Carolinas Specialty Hospital in Pineville is currently undergoing a pilot program using the Total Bed Lift to help patients who have breathing problems or are on ventilators, aiming to speed up their recovery.
According to Janet Combs, the rehabilitation manager at Carolinas Specialty Hospital, human beings are meant to be upright; in terms of cardiac functioning, lung capacity, and breathing function, lying in bed is not good for patients on a long term basis. In addition, she told Fox Carolinas that the new bed is designed to increase the weight-bearing activities of patients ,which can help them to more rapidly improve their strength.
Combs went on to describe the experience of one patient who had surgery in May and was put into one of the new beds at Carolinas Specialty Hospital. She was able to stand up, which was something she would not have been able to do on her own, and being upright during parts of the day alleviated some of her problems with breathing. The patient did so well with the bed that she was moved to a regular one and is scheduled to leave the hospital sooner than planned.
Results of the project are planned to be released in the early fall. Most likely, the hospital will seek out brochure printers to publicize further information about the bed and how it can assist caregivers with increasing weight bearing capabilities to optimize patient recovery.
