Replies to This Discussion

Permalink Reply by chris carillo on July 31, 2009 at 5:26pm

how about stacking the bags like they are designed

Permalink Reply by Ben Waller on July 31, 2009 at 5:40pm

I don't like the purchase point shown - the window frame isn't generally a strong point, particularly on unibody (beer can) cars. I can bend a lot of those window frames with my arms, and I'm not anywhere close to Superman. If I can bend it, the weight of the car hanging from a 2-inch square strut tip can bend it or tear it. If you lose that single, tightly-focused purchase point, then the car comes crashing back down on the patient.

Further, if you have a patient trapped in the car and another patient trapped beneath it, you have a much bigger potential to pendulum the car with the strut than with the air bags. That pendulum motion isn't good for the interior patient's c-spine.

The cribbing point is a tie between the two systems - if you're cribbing as you lift, it takes time to get the cribbing out either way.

With a preconnected air source, it takes a grand total of four quick connects...snap, snap, snap, snap, stack two bags, and start the lift. That can be done before the rescuer on the back side of the car can fish the strap out from beneath the lift and ensure that the strap doesn't impinge on the patient.

I still question strut lifts as maybe being OK for the car but not necessarily good - or safe - for the patient.

Permalink Reply by Ben Waller on July 31, 2009 at 5:42pm

Dual kick stands don't fill the void as you lift. Any time you don't physically fill the void beneath the lift with cribbing, you're risking a catastrophic failure if anything goes wrong...like a tensioned strap getting cut by debris, a chain sling slipping on slick metal, or a damaged unibody folding into a clam shell.

Permalink Reply by Tim Brooke on September 12, 2009 at 2:02am

Res-Q-Jacks ! enough said!

Permalink Reply by Drew Tenhundfeld on May 11, 2010 at 11:31pm

Ben, I agree with you 100%. I don't feel that struts or jacks should be meant for lifting. I just taught a class and the rule of thumb that I told them is "If you lift an inch, t
Then you crib an inch".

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