New Ambulance CSS

safeinthecar

Moderator - CPS Technician
Gilbert company to make safety seats for ambulances
http://www.azcentral.com/community/gilbert/articles/1128gr-childseat1129-on.html

David van den Berg
The Arizona Republic
Nov. 28, 2007 01:32 PM
Next month, a Gilbert company expects to start production on a safety
seat for toddlers and infants - for ambulances.

Serenity Safety Products, a firm with five employees that launched in
November 2006, unveiled the seat at a National Truck Equipment
Association meeting in Michigan in September. The seat should be in
its first ambulances in January, said Kurt Hinkle, the company's
president and chief executive officer.

Hinkle is a former Phoenix Fire Department paramedic and firefighter.
While he couldn't quantify the number of times it happened, he said it
was a regular occurrence that uninjured toddlers or infants would need
a ride in an ambulance with their injured parent or guardian, or in a
separate ambulance. Other options for transporting uninjured children
include taking child seats from the parent's car, using safety
restraints attached to the gurney, or the paramedic simply holding the
child, he said.

The ride in an ambulance is rough, Hinkle said.

"It's like standing up in the back of a pickup truck," he said.

There are 307 accidents per week in emergency transportation vehicles
nationwide, according to statistics Hinkle provided from the National
Fire Protection Association.

The projected retail price is about $4,500, said Dan Sjoquist, the
company's chief financial officer and vice president of operations.
Installing the seat will add to the $125,000 cost of an ambulance. The
seat is likely to reduce liability for both municipal and private
ambulance providers, Hinkle said, because protection is being added
for a rider that wasn't available before.

The seat, the Guardian Safety Seat, is actually multiple seats in one.
It works as an ambulance attendant seat. Folding down the seat's
center back cushion, the toddler seat is revealed. Children weighing
between 23-85 pounds can use the seat, and are secured in a five point
restraint system. The infant seat is revealed by folding down a panel
behind the center back cushion, removing the seat bottom cushion and
then releasing a safety bar, according to a company brochure. Infants
weighing between five and 22 pounds can then be secured in a cradle
with a padded headrest by a five point restraint system. The cradle is
hidden under the seat cushions.

Serenity Safety products collaborated with students and professors in
the College of Design at Arizona State University and a Tempe-based
mechanical engineering firm called ESG Engineering in the design and
engineering of the seat, Hinkle said.

"I was a little but surprised that we didn't have that kind of product
in the marketplace," said Dosun Shin, an assistant professor of
industrial design at Arizona State who worked on the project.

"I believe its going to be a very successful product."

http://preview.tinyurl.com/2ez2yw
 
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MomToEliEm

Moderator
That is a neat seat.

With it being rearfacing, shouldn't the shoulder straps be at or below the shoulders? The video of the toddler showed the straps well above the shoulders.
 

Jewels

Senior Community Member
The toddlers were above and the infants were below. Since the vehicle seat is rf you would think the toddler seat should have the straps below the shoulders but since it is sort of a one size fits all I think they need them higher for older children. Did it say any weight limits on there?

I'm curious to know what they do with the seat cushion once they take it off and use the infant seat :confused: If left sitting around it would become a projectile.
 

Auntie2Avi

New member
I think that is a great idea, but I would not want that heavy looking seat cushion sitting right next to the properly secured child. I also wonder how they are going to clean it between uses, since we are told not to use harsh chemicals on carseat straps how would they properly sanitize them?
 

Dizzymomma

New member
For cleaning it looks like the seat is vinyl. They would just wipe those clean like they do the regular ambulance seats.

I imagine they would have to clean the straps like they clean the stretcher straps.

I wish I could ask my dh what they clean them with but he is on a call right now.
 

swags

New member
The company that I used to work with cleaned all straps with disinfectant but I am not sure what it was. All if our equipment that could be soaked such as Long Boards, Keds and such were power washed in the ambulance wash bay besides being disinfected. While I agree that the straps should be wiped down after every child, I would not put an injured or ill child in the seat, they would be on the cot, so body fluids would not be as much of an issue as one might assume.
 

safeinthecar

Moderator - CPS Technician
The toddlers were above and the infants were below. Since the vehicle seat is rf you would think the toddler seat should have the straps below the shoulders but since it is sort of a one size fits all I think they need them higher for older children. Did it say any weight limits on there?

I'm curious to know what they do with the seat cushion once they take it off and use the infant seat :confused: If left sitting around it would become a projectile.

Since the toddler seat is bolt upright, the strap height is not an issue, as there would be little to no ramping up in an upright seat.
 
L

lovinmyworm

Guest
While this seems like a great idea I have some issues with it. First sanitary. Have you been in an ambulance while someone is being worked on? Ummm HUGE nasty mess. How are they cleaning this eat? Plus the child is sitting right there facing the patient. Can we say Post tramatic stress! People aren't taken by amulance unless it's serious, and children typically don't go with their parents to the hospital because lets face it, if it's bad enough for an ambulance ride who would watch the child at the hospital. Secondly, the huge seat cushion. Projectile!! Third, what idiot EMS is going to try to use the seat for an actual patient? Ummm ALL of them if they think it's easier than getting them to lay down. I men hey they are strapped in the seat making it easier! The straps will be contaminated as will the seat and then the entire cost of the seat is worthless because there is no way to sanitize it!

Yet another "looks too good to be true" type product with a hefty price tag! I hope they don't spend my tax payer dollars on that.
 

sfeitler

Member
While this seems like a great idea I have some issues with it. First sanitary. Have you been in an ambulance while someone is being worked on? Ummm HUGE nasty mess. How are they cleaning this eat? Plus the child is sitting right there facing the patient. Can we say Post tramatic stress! People aren't taken by amulance unless it's serious, and children typically don't go with their parents to the hospital because lets face it, if it's bad enough for an ambulance ride who would watch the child at the hospital. Secondly, the huge seat cushion. Projectile!! Third, what idiot EMS is going to try to use the seat for an actual patient? Ummm ALL of them if they think it's easier than getting them to lay down. I men hey they are strapped in the seat making it easier! The straps will be contaminated as will the seat and then the entire cost of the seat is worthless because there is no way to sanitize it!

Yet another "looks too good to be true" type product with a hefty price tag! I hope they don't spend my tax payer dollars on that.

I can't imagine an EMS using the seat preferentially for an injured child. I'm pretty sure they can strap a patient on the stretcher, and probably do so routinely. Maybe an EMS will chime in here? The folks I've known who do EMS type services are all highly responsible, dedicated people who would never violate standards of care for such a trivial reason.

Also, I'm pretty sure there are already child restraints for ambulances. This is just a new one, with hopefully improved features.

As for having the child facing the parent, that's a tougher call. I'm assuming the child is riding in the ambulance because there is no one at the home to care for him/her, and the parent needs to go to the hospital Right Now. The hospital will have a social worker to look after the child. And if the child is alone with the parent when the accident/illness/whatever occurs, then they have already seen some scary stuff--I don't know that anything they see in the ambulance will further traumatize them, and perhaps it would be traumatizing to see their parent taken away in a screaming truck, while they are at home with a stranger. If they go to the hospital, there's at least a feeling of being in the same building as the parent... also, EMS doesn't know what they're going to encounter when they go on a call--they probably don't know if there will be a child there when they arrive, or what. So then they have to decide, do they take the child to the hospital with them (calling ahead so a social worker can be there to meet them), or do they wait for a social worker to come to the house? If it's serious enough to need an ambulance, I think taking the child along is a better choice than waiting.

-Sarah
 
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Lea_Ontario

Well-known member
Would most patients - pediatric or otherwise - not be secured to the stretcher before getting to the ambulance anyhow ? The stretcher comes in with the paramedics, and is used within the home (or other building) before going to the ambulance.

So, I don't see any potential for use with an injured child there.

As for sanitizing - seat is vinyl, likely wiped / bleached. Straps likely the same.
Umm - IF they get cleaned between riders at all that is.

Seeing parent - would they be better off being left home alone ? Or do you want to chance the parent's care while waiting for someone to arrive to care for the child in the home ?

There are times when things just cannot be 'perfect' in terms of child restraint use - someone needing a ride in an ambulance, and I'll gladly give up my personal ideals.
 

swags

New member
As an emt I can say that I would not put a child that is a pt. in that seat, thay would go on my cot. There are times that a child has to ride in the ambulance to the hospital with a parent. If it was a true trauma the the child would ride with a police officer, however in a case with a non critical pt. if there was no one else to watch the child then I would let the come. It keeps the child happy and it also helps to keep the parent calm because they are not worrying about their child and that in its self can make a big difference. As far as projectiles are concerned I hate to say it but an ambulance is as bad as it gets. Thats not to say that we shouldnt be concerned with it. As far as I am concerned I would rather have a seat that is pre installed then have to worry about trying to install a seat correctly, and yes most ambulances carry carseats but it would be impossible to use them correctly as they would be installed in a rear facing seat. Is it perfect no...but in EMS things rarely are.
 

dd9736

New member
As an emt I can say that I would not put a child that is a pt. in that seat, thay would go on my cot. There are times that a child has to ride in the ambulance to the hospital with a parent. If it was a true trauma the the child would ride with a police officer, however in a case with a non critical pt. if there was no one else to watch the child then I would let the come. It keeps the child happy and it also helps to keep the parent calm because they are not worrying about their child and that in its self can make a big difference. As far as projectiles are concerned I hate to say it but an ambulance is as bad as it gets. Thats not to say that we shouldnt be concerned with it. As far as I am concerned I would rather have a seat that is pre installed then have to worry about trying to install a seat correctly, and yes most ambulances carry carseats but it would be impossible to use them correctly as they would be installed in a rear facing seat. Is it perfect no...but in EMS things rarely are.

i;m not an emt, but from what i've seen, and know, i'd be much more comfortable with my child in this, than being held by a person.
 

Melizerd

New member
While not perfect it's better then not having a seat. I didn't even think of it like taking a parent from a home, I looked at it from some other place, (side of the road, mall, etc) where you'd need an EMT and not be able to take the child somewhere else.

I just hope that large seat cushion gets secured somehow along side that bigger seat.

I say good for them! I'm glad someone did SOMETHING about the non-injured children that have no choice but to ride in the ambulance.
 

JerseyGirl'sMama

New member
Would most patients - pediatric or otherwise - not be secured to the stretcher before getting to the ambulance anyhow ? The stretcher comes in with the paramedics, and is used within the home (or other building) before going to the ambulance.

So, I don't see any potential for use with an injured child there.

As for sanitizing - seat is vinyl, likely wiped / bleached. Straps likely the same.
Umm - IF they get cleaned between riders at all that is.

Seeing parent - would they be better off being left home alone ? Or do you want to chance the parent's care while waiting for someone to arrive to care for the child in the home ?

There are times when things just cannot be 'perfect' in terms of child restraint use - someone needing a ride in an ambulance, and I'll gladly give up my personal ideals.

:thumbsup:

I am a germ-freak, but in an emergency situation, I would gladly let them put my child in the seat, whether it was properly disinfected or not.

Now, if I had the option, I would have an officer wait with my child for a family member to arrive so I didn't have to worry about the transportation risk. Can you imagine how much you would worry about whether or not an officer was installing the carseat correctly, before transporting your child? I would be a nervous wreck!
 

Jewels

Senior Community Member
When they go on the cot, at least with the service that I worked with they are secured to it, we never permit the parent to hold the child. We use this restraint system on our cots for peds.

http://www.allmed.net/catalog/item/192/1190

But what about if you are the patient and your child is coming with you? Then I would rather them in the child seat instead of someone holding them or just being buckled into any seat.
 

ffpmcps

New member
Hi all, I am going to chime in here. First I am new to the boards, so let me tell you a little about myself. I am a firefighter, paramedic, CPST and mom of 2. I have worked in EMS for almost 11 years.

When I saw the video of the product, I thought it looked very interesting and thought that it would be something that I would love to have on the ambo. I will be interested to keep updated on it, and see how it goes as they begin to market it further.

First with regard to cleaning... I would almost gaurentee you that since it is made to go in the back of the ambo, it is able to be fully decontaminated. It pretty much has to be in order to be in the back, whether it is going to be used for a child as a patient or not.

As an earlier poster mentioned, things in the back of an ambulance are far from perfect. Just think as a CPST the neverending combo of seats, cars, kids, seating positions, etc you can see, and the endless misuse errors that could be encountered. It is the same with the situations we encounter in the ambo. We do things pretty much with the same theory, "What is best practice?" Unfortunatly from what I have seen in my experience ambos are poorly equipped for the needs they may encounter to transport a child. Some departments are better than others. Even if they do have they right equipment or CSS, many of the personel are poorly trained on the correct use. Is it right... no. But if you look at the things they have to train and be educated on: medication doses, cardiac treatments, trauma procedures, intubation, pediatric treatment of all the same situations with different medications, the list is obviously extensive. Now how many times do we encounter a child that needs to be properly restrained? Who knows, it can vary, but percentage wise it is very small, so unfortunately the percentage of training is also very small. Please understand that I am not saying it isn't important, or they should not be educated, just trying to explain realistically how it is. Just as virtually every parent could be better educated on CSS and use, so could virtually every EMT or paramedic.

Now with regard to the use of this particular seat for a child that is a patient vs. a rider (non patient). We do have devices to secure a child that is a pt. However, just because someone is a pt, does not necessarily mean that they are injured. Probably half of pediatric calls I go on are what I would consider, non life threatening and not urgent. As an example, we often get called for a child that is choking. When we arrive the child is just fine, happily babbling at us. They maybe choked for a second, parent called 911, the child then coughed or whatever and is basically fine. No problems at all now. Often times the parent will still want the child transported "just to be sure". In that type of situation where I will not be doing any medical procedures on the child, I would not hesitate to put the child in a CSS such as this one. It will probably secure them better than the contraptions we have on our cots. Now obviously if it is a more serious pt that will be treated more aggressively or has injuries, then they will be on the cot.

If the child is not the patient and is going to be a rider, there are several things that will determine where they will ride. If the parent is a minor patient, and it will not be traumatic for the child to be in the back, then I would allow them to ride in the back. This is rarely the case however. Other options are to turn off the front passenger airbag and put them in the front seat, if they absolutly have to go to the hospital. Or to install a safety seat in a police car to transport them to the hospital. In 11 years I have only had a child as a rider in the back of the ambulance 2 times (that I can remember). So honestly I would be more likely to use this safety seat on a non serious child who is a pt than a child who is a rider. Although it does have benefits in both situations.

I think it is great that this seat is hitting the market. Even if it isn't perfect, or the final answer, at least it is a step in the right direction. Sorry to ramble on, but I just wanted to give my view on things :)

Andrea
 

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