Application of Side Rail in Medical Devices

Medical devices are considered all those elements (including the mattress) that can be used to facilitate the hygiene, comfort, and well-being of the patient. Most medical devices would need accessories to function properly. One of these accessories include the side rails amongst others.

There are different types of side rails which have found application in medical devices. Let’s look at them:

Railing or security fence

It is a metallic protector that is placed on each free side of the bed to avoid patient falls. It can cover the entire side length of the bed or only the upper half. They have a mechanism that allows to lower them to facilitate access to the patient without removing them

Guard rails

They have usually swollen polyethylene bags, pillows, etc. Its function is to prevent patients from getting injured. They are also called "bed sentries".

Wedges-stop

They are triangular quilted pieces that serve to maintain the stability of the patient or of some segment of the body. The same result can be obtained by means of pillows, cushions, sheets or folded towels.

Protection arch or bed arch

Maintains the weight of the bed's clothes, preventing them from rubbing and exerting pressure on the patient. When installing it, it is necessary to take into account that the bedding needs more slack to cover the patient up to the shoulders.

Let’s look at the bedside rail thus:

Bed rail:

Bed rails are used by many people to help create a supportive and assistive sleeping environment in homes assisted living facilities and residential care facilities. This type of equipment has many commonly used names, including side rails, bedside rails, half rails, safety rails, bed handles, assist bars, or grab bars, hospital bed rails, and adult portable bed rails.

You may have to go for a bed guard rail that spans a longer length of the bed. There are models which allow for longer or shorter positioning for added support and safety.

To keep the user intact in the bed and prevent any unnecessary falls during your night rest, you will need the full-length rails.

A single-function bed rail is a perfect choice if you need assistance only with sitting up. While some bed rails are fixed and stationary, there are those that can be adjusted to swing down and out of the way when they are not in use. Apart from helping you sit up you also need a unit that will assist you in taking the first few steps.

There are some models that come with a swing-out arm that offers increased leverage and more support. In the absence of such features, a safety pole with either a horizontal bar or curve can be mounted to provide extra support when you want to get to or move out of the bed. For those who make use of walker or cane, then this model is ideal. The rail connects the transfer point from the walker to the bed, so the mobile bed can actually be left beside the rail.

However, it is necessary that all the instruments are proper for the purpose that is pursued, this is with respect to its size, weight, and precision