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HAMILTON — The increase in the number of people who are overweight or obese in recent years has put stress on local Emergency Medical Service units and hospitals.
Almost one in three adults are obese in Ohio, according to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
EMS units in Ross, Fairfield, Liberty and West Chester townships and Middletown have been upgrading equipment systematically to accommodate larger patients.
“There’s a lot of equipment out there,” said Capt. Dave Adams of the Middletown Division of Fire. “There are some larger stretchers you can buy with heavier weight-carrying capacity. There are even different needles out there for use on heavier patients.”
New, larger-capacity stretchers should not only last longer, but also be able to accommodate heavier patients.
“We’re gradually replacing cots, which hold at least 500 pounds, to front lines that hold up to 750 (pounds),” said Chief Paul Stumpf of the Liberty Twp. Fire Department.
Hospitals also have had to make upgrades to receive overweight patients.
“In designing our hospital, we took into account the needs of patients and families, including those individuals who are larger in size,” said Michele Guido, marketing coordinator for Atrium Medical Center, which opened about a year-and-a-half ago in Middletown.
The equipment that can handle larger patients also features upgrades that can help prevent injuries of medical personnel, which fire officials say can occur while lifting patients onto stretchers for transport.
Larger size patients add to cost of health care
As recently as 10 to 15 years ago, the typical patient cot for Emergency Medical Service Units could accommodate patients up to a maximum 350 pounds.
“A couple different things have happened,” said Chris Way, marketing director for Stryker, one one of the nation’s leading manufacturers of medical equipment. “One is the market for higher weight capacity, another is that patient weights have increased at the same time.”
Now, the typical patient cot can accommodate 700 to 750 pounds, he said.
EMS units have had to upgrade to these heavier-duty stretchers as larger patients are more prevalent, said Capt. Steve Kelly of the West Chester Twp. Fire Department.
These cots can cost as much as $4,000 apiece.
“We’ve systematically upped the weight limit; the cots can carry 600- to 700-pound patients,” he said.
Another option has been to use specialty equipment, such as bariatric sheets, which allow eight people to move a person weighing up to 1,500 pounds, said Ross Twp. Fire Chief Steve Miller.
The specialty sheets can cost $500.
“The demand continues to grow for specialty bariatric units,” said Way, who added that it allows for greater patient comfort and makes transport easier for EMS units.
One even pricier unit — at $10,000 to $12,000 each — is a powerlift stretcher.
“It takes a lot of strain off the guys and girls,” Miller said, adding that the motor performs the vertical lifting, and reduces the manpower necessary to move a larger patient.
Many fire departments, including Ross Twp. and Middletown, have been using grant money to purchase powerlift stretchers.
On the receiving end, hospitals also are adjusting to care for larger patients.
“All of our rooms are private and oversized in order to accommodate additional guests or patients and visitors who are larger in size,” said Michele Guido, marketing director for Atrium Medical Center in Middletown, which opened in December 2007. “Plus, 25 percent of our furniture is designed and sized to comfortably fit the larger patient or visitor.”
The Fort Hamilton Hospital also has felt the financial pinch to serve larger patients, from equipment upgrades to larger hospital gowns and higher-capacity wheelchairs, said Marielou Vierling, Fort Hamilton’s director of public relations.
“Weight issues may require rental of ‘big boy’ or bariatric beds to better fit the patient,” she said. “Additional staff is needed to assist in turning, repositioning and/or care of the obese patient.”
Vierling said another issue is that heavy patients sometimes cannot fit into equipment needed for testing, such as MRI machines or hyperbolic chambers.
“We are in process of opening a new MRI because of that issue, called an open MRI,” Vierling said. “The open MRI can be used for large patients, as well as children and claustrophobic people who are uncomfortable in a traditional MRI machine.”
Besides physical difficulties in transporting and accommodating larger patients, health care professionals often find such patients’ illnesses more difficult to treat.
Sometimes they cannot be treated properly due to their size, or have difficulty healing. Adipose, or fat tissue can bury the veins in a larger patient so it’s much more difficult to find and puncture the veins with an IV needle, Vierling said.
Also, she said, “Obese patients have a much harder time healing wounds due to “lymphodemia” or swelling.
“All of (these issues) lead to higher cost to provide the care.”
Contact this reporter at (513) 820-2192 or emason@coxohio.com.
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