The 5 best Fluoroscopy and Imaging stretchers in 2024 – a complete comparison
There are a large number of imaging and fluoroscopy stretchers on the market, each with various positives and drawbacks, and some with special functions, and subsequently, choosing the correct stretcher for your hospital can be a daunting and time-consuming task.
The purpose of this article is to compare the following 5 fluoroscopy-specific trolleys, covering the key features, positives, and drawbacks of each, to make your decision-making process easier and to enable you to make the best decision for your hospital.
- Acime Skot Fluorosocopy Stretcher
- Stryker Fluorosocopy Stretcher
- Modsel Contour Endo-X Stretcher
- Hausted Fluoro-Track Stretcher
- Felgains ImageFlow Stretcher
Key features comparison at a glance
| Acime Skot | Stryker Fluoroscopy | Modsel Contour Endo-X | Hausted Fluoro-Track | Felgains ImageFlow | |
| Safe Working Load | 240kg | 225kg | 300kg | 227kg | 320kg |
| Lowest Height (mm) | 595 | 597 | 570 | 584 | 595 |
| Highest Height (mm) | 980 | 832 | 940 | 910 | 995 |
| U-Shaped Base? | Yes | Yes | Yes | No | Yes |
| Sliding Top? | No | No | No | Yes | Yes |
| Retractable 5th Wheel? | Yes | No | No | No | Yes |
Acime Skot Fluoroscopy Stretcher
Key Features and Specifications
- Safe working load: 240kg
- Height range from 595mm to 980mm
- 200mm castor wheels
- Retractable 5th wheel
- Centralised braking
- Pneumatic lift for backrest
- U-shaped base
- Fold-down side rails
Positives
- U-shaped base – The U-shaped stretcher base enables you to position a C-arm camera very close to the trolley and offers good clearance for the camera, enabling you to capture clear images exactly where you need to.
- 5th wheel – The retractable 5th wheel on the Fluoro-Track stretcher makes the stretcher easy and intuitive for staff to move around your hospital, which is especially useful in compact hospital environments such as imaging rooms.
- Large 200mm castor wheels – Ensuring easy manoeuvrability for your staff and smooth transport for the patient, even over rough ground or over thresholds.
- Good access to the patient – Fold-down side rails and push handles enable unimpeded access to the patient and freedom of camera movement.
Drawbacks
- Lack of sliding top – A sliding mattress platform enables you to greatly reduce the need to move the patient, trolley base or C arm, which increases efficiency in your imaging department and reduces the risk of musculoskeletal injury to your staff. The Acime Skot doesn’t have this feature, which means your staff will need to manually move the C-arm or patient whilst imaging.
Stryker Fluoroscopy Stretcher
Key Features and Specifications
- Safe working load: 225kg
- Pneumatic backrest
- 150 mm castor wheels
- Foot-controlled hydraulics
- U-shaped base
- Fold-down side rails
Positives
- U-shaped base – The U-shaped stretcher base enables you to position a C-arm camera very close to the trolley and offers good clearance for the camera, enabling you to capture clear images exactly where you need to.
- Foot-controlled hydraulics – Foot-controlled hydraulics enable staff to have their hands free for easily carrying out imaging tasks whilst adjusting the profile and height of the trolley.
- Good access to the patient – Fold-down side rails enable unimpeded access to the patient and freedom of camera movement.
Drawbacks
- Lack of sliding top – A sliding mattress platform enables you to greatly reduce the need to move the patient, trolley base or C arm, which increases efficiency in your imaging department and reduces the risk of musculoskeletal injury to your staff. The Stryker stretcher doesn’t have this feature, which means your staff will need to manually move the C-arm or patient whilst imaging.
- Lack of 5th wheel – The absence of a 5th wheel makes the Stryker stretcher harder to push and manoeuvre when compared to those with a 5th wheel, particularly in small environments such as imaging and endoscopy units.
- A very thin mattress means that patients often report discomfort
Modsel Contour Endo-X Stretcher
Key Features and Specifications
- Safe working load: 300kg
- Pneumatic backrest
- 200mm castor wheels
- U-shaped base
- Fold-down split side rails
Positives
- U-shaped base – The U-shaped stretcher base enables you to position a C-arm camera very close to the trolley and offers good clearance for the camera, enabling you to capture clear images exactly where you need to.
- Large clearance for imaging – An increased distance between the lifting columns of this stretcher allows excellent coverage with the C-Arm X-Ray camera, reducing the risks of re-positioning and moving patients during procedures.
- Large 200mm castor wheels – Ensuring easy manoeuvrability for your staff and smooth transport for the patient, even over rough ground or over thresholds.
Drawbacks
- Lack of sliding top – A sliding mattress platform enables you to greatly reduce the need to move the patient, trolley base or C arm, which increases efficiency in your imaging department and reduces the risk of musculoskeletal injury to your staff. The Contour Endo-X doesn’t have this feature, which means your staff will need to manually move the C-arm or patient whilst imaging.
- No 5th wheel – The absence of a 5th wheel makes the Modsel stretcher harder to manoeuvre when compared to those with a 5th wheel, particularly in small environments such as imaging rooms.
Hausted Fluoro-Track Fluoroscopy Stretcher
Key Features and Specifications
- Safe working load: 227kg
- Pneumatic backrest
- 200mm castor wheels
- Foot-controlled hydraulics
- Fold-down side rails and push handles
- Radiolucent top
Positives
- Sliding top – The mattress platform slides horizontally, up 152mm and down 304mm, reducing the need to move the patient, trolley base or C arm. As well as increasing efficiency in your imaging department, this reduces the risk of musculoskeletal injury to your staff.
- 5th wheel – The retractable 5th wheel on the Fluoro-Track stretcher makes the stretcher easy and intuitive for staff to move around your hospital, which is especially useful in compact hospital environments such as imaging rooms.
- Foot-controlled hydraulics – Foot-controlled hydraulics enable staff to have their hands free for easily carrying out imaging tasks whilst adjusting the profile and height of the trolley.
- Large 200mm castor wheels – Ensuring easy manoeuvrability for your staff and smooth transport for the patient, even over rough ground or over thresholds.
Drawbacks
- Lack of U-shaped base – Unlike the other stretchers in this list, the Hausted Fluoro-Track doesn’t have a U-shaped base, which means you will be unable to position a C-arm camera as close to the patient, which could lead to difficulty capturing the images you need.
Felgains ImageFlow Stretcher
Key Features and Specifications
- Safe working load: 320kg
- Pneumatic backrest and knee-brake
- 150mm double-roller castor wheels
- Sliding radiolucent top
- U-shaped base
- Fold-down side rails
- Retractable 5th wheel
- Stainless steel frame
Positives
- Sliding top – The mattress platform on the ImageFlow slides 490mm horizontally, up and down, greatly reducing the need to move the patient, trolley base or C arm. As well as increasing efficiency in your imaging department, this reduces the risk of musculoskeletal injury to your staff.
- One trolley for multiple tasks – The ImageFlow suits multiple different tasks, including therapeutic Endoscopy, Fluoroscopy and any task requiring the use of a C-arm. It can also be used for patient transfer, right through from your ED department to the imaging department.
- U-shaped base – The U-shaped stretcher base enables you to position a C-arm camera very close to the trolley and offers good clearance for the camera, enabling you to capture clear images exactly where you need to.
- 5th wheel – The retractable 5th wheel on the Fluoro-Track stretcher makes the stretcher easy and intuitive for staff to move around your hospital, which is especially useful in compact hospital environments such as imaging rooms.
- High safe working load – The ImageFlow has an industry-leading safe working load of 320kg SWL, meaning you are able to use it with more patients and also those previously unable to access such treatments due to low safe working loads.
- Robust – Built with a stainless steel frame for longevity and with the hospital environment in mind, the ImageFlow is reliable, robust and always ready to use.
Drawbacks
- Heavy – The robust nature of the ImageFlow means that the stretcher is quite heavy, which may mean some staff find it hard to move around.
Click here to learn more about the ImageFlow stretcher 🡥
Which stretcher should you choose for your hospital?
I trust this article has given you a clear understanding of the 5 most popular fluoroscopy stretchers and the positives and drawbacks of each.
Which stretcher you choose for your trust will vary depending on your needs and requirements, and we will happily talk this through with you if required. Often, a hospital would trial a piece of equipment such as a stretcher before purchasing, and we offer this for the ImageFlow stretcher.
To get started, feel free to get in touch on 01473 741144, or via the contact form below.
Related articles
How much does the Felgains ImageFlow Stretcher cost?
How to avoid injury when moving and using a C-arm camera for fluoroscopy
Get in touch
Got a question or want to send us a message? Let’s talk.
Author
Terry Smith