Stretchers

Stretchers are devices designed to support and transport people, typically those who are injured or ill, from the scene to medical care. The term also appears in other fields, notably art and masonry, where it refers to a frame used to hold materials taut or align bricks.

In medical use, a stretcher is a rigid or semi-rigid litter with a fabric deck and handles. Common variants include wheeled stretchers (ambulance cots) for bedside to transport, scoop stretchers that can be assembled around a patient to immobilize, and basket stretchers for rough terrain. They are used by emergency medical services, hospitals, and disaster responders.

Medical stretchers often incorporate immobilization features: head immobilizers, cervical collars, straps to limit movement, and sometimes padding. Safety protocols emphasize proper lifting, securing the patient, and not altering spinal alignment unless necessary.

Canvas or fabric stretchers used in art consist of a wooden frame called a stretcher, composed of interlocking stretcher bars with keys to adjust tension. The frame keeps the canvas flat and taut during painting and stretching, and older frames may be adjustable to accommodate changes in canvas size.

In brick masonry, a stretcher is a brick laid with its longer side facing outward. Stretchers are used in the common stretcher bond pattern, which alternates courses of stretchers and creates a characteristic brickwork appearance. This meaning is unrelated to patient transport but shares the same basic idea of providing a supportive frame or surface.