Investigating Vibration Levels in a Neonatal Transport System

Abstract

The first standardized Neonate Patient Transport System is currently being deployed in the Province of Ontario. The equipment has been designed to meet various transport safety regulations; however, there is concern that this new equipment may result in elevated vibration of the patient. The research presented in this paper is part of our on-going efforts to understand and mitigate vibrations in the Neonate Patient Transport System. Our previous investigations focused strictly on indoor transportation of patients. Moving to actual road transport has presented challenges, due to the many confounding variables including driver behavior and road conditions. We therefore intend to transition to a controlled environment, using an industrial shaker table. This study reports on our efforts to instrument a ground ambulance and patient transport equipment to collect baseline accelerations to be used to drive the shaker table and verify accurate simulation of actual patient transport. Results indicate significant vibrations at low frequencies, resulting from both the underlying vehicle dynamics and the response of the patient transport equipment.