Hospital equipment and retrofits for obese patients

As the rate of obesity rises, hospitals are under pressure to make sometimes costly upgrades ensure their facilities are safe for heavy patients and the workers who move them.

Bailey Medical Center in Owasso, Okla., invested in waiting room chairs measuring 34 inches in width. A typical width is 20 inches. Cost: $1,350-$1,700Regular chair: $350-$500Read the story: Retrofitting hospitals for obese patients
Chesapeake (Va.) Regional Medical Center spent more than $100,000 retrofitting one of its units in 2011. The project included widening door frames from 36 inches to 48 inches to allow wider wheelchairs, chairs and beds to pass through.Read the story: Retrofitting hospitals for obese patients
Patient lifts are instrumental in reducing the number of injuries healthcare workers can suffer while lifting patients. This image was provided by the ECRI Institute, which has tested a variety of ceiling lifts for ease of use and quality of design. Cost: $4,300-$5,500Read the story: Retrofitting hospitals for obese patients
As Orange Coast Memorial Medical Center in Fountain Valley, Calif., built a new pavillion that opened in 2009, officials purchased bariatric beds that have a sleep-surface width of 40-50 inches, a weight capacity of 1,000 pounds, and a pressure redistribution surface to assist in turning the patient. Cost: $25,000-$35,000 Standard bed: $11,000-$13,000Read the story: Retrofitting hospitals for obese patients
The standard blood-pressure cuff fits an arm circumference of up to 36 centimeters. A larger cuff can fit patients with a 45-centimeter arm circumference, and an extra-large cuff expands to 56 centimeters.Read the story: Retrofitting hospitals for obese patients