On various occasions and in various situations, a need exists to transport a person by ambulance cot, stretcher, or other such devices. For the most part, these devices have been built according to generally accepted standards, taking into account factors that include the size of the people to be transported.
In recent times, people are increasingly becoming obese, and more obese than ever. At some point, obese people reach a size that makes it dangerous, for both them and the people doing the transporting, for them to be transported by traditional means. In other words, most of the currently existing ambulance cots, stretches, etc. are not large enough to accommodate a growing segment of the population.
One possible solution to this problem is to introduce larger ambulance cots, but this solution would not be simple or cost effective to implement. For example, larger ambulance cots may not fit into existing ambulances, or may not fit through existing doorways. Also, replacing all existing ambulance cots would be expensive and take time.
Another possible solution to this problem is to provide a supplement platform that essentially rests on top of a traditional ambulance cot. However, this solution would encounter problems similar to those discussed above with respect to introducing larger ambulance cots.
In other words, there exists a need for a practical solution to transporting people that are too big for existing patient supporting structures.