Pediatric device for immobilizing injured infant utilizing a standard size backboard

摘要

A restraint system for enabling a badly injured infant or small child to be immobilized on an adult size backboard, our device has a spinal immobilizer to be placed against the spinal portion of the injured infant, and held tightly in place by securing elements passing around the chest and abdominal portions of the injured infant. Our spinal immobilizer is radiotransparent and is constructed to offer considerable resistance to bending about its longitudinal axis, but permitting a degree of wrap around the torso of the injured infant. In one embodiment a collar member is affixed to an upper part of the immobilizer, and the securing elements of the immobilizer involve a pair of chest straps and a pair of abdominal straps. Fastening elements are located on the free end of each chest strap and abdominal strap, such that the respective pairs of straps can be properly fastened together tightly around the chest and abdominal portions of the injured infant. In the one embodiment of our invention, the rear side of the collar member, the side away from the neck of the injured infant, is covered to a substantial extent by fastening elements, such that the collar member can be tightly yet removably fastened to an adult size backboard. Another embodiment of our invention can involve the use of at least one strap passing through handholes of the backboard, by the use of which, the spinal immobilizer can be removably secured to the backboard.