <NUM>. The retaining side walls therefore have proper dimensions that make it easier to load the patient on the stretcher and to subsequently remove him from the stretcher itself. With these dimensions, the retaining walls do not constitute a barrier difficult to overcome when a patient sitting or lying down on the ground must be loaded thereon.

In an embodiment, through-slots, which cross the hollow rigid body longitudinally inside the perimeter of the bearing plane, are advantageously provided. The through-slots are delimited by vertical walls connecting the upper surface of the hollow rigid body with the lower surface of the hollow rigid body. This way, in addition to reducing the weight of the material forming the hollow rigid body, the vertical walls of the slots connecting the upper and lower surfaces of the hollow rigid body confer more rigidity to the entire structure of the stretcher without having recourse to further stiffening bars or inserts housed in the hollow rigid body.

In an embodiment of the stretcher according to the invention, belts for immobilizing the patient that come out of the retaining side walls along the opposed largest sides of the hollow rigid body are provided. The belts are advantageously housed in winders embodied in the hollow rigid body of the stretcher when they are in a non-operative condition.

The belts housed in the respective winders embodied in the hollow rigid body of the stretcher allow to rapidly immobilize the patient.

The belts are preferably provided at their ends with buckles that remain hidden inserted in apposite housings obtained in the retaining side walls when the belts for immobilizing the patient are housed completely in the respective winders, i.e. in a non-operative condition.

When in a non-operative condition, the belts and the respective buckles do not hinder the operations of loading the patient on the stretcher and prevent the first aid operators from accidentally tripping in possible outer immobilization belts hanging from the stretcher during transport.

In a possible embodiment of the present invention, at least three couples of belts are provided for immobilizing the patient and distributed along the opposed largest sides of the hollow rigid body. Advantageously, concurrent tightening means acting on the belts distributed along each of the largest sides of the hollow rigid body can be provided. The three couples of belts supplied with the stretcher are positioned in the points that facilitate the correct immobilization of the patient in the most common points, for example at the height of the trunk, pelvis and feet, and can be selectively used, depending on the type of damage to the patient, or can be combined with possible outer belts.

An embodiment wherein the retaining side walls include a plurality of windows, and wherein at least part of the windows are crossed by a pin for anchoring karabiners or similar hooking means is provided. The windows present on the retaining side walls provide a plurality of gripping points that make it easier for the first aid operators to transport the stretcher. Moreover, the presence of pins crossing some windows makes it possible to hook outer belts for particular immobilization needs or to also anchor karabiners.

The upper seat intended to accommodate a patient can have, for example, a coarse surface to limit the slipping of the patient laying in the seat, while the lower surface of the hollow rigid body can also be coarse, or smooth to facilitate the sideways slipping of the stretcher, especially whenever intervening in indoor sports fields, for example in basketball, volleyball, handball, roller or ice hockey fields, etc..

Moreover, in an embodiment a mat made of a soft material applied to the bearing plane of the upper seat intended to accommodate a patient can be provided. The mat can be constituted, for example, of a sheet of expanded material applied to the bearing plane in a fixed or removable manner.

At least the hollow rigid body, the stiffening bars and the mat are preferably made of radiotransparent materials to allow the medical personnel to carry out x-rays without removing the patient from the stretcher.

Further characteristics and advantages of the present invention will become clearer in the following description, which was made by way of example with reference to the attached drawings, in which:.

The upper seat <NUM> of the stretcher <NUM> designed for accommodating a patient in a laying position is shown in the plan view of <FIG>. The upper seat <NUM> includes a bearing plane <NUM> perimetrically surrounded by retaining side walls <NUM>.

In particular, the stretcher <NUM> comprises a hollow rigid body made in one piece of radiotransparent plastic material, such as low-density polyethylene (LDPE) for example, and formed, for example, by molding processes of the rotational type in order to obtain both a robust and light structure and to form possible cavities that are useful in some embodiments. The stretcher <NUM> preferably has dimensions that are able to accommodate a big sized patient, for example an athlete who practices sports for which there is high risk of trauma, for example rugby, American football and the like. In the embodiment depicted in <FIG>, the stretcher can have, for example, an overall length of two meters and a maximum width of about sixty centimeters.

The retaining side walls <NUM> include a plurality of windows <NUM> to make it easier for the first aid operators to grip and transport the stretcher <NUM>. Some windows <NUM> are crossed by a pin <NUM> for anchoring karabiners or similar hooking means, so that to make it possible to hook the outer immobilization belts that are applied as needed.

In the stretcher <NUM> depicted in <FIG>, there are through-slots <NUM> crossing the hollow body longitudinally. The slots <NUM> are obtained inside the perimeter of the bearing plane <NUM> and allow to make the overall weight of the hollow rigid body lighter. Moreover, the vertical walls <NUM> delimiting the slots and connecting the upper surface of the hollow rigid body with the lower surface of the hollow rigid body are shown in the sectional view of <FIG>. The vertical walls <NUM> of the slots <NUM> connecting the upper and lower surfaces of the hollow rigid body impart more rigidity to the entire structure of the stretcher <NUM>.

As shown in <FIG>, the retaining side walls <NUM> are tilted with respect to the bearing plane <NUM> by an angle α not greater than <NUM>°, for example by an angle of about <NUM>°, and protrude from the lower surface of the hollow rigid body by a height not greater than <NUM>, for example about <NUM>.

The continuous convex curved surface portions <NUM> of the lower surface of the stretcher <NUM> at least under the retaining side walls <NUM> are also highlighted in <FIG>. The continuous convex curved surface portions <NUM> arranged in this position facilitate the sideways sliding of the stretcher <NUM> during the step of loading a patient in the upper seat <NUM>, thus limiting the risk of additional traumas for the patient.

Longitudinal stiffening bars <NUM> are embodied under the bearing plane <NUM> of the upper seat <NUM> to provide more robustness and rigidity to the bearing plane <NUM>, so that the stretcher <NUM> can also be used as a spinal board. The longitudinal stiffening bars are preferably made of light radiotransparent material, such as glass fiber or the like for example.

The upper seat <NUM> intended to accommodate a patient can, for example, have a coarse surface to make it easier to maintain the patient in the seat <NUM>, while the lower surface of the hollow rigid body can, for example, be coarse or smooth, especially at the continuous convex curved surface portions <NUM> in order to further facilitate the sideways sliding of the stretcher <NUM> and, consequently, the step of loading the patient on the stretcher.

In any case, as depicted in <FIG>, the stretcher <NUM> can be further provided with a mat <NUM> applied to the bearing plane <NUM> of the upper seat <NUM> intended to accommodate a patient. The mat <NUM> (depicted with dashed lines) can be made in soft material, such as a preferably radiotransparent expanded material for example, to make the upper seat <NUM> more comfortable for the patient being transported.

The embodiment depicted in <FIG> provides a stretcher <NUM> provided with belts <NUM> for immobilizing the patient. The belts <NUM> come out of the retaining side walls <NUM> along the opposed largest sides of the stretcher <NUM> and are housed in winders <NUM> embodied in the hollow rigid body of the stretcher <NUM> when they are in non-operative condition. The winders <NUM>, preferably provided with elastic return means, are installed in cavities <NUM> accessible through closed cover openings <NUM> inserted, for example, by pressure.

The belts <NUM> are provided at their ends with buckles <NUM> and <NUM> that remain hidden inserted in apposite housings <NUM> (also see <FIG>) obtained in the retaining side walls <NUM> when the belts <NUM> for immobilizing the patient are housed completely in the respective winders <NUM>, i.e. in a non-operative condition.

In the embodiment of <FIG>, three couples of belts <NUM> for immobilizing the patient and distributed along the opposed largest sides of the stretcher <NUM>, that come out from passage channels <NUM> arranged, for example, in the lower part of the housings <NUM> are provided. In order to immobilize the patient more rapidly and safely, concurrent tightening means acting on the belts <NUM> distributed along each of the largest sides of the stretcher <NUM> are provided.

These means can be, for example, implemented in the form of tubular bars <NUM> provided with splits <NUM>, as schematically represented in <FIG>, that are crossed by the immobilization belts <NUM>. The tubular bars <NUM> are in turn housed in the longitudinal holes <NUM> provided with passages for the belts <NUM>, and each come out of the hollow rigid body with an actuating and locking lever <NUM>.

When the belts <NUM> must be extracted, the actuating and locking levers <NUM> are oriented in the position denoted by the solid line in <FIG>. In this position, corresponding to the condition represented in <FIG>, the slits <NUM> of the tubular bars <NUM> are aligned with the respective passages obtained in the hollow rigid body and the belts <NUM> can be freely unwound from the winders <NUM>.

Once the buckles <NUM> and <NUM> (<FIG>) are hooked to one another, the elastic return means of the winders <NUM> make the belts <NUM> adhere securely to the body of the patient. In this condition, the actuating and locking levers <NUM> can be rotated for a fraction of a revolution, as depicted, for example, in <FIG> with the dashed lines. With this movement, all belts <NUM> of each side of the stretcher <NUM> are concurrently locked inside the hollow rigid body and the belt portions <NUM> crossing the slits <NUM> wedge into the tubular bars <NUM> and the inner surfaces of the longitudinal holes <NUM>, as schematically depicted in <FIG>.

Claim 1:
A stretcher (<NUM>) comprising a rigid body made in one piece and extending longitudinally, wherein there is an upper seat (<NUM>) for accommodating a patient in lying position, wherein the upper seat (<NUM>) includes a bearing plane (<NUM>) perimetrically surrounded by retaining side walls (<NUM>), said retaining side walls (<NUM>) including two longitudinal lateral retaining walls and two transversal retaining walls, wherein longitudinal stiffening bars (<NUM>) of quadrangular section are embodied in the rigid body under said bearing plane (<NUM>) and form protrusions of the lower surface of the hollow rigid body, and wherein the retaining side walls (<NUM>) are tilted with respect to the bearing plane (<NUM>), characterized in that the rigid body made in one piece is a hollow rigid body, and that the lower surface of the hollow rigid body includes continuous convex curved portions (<NUM>) extending at least under the retaining longitudinal lateral walls, wherein each of said continuous convex curved portions (<NUM>) extends between the outer surface end of a lateral retaining wall and the lower surface of the hollow rigid body at the intersection of the protruding portion of said hollow rigid body which covers the nearest of said longitudinal stiffening bars (<NUM>).