The ceiling-hoist has been given fresh, exciting potential with a new and innovative function that proves valuable in operating theatres and intensive care units.
The ceiling-mounted hoist may have been developed and used primarily for moving people with reduced mobility, but there is so much more it can do. Thanks to a new and innovative electronic function called the ‘GH Positioning Lock’, the ceiling hoist can now also be used for strength training, treatment purposes and, not least, as a helping hand in the operating theatre.
Training and self-training
Ceiling-mounted hoists are already installed in many rooms in hospitals, and now the equipment has further potential as a rehabilitation and strength-training device. The GH Positioning Lock consists of an optional function for ceiling lifts that can lock the lift in fixed positions, allowing it to be used in connection with elastic-band strength training and other exercises. By mounting elastic exercise bands to a ceiling hoist fixed by GH Positioning Lock, patients can rebuild their arm, shoulder and leg muscles from a lying or sitting position. The patient can also train on their own, meaning that staff need not necessarily be present during exercise sessions, which in turn frees up time for other tasks. It is widely believed that patients who exercise while in bed have more of a positive view of their hospitalisation time. Patients’ overall well-being can thus be expected to improve, as they can do much more to help get themselves back on their feet again.
Treatment
By connecting a GH Positioning Lock to the ceiling hoist, the locked lift can also be used to treat extremity wounds, such as a sore on a patient’s heel.
In this situation, a heel strap is attached to the ceiling hoist, and the locked hoist and traverse rail can keep the patient’s leg comfortably suspended whilst the wound is cared for.
Positioning Lock in the operating theatre and intensive care unit
The new function provides additional functionality in the operating theatre or intensive care ward. We know that the daily costs of caring for a patient in an intensive care unit are sky-high, but the possibility of performing physical training and rehabilitation directly from bed provides a clear advantage for both specialised caregivers at the hospital as well as patients. In the operating theatre, the ceiling-mounted hoist can hold an extremity still rather than putting the prolonged strain of a fixed working position on staff. The positioning lock thus also contributes to an improved working environment.
These are just some of the possibilities brought about by using the new GH Positioning Lock. In the future, the positioning lock could also be used to more effectively rehabilitate patients suffering from neurological conditions – along with many other potential applications. The GH Positioning Lock has been developed by the ceiling hoist manufacturer V. Guldmann A/S, in collaboration with Horsens Hospital, located in Denmark.
Contact Guldmann on:
info@guldmann.com
Tel: +44 (0) 1793 608806
Web: www.guldmann.com
Guldmann UK.
Unit 9, Basepoint Business Centre,
Rivermead Drive,
Westlea,
Wilts,
Swindon,
SN5 7EX.
