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Better Lifting for Better Care

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Anyone who has been to a national EMS conference in the last few years has probably seen Rick Binder in the exhibit hall. If that name is not familiar, you may be more likely to remember his life-size teddy bear wearing a vinyl vest surrounded with brightly colored handles. While we are friends now, I have absolutely no financial interest to disclaim. In fact, I had initially avoided both him and the product that his dad had developed whenever I saw the booth at trade shows. Personally, I just didn’t see the need for it since I was a master with a hospital sheet and had acquired a wide repertoire in the many ways to use it. But there are times that peer pressure can be a good thing. Other teammates from my service had visited with him at EMS Today and appeared to be impressed. Curiosity got the better of me and I wanted to learn what I might have overlooked, so I took Rick up on his free offer to field test the device. It was because of my own experience with the Binder Lift that I was finally sold.

I have learned that there are many lifting situations where this device will be an incredible asset to me as well as my patients. The slogan, “because people don’t come with handles” initially led me to think that the use of the Binder Lift was directed primarily at the bariatric patient who requires only a simple lift assist to return them to an upright condition where they can sign my refusal form. While it is certainly useful in such cases, it is definitely not limited only to that situation.

In my first example of these many unique cases, the patient was over six-foot-tall and had been discovered unconscious, but breathing, on his front porch by a third-party caller. I had been to that address before and knew he had a history of stroke that had previously left him unable to drive. We had three responders available and knew we needed to get him to the hospital quickly. After a rapid initial assessment, the patient was rolled to his side so we could apply the Binder Lift. Once secured, one person grabbed his feet while my partner and I were able to grab different handles to balance our height difference and eased his lanky frame down the steps to our stretcher. This movement was much easier on our backs and proved safer for the patient compared to our other options that day.

The simplicity with which we were able to transport this patient made me think back to a previous visit here. I only wish I had had this device when this same patient had been helping his elderly father get to the bathroom toilet. I can only imagine the mishap that led to his naked father falling on top of him – pinning him to the bath tub wall. Then, whether it was due to the fall or just the wait for us to arrive, his dad had defecated quite a lot. The waste had eventually made its way over both of the men. Finding a firm handhold on the slippery gentleman was a challenge made even more difficult by his son being entrapped beneath him. The vinyl construction of the Binder Lift would have made the extrication job much easier to accomplish and also simpler to clean up afterwards. It may have even prevented the need to change my uniform that evening.

In another memorable example, it was about 2AM when the tones dropped for a fall with injury. The husband of a 62-year-old female found his wife on the ground in front of their porch. She had stumbled and fallen forward about a two-foot drop. Unfortunately, she had braced herself for the landing with a stiff arm before reaching the ground. Her primary complaint was pain in the right shoulder which, although closed, did exhibit deformation (a probable dislocation. She denied any other pain along her spine, but as a precaution against a distracting injury, we placed her in a cervical collar per protocol.) Getting the patient to a seated position was accomplished only with significant coaxing and some obvious pain. There was no option of lifting her from beneath her arms and her loose pajamas gave little hope of bearing the weight of her hips to lift her. So after placing her right arm in a sling, we were able to place the Binder Lift around her torso and helped her move her legs into a crouched position without any further aggravation. The patient was then easily lifted upright and the stretcher maneuvered behind her allowing her to simply sit down. The Binder Lift was also helpful in orienting her on the cot. Finally, the slick vinyl material of the vest and straps was easily removed to leave her comfortably in a high Fowler’s position on the stretcher.

In short, the Binder Lift allows for better body mechanics when lifting that not only help to raise the patient safely but can be effective in extending the careers of medics that might otherwise be forced into premature retirement due to back injury. If you don’t try a Binder Lift for your patients, at least do it for yourself. I still carry an extra hospital sheet for many situations, but it always lays right on top of my Binder Lift.

Learn more at http://binderlift.com.


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