The BEAR from BEAR-iatrics

It is no secret that our country is getting larger and that more and more of our population is becoming overweight, obese, and morbidly obese.  The issues that come with being a significantly larger size aren't just limited to the overweight person, their weight can also greatly affect the ability of the first responder who needs to get them to the hospital.

Many ambulance companies have begun to add bariatric ambulances to their fleets.  These ambulances are specially designed to carry wider stretchers that more adequately support the size and weight of obese and morbidly obese patients.  Unfortunately, these specialty ambulances come with two major obstacles.  There are substantial costs involved in the purchase of or transformation to a bariatric ambulance.  Finding out after arrival that a bariatric ambulance is required can drastically increase the amount of time that it would take to get a patient to the hospital.

BEAR-iatrics Inc has a cost-effective solution for this growing problem....The BEAR Unit.  BEAR is short for Bariatric Equalizing Abdominal Restraint.  This simple device allows you to turn virtually any ambulance stretcher into one that is safe to transport obese persons with.  The BEAR is attached directly to the stretcher, and it is then secured around the obese patient.  It works by stabilizing the abdominal mass, which makes the patient feel more secure, decreases the likelihood of them being pinched by the stretcher, and allows for ease of transport.

To learn more about the BEAR unit, check out the following video:



There is also a smaller AirBEAR available for when larger patients need to be transported by air flights.

Detect Brain Trauma on Scene

Each year nearly 1.7 million people sustain a traumatic brain injury.  These types of injuries generally occur during falls, sport accidents, vehicular accidents, or another type of jolt to the head.  In patients with head trauma early detection is one of the most critical aspects of the patient's final outcome.

This early detection makes the first responders instrumental in detecting brain injuries so that they can alert hospital staff upon arrival.  Obvious signs that brain injury may have occurred include an obvious wound to the head, bleeding from the nose or ears, change in consciousness, confusion, headache, loss of balance, unequal pupil size, and slurred speech.  However, these symptoms only alert first responders to the presence of brain trauma.  What if it were possible to detect just how serious a brain injury was in the field?

The Infrascanner Model 2000 from Infrascan makes brain injury detection in the field a reality.  The Infrascanner utilizes Near-Infrared technology to screen patients for intracranial bleeding.  In as little as 2-3 minutes, the scanner can detect hematomas greater than 3.5cc in volume up to 2.5cm deep in the brain tissue.  Although these quick scans are not a replacement for CT scans performed at hospitals, they do make it easier to identify high-risk patients ensuring that they are quickly transported to facility that will be able to properly treat their condition.

Infrascanners are light-weight, making them highly portable.  They can be powered utilizing either a rechargable NiMH battery pack or four AA batteries.  The unit turns on and off automatically by either attaching or removing disposable shields.

At this time, MedLogic is the exclusive dealer of Infrascanners in the US.