Transfer Patients Safely and Reduce Risk of COVID-19

Transfer patients safely and reduce the risk of COVID-19 and cross contamination with an Air Powered Lateral Transfer Device.

The Lateral Transfer Devices are an important tool so fewer staff members can help more patients safely.  Air powered lateral transfer systems offers a broad range of options to ensure that patients of all shapes and sizes can be transferred safely anywhere in the hospital.  As we look at how patients are moved in hospitals, 90% of the patient transfers are considered a lateral transfer.  A lateral transfer is moving a patient from one surface horizontally, either up in bed (as in boosting a patient) or over to another surface like an OR table, CT table, new bed or gurney.   There is a lot of risk for both patients and staff when it comes to transferring patients.  In fact lateral transfers due to their high frequency are a leading cause of work-related muskuloskeletal disorders.  Over time the strain on the lower back, upper back, neck shoulders, wrists can result in career ending injuries for our caregivers.

The System

The Air Powered Lateral Transfer system was invented more than 30 years ago to address these risks and to protect both our hospital staff and patients.  SPH Medical and has been working tirelessly to reduce the risk of infection and cross contamination during transfer by utilizing a single patient use disposable transfer pad.  This back saving technology also promotes infection prevention by allowing the transfer pad to stay with the patient who needs it for the length of their stay, and it can be disposed of or reprocessed after they no longer need it.

Each air powered transfer system is composed of the the transfer mattress, a motor, air hose, power cord and transport cart. The transfer pad also includes safety straps that connect over the patient to ensure safety during transfer, and pull handles all around the transfer pad.  The handles make the transfer mattress safe for caregivers in a variety of different settings to pull horizontally or boost up in bed.  The transfer mattress behaves much like a reverse air hockey table.  The perforated chambers allow for a cushion of air to support the patient and reduce friction between the transfer mattress and the surface below.  The transfer pad has optional disposable top sheets that can wick away moisture from the patient. The transfer mattress itself is moisture proof but some facilities like to protect it with the disposable coverlet so that it may remain unsoiled and more quickly available for the next transfer required.

The safety straps and pull handles improve both patient and staff safety.  The air hose and motor are designed as simply as possible to make the entire transfer process as efficient as possible so that caregivers may focus on safely moving the patient.

Designed for General Hospital Use

The air powered transfer system is designed for general hospital use, and has the features to adapt itself through Nursing, Radiology, CT Scan, MRI, Nuclear Medicine, as well as the Emergency Room, Operating and Recovery Room, and even the Oncology/Radiation Therapy departments.  Nursing will find this solution useful to accommodate lateral transfers of nearly all all patients and departmental procedures, due to the make-up of the materials of the TransferPad. The technical specifications of the reusable transfer mattresses offer special low friction fabric on the bottom layer and  are MRI and X-ray compatible, and are constructed out of flame-resistant material.

On procedure tables such as X-Ray and Nuclear medicine, the equipment itself may have narrow or wide surfaces that normally make transfer a challenge. The typical Air Powered Lateral Transfer System is designed to allow as few as two staff members along with the anesthetist to handle these challenging locations, freeing up the technicians from needing to assist with this part of the process.  When performing a transfer into a CT Scan, the flexibility of the Transfer Mattress allows the head region of the to be folded under itself so that a staff member may then cradle the patients head and lay it into the headrest to complete a head scan, where the staff member may deflate the Transfer Mattress, complete the scan, then turn the motor back on and replace the patient’s head with as little disruption as possible. The TransferPad itself has no metal parts and is designed so that it does not produce any artifact during the scan.  For MRI rooms, using an extended hose, the air supply can be left outside the room.

In the Emergency Room, the Transfer Mattress is likely best equipped with a Sani-Liner placed on a stretcher, where the patient may be placed directly upon arrival. If the patient arrives on a hard board, the procedure remains the same, which greatly increases speed and safety as the patient need not suffer extra movement until stabilized. Since the Transfer Mattress is radiolucent, the X ray cassettes may be slid underneath the Transfer Mattress, the patient can be easily maneuvered to their proper position, deflated for the X ray, then re-inflated and moved again to quickly reclaim the cassettes. In the Emergency Room, a disposable coverlet  will prevent excessive amounts of blood or bodily solutions coming in contact with the mattress.

Lateral Transfer Devices

The Lateral Transfer Device’s features are designed to address the high-risk tasks of transferring patients on or off beds; repositioning patients on beds; lifting and holding extremities, and otherwise reaching, lifting, and moving equipment that happens around the time of surgery or acute treatment for the patient. Experts in the fields of biomechanics, engineering, industrial hygiene, injury prevention, and perioperative nursing were engaged to ensure that the Lateral Transfer Device features were designed to respect these separate, complex fields of study. Representatives from the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health, the Patient Safety Center of Inquiry at the James A. Haley Veterans Administration Medical Center, and the American Nurses Association were all involved in the development of this product.

According AORN’s new Safe Patient Handling Guidelines, the Air Powered Transfer Device should be used for all patients over 73lbs.  The Lateral Transfer Device allows one or two staff members to perform the tasks that typically would require four to eight people to complete safely.

Given the stress on personnel and their backs, necks, and shoulders, the tasks associated with moving patients must be minimized as much as possible. This system’s technology was created to keep the patient transfer process as safe and simple as possible for both the patient and the caregiver.

Hospital results when working with SPH Medical and utilizing single patient use solutions: 

• Reduced risk of infection and cross contamination
• Improved staff morale and efficiency
• Dramatically reduced staff injuries (MSDs) and worker’s compensation costs
• Increased patient comfort and reduced patient anxiety with transfers
• Enhanced infection control in patient handling procedures
• Lower cost
• Safer for patient’s skin