After 25 Years of Research here comes Eden-XP

In medical transport, the stability and safety of the patient during transit are crucial. Since 2000, with the launch of the Eden project, Stem has developed one of the most highly regarded shock-absorbing stretcher supports globally. Today, after more than two decades of research and development, the company presents the Eden-XP, an evolution that marks a significant advancement in the field. But what makes this device really important, and what are the real benefits for patients such as neonatals in critical conditions and polytraumatized patient? In this article, we will examine the key role of the stretcher support, its advanced features, and real-life testimonies demonstrating its critical impact.

What is a Stretcher Support?

The stretcher support is a metal structure anchored to the ambulance floor, designed to accommodate the stretcher during transport. These supports facilitate loading thanks to folding slides, rollers, and extractable trays, allowing for lateral transfer of the patient in the medical compartment, while also offering height and tilt adjustments in certain cases. However, maximum comfort is ensured by shock-absorbing supports.

How Stem Developed Its Technology for the Shock-Absorbing System

Having a shock-absorbing suspension is not enough. If the system is not properly designed, the stresses and vibrations transmitted to the patient may even worsen his condition. To ensure optimal performance, a shock-absorbing stretcher support must meet specific requirements. For this reason, Stem has developed solutions that avoid this risk by providing a support system that ensures stable and secure transport, even under harsh conditions.

Thanks to shock-absorbing suspensions, the support absorb vibrations and shocks, improving the patient’s condition, particularly during long transports or bumpy rides. Unlike a simple stretcher or support tray, the shock-absorbing support is characterized by its ability to dynamically adapt to the patient’s needs, offering more stable and comfortable transport.

Through extensive research and collaborations with various universities, Stem has developed cutting-edge technologies that optimize the support suspension. This not only reduces vibrations but also minimizes the effects of motion sickness, which may be problematic during long transports. It has been documented that Eden, with its optimized comfort, reduces the need for sedatives in critical cases, enhancing patient well-being.

The idea of developing Eden is due to the R&D team, who wanted to respond to the need for a safer health transport by minimizing vibrations and shocks. This attention to detail is particularly crucial during long transfers or emergencies, where every movement can make a difference in the patient’s well-being, especially for the most vulnerable ones, such as newborns and polytraumatized patients.

Eden-XP: The Next-Generation low-consumption Shock-Absorbing Support

Eden-XP represents the evolution of its predecessor, Eden, which is already known for its performance in health transport. This next-generation stretcher support has further reduced consumption, already low in Eden, by 30% thanks to an advanced software management system.

Eden-XP Key Innovations:

• Variable color indicators via side LED bars to clearly indicate different operating modes.
• Integrated Bluetooth communication, allowing for real-time monitoring and diagnostics, facilitating maintenance.
• New motherboard with IP67 protection, ensuring water resistance and reliability even in extreme environments.
• Warranty of up to 5 years or a maximum number of services, for high and long-lasting performance.

In addition to these innovations, Eden-XP retains the main features of its predecessor, such as the adjustable tilt and sideways movement, offering complete mobility for the patient. The hydro-pneumatic suspension has been improved, thanks to the new software management, automatically adapting to weights starting from 0 kg, ensuring optimal stability, especially during the paediatric transport.

Shock-Absorbing Stretcher Supports in Neonatal Transport

The use of shock-absorbing stretcher supports is particularly relevant in neonatal transport. As Dr. Irma Capolupo, head of the Neonatal Emergency Transport Service at the IRCCS Bambino Gesù Pediatric Hospital in Rome, emphasized during the EMCT 2019 conference interview, “for newborns in critical conditions, the shock-absorbing support is essential. In our clinical experience, we have seen a significant difference in the outcomes of patients using this system. Tiny newborns, weighing less than 1 kg, and patients with severe conditions, such as congenital diaphragmatic hernia, show evident improvements due to reduced vibrations during transport.”

Dr. Carlo Bellini, Director of the STEN Unit at the Giannina Gaslini Pediatric Institute in Genoa, shows that vertical movements during transport may increase the risk of extubation failure in intubated infants.

“A small movement of the child, due to bumps—he highlights—may pose a high risk of extubation failure, making shock-absorbing support essential to ensure patient stability.”

Shock-absorbing support therefore plays a key role.

“When the child is under stress, the resulting vertical movement is precisely what the shock-absorbing support is designed to mitigate. Effective transport relies on constant monitoring of the child, who must be optimally stabilized before departure. Transport, essentially, is merely a transfer: if the child is perfectly stabilized, even the need to rush is also reduced.”

Patient Testimonies: The Story of Davide Villa

Another story that underlines the importance of shock-absorbing supports is the one of Davide Villa. After a serious accident, Davide was in critical condition and had to face daily transports from Pavia, where he was hospitalized, to Niguarda Hospital for hyperbaric treatments, which prevented the amputation of the lower part of his leg.

“The SOS Pavese ambulance, equipped with the Stem shock-absorbing support—he recounts—allowed me to face these journeys without further trauma. I got to try ambulances without shock-absorbing support, and the difference was remarkable. The amount of vibrations transmitted to my leg was reduced, which enabled me to handle an extremely difficult situation with more ease.”

An Innovation for the Future of Rescue

Concerning the way emergencies are managed, there is an increasing focus on patient stabilization before transport. In this context, the importance of a properly tested shock-absorbing stretcher support is evident: it is not just a tool that facilitates the loading and unloading of the stretcher, but a device that can directly improve the clinical outcomes of the patient.

Stem continues to invest in research and development to further enhance its products, with the aim of ensuring ever greater comfort and safety, not only for patients but also for healthcare operators. Thanks to solutions like Eden-XP, healthcare transport is making great strides towards ever safer and more efficient management of medical emergencies.