Citation

Iserson KV. South. Med. J. 2013; 106(1): 37-42.

Affiliation

From the University of Arizona and the AZ-1 Disaster Medical Assistance Team, Tucson.

Copyright

(Copyright © 2013, Southern Medical Association)

DOI

10.1097/SMJ.0b013e31827caef4

PMID

23263312

Abstract

Rarely are hospitals forced to evacuate their nonambulatory patients; however, when a disaster occurs, evacuating nonambulatory patients, particularly from multilevel facilities, represents a major logistical hurdle. Hospital disaster plans often rely on outside agencies and limited equipment to perform vertical evacuations. This article describes a novel method using readily available materials (patient mattresses and bedsheets) to effect a rapid, safe vertical evacuation. This method also can be used in nonhealthcare facilities for less-than-fully ambulatory individuals.

Language: en