I need some help, or perhaps some insight for a proposed project I am undertaking. I am a respiratory therapist, and at one of my jobs I work with some long term ventilator patients. These patients have varying degrees of illness, but in a nutshell, they have little or no ability to move. They are paralyzed.

There is one patient in particular who I decided to try working with. He is 22 years old, and has only the use of his voice and facial muscles and has been this way sice age 3. He is a car-buff! I mentioned to him that I own a convertible XJS and his eyes lit up like fire.

So my goal is to find a way to give him a ride. It sounds much more simple than it is. Because he has no muscle control, he doesn't have the ability to even hold his head up. Every part of his body is...well...floppy, and therefore needs support and/or restraint.

I was thinking that if I removed the passenger seat and mounted a racing bucket it would cocoon him. If I recall, they have an attachment for the helmet in the headrest which could be modified to maintain his head position. His ventilator could be buckled in the back seat easily enough and has a 6 hour battery supply.

So.....any ideas or suggestions? Would a racing bucket seat work or is there something better? I'm listening. In the meantime, try to think of how it must feel for him to have never rode in anything besides a wheelchair van and what riding in a convertible would feel like!

 

Hi Jamey,
Fantastic idea. The racing bucket seat would I think suffice. I would also use a racing harness aswell. This would help to keep your friend secure.

Some kind of neck brace to keep his head up would also help in addition to the head restraint on the seat.

What is the battery voltage on his ventilator and could it be hooked up to the car?

Difficult proposal indeed but one that can be overcome and, I'm sure, would bring so much joy to the person concerned.

The very best of good fortune to you in your quest to bring a little happiness to someone less fortunate than yourself.

 

No ideas for the restraints, but just wanted to say "what a man" - well done to you. Restores faith in humanity. Hope it all goes well for you and your friend - I am sure it will be a fantastic experience.

 

The vent battery is good for 6 hours and has a small internal backup battery good for 30 min. They have a quick-switch design so they can be changed in a matter of seconds.

My biggest concern is restraint. I don't have a racing bucket to look at, I'm relying on memory alone. I would have to make some modifications undoubtedly. If anyone has one and can post a pic or two I'd appreciate it. The neck brace is a good idea. His wheelchair is designed to let his head lean back, which is fine for walking speed, but coming around a corner in a car would yeild a different result.

 

Oh, if anyone has any idea where I can get one of those seats and roughly the cost? I'm going to cruise Craigslist for used ones as well considering I'm going to modify it.

 

Take a look here (it is a UK site, but shows what is available. Sort by lowest first.

Seats | Seats & Accessories | Motorsport | Home | Demon Tweeks

If the guy can sit up when supported, ie does not have to be lying down to breath, a five point racing harness, a neck brace and a helmet on his head strapped to the seat top, might do it.

What a wonderful thing to do for him. Hats off to you.

Greg

 

Thank you for the remarks, but it really isn't about me. It's about the patient and I don't want recognition for doing something that any of you would do if the opportunity arose.
God puts us in places where we can reach others in unique ways.

Besides, what good is a toy if you can't use it to play with others?

 

Good on ya, mate!!

Maybe search "rap 03" racing seat, should be able to get one for $200+shipping or maybe find a supplier in NH. There are holes either side of the helmet area so perhaps an extra strap could be used just to hold the helmet still and upright.

 

search HANS device. (head and neck support) these are plastic supports that sit on the shoulders and buckle to a helmet to maintain neck stability for racers.

you would need to look into a racing helmet without a face guard--assuming the ventilator will be in place. these can be had for reasonable money, and perhaps could be something your patient would be able to keep as a memento of his little trip with you.

sounds like a great idea! best of luck!


check out www.saferacer.com for more ideas. they have a good selection of top quality safety devices.

 

Sent you a pm.

 

Your heart is in the right place but if anything at all happens to him you will be held responsible.

 

James, firstly it's good to this type of humanity.

With regards to the seat, Why don't you approach one of the racing teams to see if they would loan you a seat and restraints.

good luck mate

 

Restoring my faith in humanity. Well done man. Look at the 5 point harnesses and mount them under where the rear seatbelt fits

 

We are humanity, therefore it is up to each of us to make that effort to lift others up!
Anyway, I am aware that should anything happen to him while in my car I am liable, however that goes for any passenger riding with me.

I'd like to point out that anyone of you can do something similar. It doesn't mean you have to modify your car though. Stop by a retirement or veteran home and offer to take someone out for a coffee. It's such a little thing but could mean so much to a person who is alone. The cost of gas and a donut is well worth the return.

 

Not just in your car. While in your care. A # of things could happen.

 

True. Anything can happen, and with a patient as frail as this the likelyhood is higher.
I am a respiratory therapist, so it is my job to adjust and maintain his life support systems. If it were to fail, we carry a backup, and if that fails, we have a manual (ambu-bag). We also carry a portable suction system as well as a med-bag. I would also bring an RN to assist me with any other issues that might arise. I just hope she can fit comfortably in the back seat..lol!

Currently we have 5 of our patients on long term vents at our 1200 acre facility. We take them fishing, to the movies, even swimming! Each activity is carefully planned and reviewed by our staff. Obviously there are things no one can predict, such as a sudden attack from above by parachuting ninja hedgehogs. (I hate it when that happens) But for the most part, little is left to chance.

Unfortunately, this patient has no memory of ever riding in anything other than an ambulance, wheelchair van or bus. So the experience of being in a personal car with the top down should be spectacular!

 

Possibly, the requirement is more than the head and neck, but rather that the head and neck as well as the upper torso have to stay in the same relative alignment to avoid tearing injury. As you know, the head itself is relatively heavy for its size. Then, you have the fact that in his particular case he has no ability to maintain the alignment on his own.

Perhaps you could use a larger seat and then do some foam-in-place.

Perhaps, in advance, he could be laid on top of a towel over a large plastic bag such as a leaf bag, on top of a sheet of foam, on top of a board with two side boards. Inject the expanding foam into the bag so that it rises on both sides from the level of the waist to the ears and let it harden. Add strap restraints for the forehead and upper chest. A hardware store such as Home Depot would likely donate the foam aerosols if the story is explained to a sympathetic manager.

Sorry about the run on sentence ... only way to get it into sequence for you.

For your support team, it might be easier to have them follow in an ambulance or other vehicle.

In addition to the racing teams, the racing equipment vendors might be helpful.

 

Go to www.scca.com and find the Region association near you. Go to that Regions website and find contacts and find the Club Racing contact. Explain to him what you need and see if anyone can recommend you to a race shop nearby that can guide you on this endeavor. You might find that the shop might consider doing it for cost or for free and get you a sponsor for the whole thing. You might wind up with seat, harness and support and all just by inquiring. You might even be able to tour a local track and really surprise your patient. My St. Louis Region works with the handicap organizations all the time, JDRF, St. Judes Hospital, Barnes Children, and etc.

 

Further to the foam ...

perhaps what you need is to find a shipper with a foam-in-place machine. It doesn't have to be "boards" for the outer shell. It could be cardboard folded to make a "U".

A layer of cloth such as towels is needed for comfort to let the skin "breath". Otherwise he is going to start getting uncomfortable against the plastic film quite quickly.

 

Hmmm...I hadn't thought of using foam...I'll have to give this some thought!
Until now I had been just trying to think of a way of mimicking his wheelchair setup with modifications to allow him to sit more upright and with restraints.