Danger Of Portable Beds

Danger Of Portable Beds.
Caution is required when using small bed rails because they put persons at risk for falling or becoming trapped, the US Food and Drug Administration warns Dec 27, 2013. Portable bed rails fix to a normal, adult-sized bed, often by sliding a tune of the rail under the mattress or by using the floor for support. People can get trapped in or around the rail, including between the bed-rail bars, between the handrail and the mattress, or between the rail and the headboard, said Joan Todd, a older nurse-consultant at the FDA.

And "Consumers need to realize that even when bed rails are well designed and used correctly, they can contribution a hazard to certain individuals - particularly to people with physical limitations or who have an altered conceptual status, such as dementia or confusion," Todd said in an FDA news release. Between January 2003 and September 2012, the US Consumer Product Safety Commission received reports of 155 deaths and five injuries affiliate to pocket-sized bed rails designed for full-grown use, according to the news release.

More than 90 percent of the deaths were caused by entrapment. Of the 155 deaths, 129 occurred in ancestors aged 60 or older and 94 occurred at home. About half of the victims had a medical influence such as heart disease, Alzheimer's disability or dementia. The FDA has a new website on bed-rail safety that offers information about the possibility hazards and advice for safe use.