Pelvic Lift

Problem: Hospitals are using upside-down plastic bedpans to perform pelvic exams in the emergency department. Bedpans do not support the patient enough, nor do they facilitate an effective exam. In addition, they create an enormous amount of bio-waste.

Solution: Our AHRQ-funded team at Stanford Medicine worked with ED doctors at The University of Arizona to develop this reusable “pelvic exam lift” product for patients and doctors.

What are pelvic exams used for?

• Malignancy (cervical, ovarian, uterine, vaginal or vulvar)

• Infections (Chlamydia, Gonorrhea, warts, candidiasis, bacterial vaginosis)

• Other pathology: atrophic vaginitis, cervical polyps, uterine prolapse,fibroids, etc.

• Prior to the provision of hormonal contraception

• As part of the Well-woman exam

• 30.02 million pelvic examinations are performed in the US every year

• We estimate that half of these exams happen without an OB/GYNbed with stirrups

• Obstetric tables cost approximately $10-$12K

The Pelvic Lift Product was made possible by The Stanford Medical School Department of Pediatrics and The Center For Advanced Pediatric and Perinatal Education (CAPE), which is a simulation lab affiliated with Lucile Packard Children’s Hospital and Stanford University. AHRQ Grant #P30HS023506 PIs: Neonatologists Henry Lee, MD and Louis Halamek, MD

Design Team: Doug Schwandt, MSE, Jules Sherman, MFA, Richard Amini, MD Daniel Beskind, MD •  Issued Patent: US 8,973,188