HILLROM VERSACARE BEDS ALWAYS LOCKING UP

Here is the bad news. In my time in the field and now with the 100 at my work I have never ever seen, heard of, or come across this issue. I am affraid to say this is a user (nursing staff) issue. All it takes is one to do it often to run you ragged.

The only off record issue with that side rail is it can become non opp due to a loose chip that gets added pressure from torque and twist. You can even re-set that chip simply by pressing in the correct spot on the caregiver side of siderail. However no lock out issues.

I hope this helps at least a little. Just in case contact Hill-rom for any new issue.

Every one of my Versacare beds has experienced this problem at least once.  Sometimes you can reseat the chip by pushing on the right spot (you can hear the chip snap back into place), and sometimes you have to open the siderail to reseat the chip.  Has always remedied the problem, albeit for various periods of time before the chip will once again unseat.  Some of the nurses have witnessed me pushing on the siderail to reseat the chip and have started doing it themselves and reporting to me if they had success.

So we are talking about the same thing. Not the nurse "lock out" then. The side rail mold has a ridge inside that contacts that chip. The only fix I found for that is when I would do a call on this issue I would simply cut out a small part of the area that interfered with the chip. Pain I know. See if Hill-rom will cover the expense for repairing this defect.

Oh ya, Hill-rom does know about this issue. When I was a employee, it was discussed in my trainging class (almost 3 years ago) on the Versacare. Don't get me wrong though. Versacare and all of Hill-rom products are excellent compared to its competitors in my opinion.

I have 300 of the Hill-Rom Versa Care beds here for 3 years now. I have answered literally over 600 calls for the all motor lockout led error which as you all know disables all bed adjustment functions. I called and called and called Hill-Rom about this problem and they said we were the only ones in the USA experiencing this problem. The local tech would come out under warranty and do the repair of the quarter. First it was powering down and powering up the bed and that would clear it. Then it was banging the siderail or pressing it in to get the lockout removed.( Now if I have a call and no spare beds are available I smack the siderail in the sweet spot with a hard rubber mallet and it reseats the chip everytime. You can also get flashing xmas tree lights on the side rail when the chip is loose or a wire is pinched.)Then it was replacing the siderail pcbs. Then it was replacing the logic control pcb. Then it was replacing the logic and siderail pcbs. Then it was replacing the logic, motor control and siderail pcbs. Then it was installing a chip clip over the logic chip. Now finally I think they found the fix. They are replacing both siderail pcbs with new boards where the chips are soldered or hardwired directly on to the board and a small part of the interior siderail is trimmed away with side cutters to prevent the backside solder connections from rubbing the hard white plastic and leaving small grooves which affects operation. This has been working. They have done all the work under warranty. For the first time Hill-Rom told me that the problem is being recognized and it is world wide. A large hospital in Cleveland has over 1000 beds which need the upgrade. A hospital in New Jersey has over 500 with the same problem. Hill-Rom has 10,000 beds to upgrade in WNY alone. Hundreds of thousands of beds in US need done. They are working 24/7 at the factory(in China) to make one thousand of the new boards daily. This is definitely NOT a user error problem. I blame their engineers for a crappy response. We will never buy Hill-Rom again I hope. Stryker had a much better bed. I have run into hundreds of pissed off patients and nurses and family members. My manager said oh well that is the way it goes. Really?

It is sad you had to go through this. All products go through design problems but it sounds like the customer service was not up to par which is not the norm. It is good that they are taking care of it via warranty as they should. I have spent much time with Hill-rom products and competitor products and I will have to say I still believe that Hill-rom has a much better product when it comes to the bed/stretcher catagory. Other than this siderail issue have you had any other repairs that stand out? We have not had to do much of anything to any of our Versacare beds. We are a 600+ bed hospital.

Todd,

the other issues I have with Versacare beds is the power cords are time consuming to change and I notice the new generation has a quick disconnect easy change cord and the nurse call cable mounted in its location without a breakaway is a bad idea. Also it is impossible to unscrew the nurse call connector from the bed due to all the loctite they put on the threads. Plus we have had numerous air bladder leaks that leak slowly and do not throw a code. The bladders are not heat sealed properly and this is another warranty issue. I disagree-Stryker makes a much better stretcher cart in all aspects.

Thanks for your input,

Tim

Tim,

Oh man...thats right the bladders on that unit were an issue, I remember that. There was a HUGE bad batch! The other stuff you mentioned I never had a problems with. I guess everyones experiance is different. I hope it all gets worked out for you.

Todd

Tim,

Oh man...thats right the bladders on that unit were an issue, I remember that. There was a HUGE bad batch! The other stuff you mentioned I never had a problems with. I guess everyones experiance is different. I hope it all gets worked out for you.

Todd

I looked at a friend's Hill-Rom Care Assist Bed today, which had a permanent lockout condition.  I removed the Siderail Control Switch Panel, Part number: 141281 because the lockout switch had no 'tactical" feel.  That is to say that the switch would not reset itself.  I looked at the switches under a microscope and noted that many of them were not resetting after they were depressed.  It appears that they were designed improperly because they should reset themselves after pressure is removed, otherwise they would rely on the combination of force from the 1/4" center button beneath the center of the switch from the back, and the top force from the switch cover to reset them.

I too was able to reset the lockout switch one time by banging on the back of the rail with my fist, but once I depressed the switch again, it remained closed.

Does anyone know whether this issue has been resolved?