It is a silent killer of the elderly that goes unrecognized and often unreported: being trapped in bedrails of hospital and nursing home beds.
Bed rails were designed as a safety device to keep people from falling or climbing out of their beds. However, they have proven to be much more dangerous than they may seem, resulting in head injury, brain injury and even death. According to Steven Miles of the University of Minnesota, "rails decrease your risk of falling by 10 to 15 percent, but they increase the risk of injury by about 20 percent because they change the geometry of the fall."
Entrapment Hazards
After receiving 102 reports of entrapment within a five-year period, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) issued a warning in 1995 about the dangers of patients becoming caught, trapped, entangled or strangled in hospital beds. Then, in 2006, the FDA released guidelines for manufacturers of beds and for those facilities with existing beds. These guidelines identify seven potential "zones of entrapment" in these beds:
- Within the rail itself
- Under the rail between or next to rail supports
- Between the rail and the mattress
- Between the rail ends
- Between split bed rails
- Between the rail end and the headboard or footboard
- Between the mattress and the headboard or footboard
Injuries resulting from being trapped in these danger zones included broken bones, lacerations and abrasions. In the worst situations where the head, neck or chest became trapped, patients died of asphyxiation.
Many Incidents Go Unreported
In 2009, the FDA had registered 480 deaths, 138 injuries and 185 "close calls" since the initial guidelines were established in 1995. Experts believe many more incidents occur but go unreported. Some believe employees and administrators at nursing homes and hospitals either do not realize they are expected to report entrapment incidents or they choose not to report due to potential legal liability or bad publicity.
According to Miles, patients and families need to be proactive when choosing a rehabilitation or care facility rather than depending on institutions and FDA guidelines. When looking at beds, he advises people to "see if by pushing the mattress to the far side of the bed they can make a gap that is big enough to put four fingers between that and the rail. If they can, that gap is too big."
If you or a loved one has been injured while in the care of a hospital or nursing home, contact an experienced personal injury attorney. An attorney can provide the knowledge and resources needed to evaluate your situation and advise you on your claim against the hospital or nursing home.
