on a motorized model, you can raise and lower the machine's back,
legs and height, taking patients from supine to upright and every sit-
ting and lying position in between, even Trendelenburg.
Stretcher-chairs start at around $5,000, but they can go up to
$20,000, depending on the system and any added features. To make
sure yours doesn't end up in storage, here are 3 key features to con-
sider.
1
Weight and width
The surgical managers we talked to say that the chair's weight
limit and width can make or break the chair's effectiveness.
"You really need to check the weight limit," says Barbara Getlan, RN,
BSN, administrator of the Dulaney Eye Institute in Towson, Md.
"Some of them are designed for use only in smaller patients, so which
one you purchase can really depend on your patients' weight."
Some managers regret that some of their convertible tables go
unused because they have too low of a weight limit for regular use.
"The model I have has a weight limit of 325 pounds," says JoAnne
Looker, RN, CNOR, clinical director of the Winchester (Va.) Eye
Surgery Center. "When I have a patient heavier than that, I have to put
them on a regular stretcher without hydraulics."
Many new models come with upper weight limits of 400 to 500
pounds, and bariatric models have a maximum weight limit of 1,000
pounds. The best way to determine the right weight limit for your
facility is to look at your patient demographics and specialties, says
Ms. Looker. For freestanding ASCs performing elective procedures on
relatively healthy patients, or those with strict BMI cut-offs, a chair
with a 300- to 500-pound weight limit may suffice. For those doing
procedures where BMI can greatly fluctuate, including in eye or cos-
metic procedures, it can pay to look into models that handle heavier
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