High pressure stretcher

How should a critically injured saturation diver who works in the ocean’s depths be transported up from the sea without incurring further damage to the spine or other vital body parts? An injured diver must be moved through a tight hole, out of a diving bell and into a pressure chamber, where the diver has to decompress before being transported to hospital. This is a place where traditional stretchers just will not work.

Safe Exit is a stretcher that is equipped with a joint at the patient’s hip. This enables the stretcher to be bent so it can pass through tight passages while keeping the patient’s back stable.

The concept was developed by Marikken Høiseth, a master’s student at NTNU’s Department of Product Design. Both doctors and ambulance personnel have acted as advisers in the project to make certain that the stretcher meets the medical needs. Technical specifications for the stretcher have been given to Thelma AS for further development.