“As a Paramedic in Oregon, I was dispatched to a Bariatric transfer. We secured our patient in the typical fashion as we have done many times in the past. Transporting bariatric individuals utilizing a conventional ambulance cot is a practice we have been utilizing for years. Our nylon straps were secured and the manufacturers locking buckles were also secured per protocol.

As my partner and I were exiting the Critical Care Unit with four additional staff members, the larger than normal abdominal mass of the patient started to roll off the side of the cot. If it was not for the fast thinking of my partner and the other members present, the patient and the transporting staff would have been severely injured that day. On that day, an idea was born, later manufactured, field tested, and now is available for your department today.

In the field, I have seen several devices and different ways bariatric individuals are secured and transported. Most are high cost devices and/or high cost ambulance cots especially designed for the bariatric individual. When our device is in your hand, you will agree that none of them can beat this light weight, compact, easy to use, and most of all, the most cost effective unit invented today. The Bariatric Equalizing Abdominal Restraint (BEAR) is a strong light weight nylon mesh fabric which is UV resistant, chemical resistant, easy to clean, and easy to store. Though it is all that we claim and very affordable, the BEAR was solely invented with the safety and comfort of the bariatric patient, and the physical well being of the transport team in mind.”

Keith Ishida NREMT-P President/CEO BEAR-iatrics Inc.