A trauma patient arrives.
Within an hour, that person may be moved from the ambulance stretcher to a spineboard or scoop transport device, then to the X-ray table, off again, to the CT table, off again, and back to a hospital bed. Each move is an opportunity for secondary injury, for a line or airway to shift, or for a pressure point to develop. No one is to blame for this. It is simply how trauma diagnostics have been working for decades.
Guidelines in the sector recommend spinal immobilisation for patients with specific risk indicators, explicitly favouring a lift-and-slide technique over log-rolling where possible, as log-rolling increases rotation and lateral bending at an unstable injury site.
The risk of pressure ulcers follows the same logic: this is not a complication that only develops later during a hospital stay; it can already begin in the emergency department itself, particularly in immobile or critically ill patients. Limiting the number of patient transfers is therefore an acknowledged goal in itself, not just a matter of comfort.
It is precisely at that point that Eson Comfort, the Swedish manufacturer behind TraumaTransfer™, designed their mattress: based on the realisation that the greatest risk does not come from the initial transfer to the ward, but from the repeated transfers between diagnostic surfaces once the patient is already there.
One mattress, the entire process
TraumaTransfer™ is an intrahospital trauma mattress. The patient is placed on it once, via a BedSlide™, a log-roll manoeuvre, or directly from a spineboard or scoop transport device, and remains on it throughout X-ray, CT, and any other imaging required for the diagnostic process. The mattress is designed to absorb minimal X-ray radiation, so it does not need to be removed for usable images, and it does not need to be exchanged for another surface between departments.
According to Eson Comfort, this is why TraumaTransfer™ has become standard equipment in almost 600 emergency departments across Europe, and why they describe it as the original and market-leading product in its category.
Not just for the worst cases
It is easy to assume a product like this is reserved for the most severe multitrauma patients. Eson Comfort’s own guidance says otherwise: even a mildly injured patient awaiting X-ray or CT should be placed on TraumaTransfer™, and patients with a cerebral aneurysm or AVM benefit from it as well. The value is in avoiding unnecessary movement, not in reserving the equipment for the worst-case patient.
Eson Comfort itself notes cases of patients remaining on TraumaTransfer™ for more than 12 hours with no sign of pressure injury. Worth being precise about what that is and isn’t: it is mentioned as a warning, not as a selling point. Eson Comfort explicitly says they do not recommend it, and the standing rule is to move the patient off as soon as their condition allows. The number is still informative, since pressure injury risk in an immobilised patient typically becomes a concern well before the 12-hour mark, but it describes an observed outer limit, not a target to design a workflow around.
TraumaTransfer™ Adult
540 x 2000 x 60 mm, 9 kg, designed to carry a patient throughout the entire imaging process on a single surface.
Also available as an MR-safe version, featuring a modified core designed for MRI use.
TraumaTransfer™ Mini
440 x 1420 x 45 mm, 6 kg, same sliding design, scaled for paediatric trauma cases.
What is actually under the patient
The construction is straightforward but deliberate:
- A 12mm carbon fibre polycell core in the standard and Mini versions, replaced by a 24mm Esoncore™ core in the MR-Safe version
- A 40mm visco-elastic pressure-relieving layer, covered with a 3mm EVA penetration protection
- A dense PVC/Trevira CS-weave cover with EasyOFF™ technology and sewn, sealed seams, pulling up to more than 2,500N/5cm, with a low-friction underside sharing the same pulling characteristics
- Eson-Grip™ handles in HD-polyethylene along the sides for one-person handling
- No metal parts, flame-resistant fillings to Swedish standard, no CFC used in production, and a registration code (344-2757-35332) stated in Eson Comfort’s own documentation
Built for sliding, not carrying
TraumaTransfer™ is designed for sliding a patient between trolley and examination table, never for carrying, the way a traditional spineboard is.
That distinction is not cosmetic. Carrying relies on the surface holding a patient in place through friction and grip. Sliding relies on the opposite: a deliberately low-friction underside that lets the mattress move while the patient stays still on top of it.
It is what makes a fast transfer possible, but it also means a patient must never be left unsecured. Body straps and secure-straps are mandatory, especially during Trendelenburg positioning, and the chin/head VFLEXFIX™ straps are single-use only.
This is also why Eson Comfort certifies a specific set of covers and head-fix accessories, rather than leaving compatibility open.
Secure immobilisation on TraumaTransfer™ is only validated with that certified range, and each accessory has its own use case:
TT-Cover™ is used for major trauma cases involving unconsciousness, bleeding or fractures, and provides full-body covering and immobilisation, while TT-Headfix™ is for minor trauma cases without bleeding or fractures, providing head and neck immobilisation only.
Knowing which accessory fits which case matters for departments standardising consumables and for anyone training staff on correct use, including the pelvis-immobilisation step (always using TT-Pelfix™ or TT-SIP™ cushions to prevent lateral movement or sliding).
ACCESSORIES
TT-Headfix™
For minor trauma without bleeding or fractures, with immobilisation of only the head and neck. Also available for the TraumaTransfer™ Mini.
TT-Cover™
For serious trauma with unconsciousness, bleeding or fractures. Provides full body coverage and immobilisation on TraumaTransfer™.
BedSlide™
One of the certified tools to safely transfer a patient via a log-roll manoeuvre to TraumaTransfer™.
The equipment decision that happens before the patient arrives
Nobody chooses which trauma patient comes through the door next, or how many diagnostic steps their case will need. What a department can decide in advance is whether that patient stays on one validated surface throughout, or gets moved between several. TraumaTransfer™ is Eson Comfort’s answer to that question.