SAFETYLIT WEEKLY UPDATE

We compile citations and summaries of about 400 new articles every week.
RSS Feed

HELP: Tutorials | FAQ
CONTACT US: Contact info

Search Results

Journal Article

Citation

Bothwell PW. Proc. Am. Assoc. Automot. Med. Annu. Conf. 1963; 7: 324-344.

Copyright

(Copyright © 1963, Association for the Advancement of Automotive Medicine)

DOI

unavailable

PMID

unavailable

Abstract

Functionally designed ambulances do not exist at present. Whatever training and specialized equipment are rovided for the crew, they have to operate in the vehicle and will be limited in their effectiveness by its design. Two basic design requirements exist: a) ride smoothness and road holding capability; b) ease of loading and unloading, entry and exit, and patient accessibility. Existing ambulance design is reviewed with reference to these problems.

Front wheel drive and front engine gearbox transmission unit permit clearing the rear floor and give maximum space utilization. A simple raising and lowering mechanism can be built into the suspension legs, allowing the whole vehicle to be lowered to the ground and to alter its ground clearance as necessary. Loading is therefore simple, particularly so for accident trolleys, and is further facilitated by an up-and-over telescoping door. A projected design incorporating these features is described.

This design is capable of high speed cruising without transmitting shock to patients either in loading or during the journey. The suspension design follows formula racing car design. Future development of such a vehicle would include four wheel drive of the Ferguson type. Hovercraft adaptability and a design for easy clamping to the belly of a helicopter by pick-up points in the bulkheads are described. However, the front wheel drive road-going version would meet most normal ambulance demands.

NEW SEARCH


All SafetyLit records are available for automatic download to Zotero & Mendeley
Print