Vertica Clinic Bed

The mobilisation bed

For a successful recovery, the patient needs to sit up and stand again as quickly as possible. The Vertica clinic with its sitting and standing positions provides ideal support for patients and nursing staff. Early mobilisation brings strong health and economic benefits.

3 Versions of Vertica

• Vertica Home Care
  • for home use — no trendelenberg
• Vertica Care
  • for nursing home use
• VERTICA CLINIC
  • for hospital use
  • larger castors
  • no wooden paneling
  • protection class 1 — washable IP66 option
  • park position for footrests
  • hand control with selective magnetic blocking

One factor is particularly important for successful recovery: The patient must sit and stand up again as early as possible. Bed rest can sap the body’s strength. For every day that a patient spends in bed, it takes 3 days of exercise and training to regain the former energy level. The Vertica clinic from Stiegelmeyer is a mobilisation bed that provides ideal support for patients and nursing staff.

Being bedridden often goes hand in hand with a fear of falls and painful movements. The Vertica clinic dispels these worries by imitating the natural flowing movements of the body and bringing patients gradually into an upright sitting position. This boosts confidence and encourages the patient to stand up and venture the first few steps. It also makes it much easier for patients to transfer from the bed to a transport chair or wheelchair.

The Vertica clinic is equally ideal for relieving the strain on nursing staff. It is no longer necessary to strenuously mobilise the patient over the side of the bed, and back and joint strain can now be prevented. The quality of life and motivation of everyone concerned in the daily hospital routine are considerably enhanced. Hospitals also benefit financially from this improvement, since the cost of absences from work and staff treatment are dispensed with from the outset.

As a result, many patients have a reduced length of stay, which enhances the hospital’s reputation and attracts new patients. The Vertica clinic provides so many benefits that it pays for itself in next to no time.

The beneficial impact of early mobilisation has been scientifically proven in numerous trials. Patients can often be discharged earlier and also enjoy better long-term health if they have been mobilised during their stay in the hospital’s intensive or normal care unit.

The reduction in patients’ length of stay is considerable. In a trial by Peter E. Morris and colleagues*, mobilised subjects were discharged from the intensive care unit almost one and a half days earlier than the non-mobilised comparison group (5.5 days compared to 6.9 days). Overall, their hospital stay was reduced by more than 3 days (11.2 compared to 14.5 days).

Further trials show that the use of sedatives and painkillers can be significantly reduced by early mobilisation. Dale M. Needham and colleagues* found that the dosage of benzodiazepines and morphines fell by up to two-thirds through increased mobilisation and higher quality of care in the intensive care unit.

These beneficial effects add up to a considerably improved quality of life. They help hospitals to relieve the pressure on their budget. If a day spent in intensive care is costed at € 1,200, the price of purchasing a Vertica clinic can potentially be saved after only 2 or 3 patients.

* "Early Mobilization and Rehabilitation of Patients Who Are Critically ill". Mohamed D. Hashem, MDa,b, Ann M. Parker, MDa,b, Dale M. Needham, FCPA, MD, PhD

The beneficial ergonomic sitting position afforded by the Vertica clinic significantly outstrips the possibilities offered by conventional hospital beds. The ability to adjust both the backrest and the lower leg rest to a virtually genuine 90 degree sitting position offers numerous health benefits and allows patients to engage with others at eye level again during everyday life.

Eating and drinking are considerably easier in an upright position. It also lessens aspiration and the associated risk of contracting pneumonia. By sitting up to eat meals and talk to other people the patient regains a feeling of self-reliance and equality. This also increases the patient’s psychological well-being.

The Vertica clinic promotes a healthy posture. Patients sit on their ischium instead of resting their weight on their tailbone in a semi-recumbent position. This prevents pain and effectively eliminates the risk of pressure ulcers forming. The upright sitting position activates the red muscles that are used for stabilising the body. Since there is no strain put on the white muscles, these muscles can be freely used.

Rather than tensing up, the patient is able to move freely, such as while eating and reading. The patient is encouraged to engage in physical activity. Even patients in a persistent vegetative state or with spinal paralysis benefit from the familiar natural movement of the bed.

The Vertica clinic considerably reduces the physical strain on nursing staff and frees up time for other things, such as talking to patients. Even experienced nursing staff can reach their limits when it comes to mobilising heavy persons to sit up on the side of the bed. In the long-term, this can lead to back injury, illness-related absences and high treatment costs. The Vertica clinic solves these problems. The sitting up process is completely taken care of by the bed. Brief help from a nurse is only needed when it comes to standing up or transferring the patient to a transport chair. Mobilisation using the foot end of the bed also saves room in confined spaces. The Vertica clinic can also be used as a conventional hospital bed.

The sitting and standing up function of the bed is activated with a single touch of a button on a carer control unit. This leaves nurses more time to devote to the patient in the hectic daily hospital routine. It also prevents the patient from inadvertently activating the standing up procedure on the patient handset used for making normal adjustments. These functions include the wide height adjustment range of the bed from about 42 to 83cm. This allows staff to work at an ergonomic waist level.

The Vertica clinic not only mobilises the patient but is extremely agile due to its shorter wheelbase, which makes it effortless to manoeuvre into position in even the smallest of spaces.

The Vertica clinic stands for high comfort and a perceptible improvement in the quality of life. These strengths are also appreciable in premium care units. The upright sitting position allows patients to quickly experience the enjoyable sides of life that they are accustomed to. When the footboard is used as a tray, the Vertica clinic is transformed in next to no time into a convenient place to eat, relax and work. Surfing the internet on a laptop, enjoying watching television or engaging with visitors at eye level are pleasures that foster recovery.

The large selection of colours and optional wooden decors allows the Vertica clinic to adapt to a wide range of furnishing styles. The spectrum ranges from dark to light-coloured wood tones, and from calming blue and grey to cheerful golden yellow. The bed’s stylish contemporary look enhances any room. Hospitals benefit from this increased attractiveness by discharging satisfied patients who attract more and more people to the hospital through their recommendation.

Adjusting the Vertica clinic to a sitting position requires only the touch of a button on a carer control unit (top left). The main handset with its intuitively comprehensible pictograms can be used even by patients with reduced capabilities to carry out normal adjustments to the bed (top centre). The raisable mobilisation supports have practical handles that can be pivoted (top right). They provide support for the patient when standing up. Optional side support cushions provide extra stability in the sitting position (bottom right). The optional footrests activate the proprioreceptors in patients’ muscles and joints and give them reliable feedback on their location within the room. The footrests are easy to attach and can be stowed away under the backrest (bottom left and centre).

With high-quality accessories from Stiegelmeyer, the Vertica clinic can be adapted even more closely to individual requirements. Tall patients enjoy the extra 15cm of space afforded by the bed extension with its perfectly sized mattress piece (top left). The mattress is precisely tailored to the mattress base adjustment options and is designed to prevent pressure ulcers (top centre). The footboard, which also serves as a foldable table and linen holder, can be adjusted in a few easy steps (right top and bottom). Footrests promote mobilisation by providing the patient with additional support and a comfortable and secure feeling when sitting up (bottom left). It is also possible to equip the Vertica clinic with standard sliding rails under the backrest and at the head end. They provide ample room for supply accessories (bottom centre).