e-Rescue System: the next level in Post-Accident-Safety. Saving time and lives during the Golden Hour

Project Information

ERESCUE

Grant agreement ID: 717830

DOI

10.3030/717830

Project closed

EC signature date 12 February 2016

Start date 1 March 2016

End date 31 August 2016

Funded under

• SOCIETAL CHALLENGES - Smart, Green And Integrated Transport

Total cost

€ 71 429,00

EU contribution

€ 50 000,00

Coordinated by

INNOVATION & SAFETY SL
Spain

Periodic Reporting for period 1 - ERESCUE (e-Rescue System: the next level in Post-Accident-Safety. Saving time and lives during the GoldenHour)

Reporting period: 2016-03-01 to 2016-08-31

Summary of the context and overall objectives of the project

e-Rescue system is a fully integrated device which forms part of the car seats. Seat installation on the production line would not be affected by the inclusion of this system. e-Rescue system does not affect the appearance, ergonomic design, quality or shape of the seat. The system remains totally invisible to the occupants until it is needed. It is always quicker and safer to extricate a patient from a car using this system than with the conventional techniques used by emergency response teams. This is mainly because the patient does not need to be moved or manipulated during the immobilisation process, thereby preventing any deterioration in the patient's condition that would result in irreversible damage to the spinal cord.
With e-Rescue system each passenger would have their own extrication system built into their seat. This is a major advantage, as ambulances are equipped with only one extrication vest, which means that if there is more than one casualty, either they will have to be prioritised or a second ambulance will have to be called to treat the remaining patients. Furthermore, as the extrication system is built into the seat and accessible at all times, anybody assisting at the scene of the accident could correctly extricate the casualties. This raises the possibility of police officers and firemen providing accident victims with the correct assistance while waiting for the emergency response teams to arrive.

Work performed from the beginning of the project to the end of the period covered by the report and main results achieved so far

Commercial viability:
Due to the interest shown by the passenger transport sector, the development of E-Rescue system in the seats of buses was prioritized. After several prototypes and tests a new version that corrects the initial problems was developed. The originality of the solution adopted allowed the filing of a new patent. The developed system is now universal for all types of bus seat and does not require any modification of existing seats. Therefore, it is valid for implementation in the fleet already in circulation and does not need to modify the design of existing seats to be incorporated into new production buses. This new more versatile approach expands the boundaries of the potential market and facilitates its implementation on a large scale.
It is expected that the introduction and implementation of E-Rescue system on buses will drive and force the future incorporation into cars.


Technical feasibility:
A pre-industrial prototype was developed and fitted in all seats of a bus. The usefulness of the device was tested in a large mock rescue in which the current means of rescue were compared against E-Rescue system. The result was overwhelming, thanks to the E-Rescue the rescue of the wounded is reduced to less than a third of that in normal conditions and quality of immobilization of the injured unbeatable. This would ensure the rescue and evacuation of all wounded in a bus accident before the expiry of the golden hour ... which represents a hitherto unimaginable result in a stage to rescue multiple victims. All healthcare personnel who participated in the mock rescue reiterated to us their interest and support in this project, convinced that their implementation would have a major impact on the fight against the consequences of road accidents.

After validation of the technical and commercial viability of the developed product, efforts are focused on the next stages of product approval and in finalizing the most appropriate business plan.

Progress beyond the state of the art and expected potential impact (including the socio-economic impact and the wider societal implications of the project so far)

A new patent application has been filed.
A new European brand has been filed.
After these months of study, research, development, testing and trials, the main conclusion is: the E-Rescue project is viable technically and technologically, with great potential in a new market where filed patents offer a privileged position for the company. One of the biggest European operators of bus lines has shown great interest in testing the mechanism in their long-distance fleet, which validates commercial interest and economical viability of the Project.
The project has a total estimated potential benefit in terms of saving injuries and victims by using e-Rescue system of €15,431 millions. According to rescue drill results, the total time for the immobilization and extraction of the wounded was 1h 22 min for the drill with the usual means of rescue and 30 min in the rescue with the E-Rescue system. This is furthermore important if we consider the Golden Hour, a concept used by emergency workers which means the estimated maximum time for getting road-accident victims to hospital. After this time, the most seriously injured have very little chance of survival.

Total time of rescue with traditional means vs with e-rescue

Logo of e-rescue

Stretcher with e-rescue

Transport with e-rescue