SPACE EMERGENCY BLANKET USED FOR MAKING IMPROVISED STRETCHER

Abstract

Space emergency blanket is part of the mandatory first aid kit in vehicles, and is thus widely accessible to the lay public. The purpose of the paper is to examine the possibilities for the use of the space emergency blanket in the transportation/movement of the injured. Both the testing of the space emergency blanket load capacity and the subjective assessment of the transportation on the improvised stretcher were carried out. It has been established that the space emergency blanket load capacity provides for the transportation of the injured weighing up to 150 kg. The space emergency blanket can be used for a safe transportation/movement of the injured on a short distance provided that any damage to the space emergency blanket caused by sharp objects is avoided. It is essential to strive towards greater awareness of the lay population and the medical workers concerning the possible use of space emergency blanket in the care of the injured and promote the discussion about other possibilities of its use which, to this day, have not yet been investigated.