Hospital beds are an integral part of patient care; they offer support and comfort to the patient and are employed for several medical purposes. Among these, ICU hospital beds are specific due to their design and components intended for managing critically ill patients. This blog highlights the differences between the hospital ICU bed and the other hospital beds concerning their attributes, advanced features, and crucial usage in patient care, ensuring optimal outcomes for critically ill patients.
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Below are the differences of hospital beds and ICU beds:
ICU beds are made from a high degree of hardness to accommodate the high-density movement necessary for severely ill patients. They come with reinforced frames, powerful motors, and smooth, non-porous covers that are easy to clean. On the other hand, standard hospital beds may not need to be built as robustly as they are for patients who are not seriously ill.
ICU beds also have enhanced mobility to enable easy movement, with options like castor wheels having brakes and ease of maneuvering. This makes it possible for patients to be easily and safely transported within the ICU or to other parts of the hospital. A standard hospital bed may have simple wheels instead of an ICU bed's highly specialized mobility features.
The difference in functionality between ICU beds and hospital beds:
Most ICU beds are electric ICU beds, and they can be inclined in many positions like Trendelenburg position, reverse Trendelenburg position, Fowler position, etc. Some of these adjustments can be made easily using remote controls to ensure patients are well-positioned for medical procedures and comfort. In contrast, other hospital beds may have limited or manual adjustment capabilities.
Many ICU beds come with integrated monitoring systems, including weight scales, vital signs monitoring, and interfaces for connecting to external medical devices. These features are crucial for continuously monitoring the patient's condition. Other hospital beds typically lack these integrated systems, relying on separate devices for monitoring.
Differences in patients safety and comfort:
ICU beds often have advanced side rails with built-in controls for bed adjustments and safety alarms to prevent falls. These beds also allow for the attachment of various restraints if necessary, ensuring patient safety. Standard hospital beds may have simpler side rails and few safety features.
ICU beds are equipped with specialized mattresses that offer pressure relief through air or gel overlays to prevent pressure ulcers. These surfaces can adjust automatically based on the patient's movements. While some hospital beds also offer pressure relief mattresses, they are typically less advanced than those in ICU beds.
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The technological integration of ICU beds and hospital beds:
ICU beds have special features, such as bed exit alarms, which produce a sound when the patient attempts to leave the bed alone. This is especially beneficial for managing falls with patients who are either critically ill or who have become disoriented. Such alarms are less common in standard hospital beds.
Contemporary ICU beds have also been developed with a focus on connectivity with the hospital's IT systems for interoperability with EHRs and other medical devices. This integration ensures that all patient data is well captured and easily retrieved whenever needed. Other hospital beds may offer a different level of connectivity.
Read Also: Hospital Beds: The Lifeline of Healthcare
The versatility and customization of ICU beds and other hospital beds
ICU beds are flexible and can be fitted with accessories like IV stands, traction appliances, and lift devices. This flexibility is important given the complexity of care needed in intensive care areas. Standard hospital beds have limited attachment options.
ICU hospital beds can be adjusted flexibly to accommodate the specific needs of different patients. This includes altering the height of the bed, the backrest, and the footrest, along with features like lateral tilt and automated CPR positioning. Such detailed customization is less common in other hospital beds, which often offer more limited adjustment options.
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These technological enhancements in ICU beds play a big role in patient outcomes. For example, accurate positioning might improve lung ventilation and decrease the incidence of ventilator-associated pneumonia. Constant vigilance makes intervening in time easier, enhancing the quality of patient care.
Patients in the ICU are bedridden most of the time. These include enhanced pressure relief and adjustable positions in ICU hospital beds that significantly help reduce the chances of developing bedsores and other complications, enhancing patient comfort and recovery.
Read Also: Optimizing Patient Care: The Synergy of Hospital Stretchers and Bedside Tables for Excellence
ICU beds differ from other hospital beds in terms of design, features, safety measures, technological incorporations, and flexibility. These are important as they assist in delivering the extensive and specific care that patients in the ICU need. These differences are crucial for the healthcare provider to determine the right bed for each patient, thus improving the level of care and quality of patient outcomes.
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Difference between an ICU bed and a regular hospital bed
Every Hospital has a hospital bed, but not all have an ICU bed. Intensive Care Unit beds are special beds used by patients in critical conditions. An ICU bed is considered special because they assist medical staff to react and provide treatment quicker in an emergency. A regular hospital bed cannot be used in place of an ICU bed. So to understand these two types of beds, you need to know the specifications and features of each bed. Let's have a look.
Hospital bed types?
ICU bed ' Descriptions of ICU beds tend to vary, it's believed that any bed used in an Intensive Care Unit is referred to as an ICU bed. However, the Department of Health and social care tend to disagree with this description. It has a deeper explanation of what an ICU bed is.
'It is an electric bed that attains chair and Trendelenburg positions and is fitted with a pressure-relieving mattress.
Electric bed ' An ICU bed should be operated automatically and not manually. The patient should be able to control the movement of the bed with control panels without necessarily requiring a nurse.
Offers Cardiac chair and Trendelenburg positioning ' This is an important feature as it facilitates respiration, and it aids circulation for the body to function properly.
Has pressure relieving mattresses ' It is intensive care, so the patient should be comfortable and have a mattress that relieves pressure. The best mattress to be used is the foam and replacement air mattresses.
Regular Hospital Beds ' A regular hospital bed can be manual, or semi electrical. They include normal hospital beds that you see in any hospital.
It is mandatory to have these hospital beds in a hospital facility. Most times, a regular hospital bed is operated manually. Patients who use the regular hospital bed are not in any critical condition and can be able to position their bodies, which means they do not necessarily need a fully automatic bed. The regular hospital bed comes with fewer features as compared to the ICU bed.
Hospital Bed Sizes and Weight
A regular hospital bed has a standard size and can be compared with a twin-size bed. It is normally 80 inches long and 36 inches wide. This size cannot be able to stand patients with much weight. It is however recommended that beds should be designed to suit the patient's weight that eases movement. The ICU bed is typically a typically bariatric hospital bed that offers both a higher weight capacity and larger dimensions. The bed mattresses also accommodate different sizes and weights.
3. Hospital Bed Accessories.
There are two types of accessories, optional and non-optional accessories, in a hospital bed. The ICU bed has more accessories than the regular hospital bed because it's fully automatic and patients are in the intensive care unit. These accessories contribute to the patient's recovery process as well as make them feel comfortable. The regular bed does not contain so many accessories because the patient is not in a serious condition.
Different Hospital Mattress Types
You will often be given an option to choose the type of mattress to go with your hospital bed, the standard types being either foam or innerspring. However, many other types are used for different conditions or for avoiding bed ulcers. These specialized mattress options include alternating pressure relief mattresses and low air loss mattresses. For ICU beds, the main priority is to get a good, suitable, and comfortable mattress to protect the wellbeing of the patient. Regular hospital beds also offer good mattresses, however, the mattresses in a regular bed are standard and not adjustable to the size of the bed.
The Level of Care.
In any hospital, patients are normally classified with different levels of care or different intensity of treatment. The levels include Level 0 to Level 3. Patients in Level 0 are not in serious condition, and they can be treated in a regular hospital bed. Patients in Level 1 are recovering patients from levels 2 and 3, whereas patients in Level 2 &3 require intensive care support, and therefore they cannot be treated in a regular hospital bed, so they require an ICU bed. The Medical or levels of care will determine which type of bed the patients will use. Hover the overall goal of these two types of beds is to help medical staff to react and provide treatment quicker in an emergency.
ICU and Regular Hospital bed Price
A regular hospital bed and ICU bed vary in price. This is contributed by features and accessories on the bed. However, the ICU bed is normally expensive compared to the regular hospital bed. The ICU bed has features and characteristics that support the patient during the conditions. It is designed to allow medics to act quickly in case of an emergency.
Home care
The best suitable hospital bed to facilitate the patient's recovery is the ICU hospital bed. A patient can recover comfortably in their home. The hospital bed home use is designed to suit the home and also to allow movement of the patient. This can be operated at home by a hired nurse or a caregiver.
Adjustable and Versatile
Most ICU beds are electrical beds, and they normally come with remote control. Often, if the bed doesn't come with a remote, it can be purchased separately. The remote control allows for adjusting the head and foot sections. However, with a regular hospital bed, the height of the bed must be adjusted manually, which gives the caregiver a lot of work.
Electrical bed
The ICU bed is fully electrical, which means that all adjustments are made by electronic control with a remote. When there is a power outage, the bed cannot be operated manually unless it came with a backup battery. This poses an advantage to the regular hospital bed, they are not fully dependent on electricity as they can be operated manually.
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General Parameters
Parameter
Value
Product Name
Intensive Care Bed
Overall Dimensions
Lmm×W980mm×H 480 mm-700 mm
Hospital Bed Frame
Perforated Expoxy power coated steel
Hospital Bed Weight
120 kg
Hospital Bed Platform
MS perforated platform with ventilation hole
Loading Capacity
240 kg (480Ibs)
Electrical Parameters
Parameter
Value
Electric Bed Voltage
If you want to learn more, please visit our website icu hospital bed.
BS /A: 230-240V, 50Hz
Available Functions
Backrest lifting angle (0-85°),
Knee-rest lifting angle (0-45°),
Reverse and Trendelenburg (15°±2°),
Hi-lo adjustment (480 mm-750 mm)
Manual CPR function
Yes
One-key CPR function
Yes
Battery Backup
Yes, with status indicator
Accessories
Parameter
Value
Detachable Head & Footboard
1 pair (ABS)
Side Rail
1 pair (ABS all surrounded tuck away with angle indicator)
Motor
4 (China famous brand)
Castor
4 (6' (150 mm) Deluxe Castor with central breaking system)
Braking Pedals
1 set
Foot Pad
1 set (4Pcs, left to right control:
height up, down, Trendelenburg, revers-trendelenburg)
Nurse Controller Station
1 pc
Hand Controller
1 pc
Side Rails with Built-in Control Buttons
4 set:
Inner Head Side Rail: 2 sets of control buttons
Outer Head Side Rail: 2 sets of control buttons
Adjustable Height Infustion and Drainage Bag Hooks
1 pc
Bed Structure & Mattress Platform
Parameter
Value
Mattress Platform
4 sectional, lightweight, easy-to-clean roof panels
Adapted for X-ray Scanning
Yes, including C shoulder
X-ray Transparent Dorsal & Pelvic Sections
Yes, with built-in cassette holder
Telescopic, Electrically Driven Columns
2 pcs (disinfectant-resistant)
Removable Trays
2 (head & legs, waterproof, locking mechanism)
Removable Side Partitions
1 set (upper body, with built-in controls button)
Safety & Additional Features
Parameter
Value
Integrated Weighing System
Option, with alarm menu
Double Wheels
4 (15 cm diameter, with central locking)
Electric Adjustments
Yes, for height, head, foot, trendelenburg, and revers-trendelenburg positions
CPR Manual Handle
Yes
Electric Touch Button
Yes (for quick back support adjustment)
Side Mattress Holders
Yes
Anti-Bumpers
Yes (on corner)
Telescopic Infusion Stand
Yes, adjustable height
Design & Cleaning
Parameter
Value
Convenient Construction
Yes, easy-to-clean to prevent nosocomial infections
Reliable Fixation of Panels
Yes, without connecting elements
Active Disinfection & Easy Cleaning
Yes, designed for panels & trays
This intensive care bed is a multi-functional bed designed for critical care patients in ICU settings, offering advanced features such as manual and one-key button CPR, Trendelenburg and reverse Trendelenburg positions, and adjustable height and tilt. This bed provides a safe and comfortable environment for patients, with features such as integrated weighing system, electric adjustments, and easy-to-clean design. Its robust construction and reliable performance make it an ideal choice for ICU departments.
Contact us to discuss your requirements of electric rotating nursing bed. Our experienced sales team can help you identify the options that best suit your needs.