Vacuum mattresses, whether used on their own or with a backboard, can dramatically reduce the pain and fear patients face when injured.
By molding to patients’ bodies without applying pressure, vacuum mattresses reduce pressure point tenderness and increase patient comfort — a win-win for patients and medics.
But vacuum mattresses can have a major drawback: their cost. At around $500 apiece, they can be too expensive for some agencies to afford. Hartwell Medical’s new FASPLINT Full Body was created to address that problem.
Designed with the same material and vacuum technology as Hartwell’s line of semi-disposable vacuum splints, the FASPLINT Full Body provides the benefits of a vacuum mattress at less than a third of the price.
When used with a backboard, the FASPLINT Full Body molds to the patient’s body to immobilize and support, which alleviates pressure point pain, increases comfort, and helps insulate the patient against hypothermia.
Erika Nelson, marketing manager for Hartwell Medical, said the feedback about the Full Body she received at EMS Today was resoundingly positive.
“People loved it,” she said. “We got a lot of people saying they were going to be able to afford the Full Body, where they might not have been able to purchase a full vacuum mattress.”
Among those who Nelson spoke with at the conference, the product’s size was a major selling point. The Full Body’s tapered design allows it to fold up much smaller than a vacuum mattress, making it easy to store on your rig, she explained.
“This product is really about providing high-level care at a budget price,” she said.
And like Hartwell’s semi-disposable vacuum splints, the Full Body is cheap enough to replace if it is lost or too soiled to be used again. At $129 per splint, the Full Body is a cost-effective way to treat patients while providing high-level care.
Hartwell Medical has been a manufacturer of medical products for more than 20 years. For more details on the FASPLINT Full Body, visit www.hartwellmedical.com.