Review article

The article presents the results of assessing the stability of the ambulance vehicle to lateral and longitudinal rolls regarding them as parameters affecting the quality of health care to the transported victim. The authors present the results of a road testing aimed at assessing the vehicle resistance to such rolls under conditions of imitation of a seriously ill patient`s delivery to a medical institution. The tests were carried out on ambulances equipped on the basis of Ford Transit vehicles, using various types of damping elements in the suspension, namely, two variants of two-tube hydraulic shock absorbers; one-tube hydro-pneumatic shock absorbers; air suspension. As the estimated parameters, there were used the values of actual angular acceleration of the passenger compartment rolls in comparison with the values admissible for medical indicators. It is shown that from the standpoint of providing the best comfort for the patient and the medical crew of ambulance, it is preferable to use in the vehicle suspension the single-tube hydro-pneumatic shock absorbers, the installation of which is permissible under conditions of operational modernization of the vehicle.