Rescue handle (Rautek handle)

Carola Felchner is a freelance writer in the medical department and a certified training and nutrition advisor. She worked for various specialist magazines and online portals before becoming a freelance journalist in 2015. Before starting her internship, she studied translation and interpreting in Kempten and Munich.

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The rescue handle can be used to rescue people from a danger area or to move them from a sitting to a lying position in order to be able to provide first aid. It is also called Rautek handle, Rautek handle or Rautek rescue handle. You can find out more about this first aid measure here!

Brief overview

What is the rescue handle (Rautek handle)? A first aid measure to get people unable to move out of a danger area or from sitting to lying down. Named after its inventor, the Austrian Jiu-Jitsu teacher Franz Rautek (1902-1989).
This is how the rescue handle works: Lift the head and shoulders of the person affected from behind, support your back with your own knee or thigh. Reach through under the armpits, take hold of the forearm and pull out of the danger zone or lie down.
In which cases is it necessary? If someone cannot move out of a danger area on their own or if first aid would not be possible while sitting / at this point and the patient is unable to move.
Risks: Risk of injury to the person concerned (e.g. broken bone, spinal column injuries) as well as to the first aider (by going into a danger area).

Caution!

If a spinal column injury is suspected, the first aider should only move the person concerned if the person is in acute danger of death!
It is always important to weigh the risk of the danger area against that for your own well-being as a first aider and that of the injured person. In case of doubt, the following applies: If the person concerned were safer outside the danger area and / or the necessary first aid can only be provided there, this outweighs the risk of possible injury from the Rautek handle.
Sometimes the first aider has to adjust the rescue handle to the situation and e.g. B. bend over to the side of the car door to the injured person.
If a second helper is present, he or she should carry the patient's legs while the first helper grabs the upper body with the Rautek grip.

How does the rescue handle (Rautek handle) work?

The Rautek handle enables you as a first aider to use the leverage to move people who are significantly heavier than you, at least over short distances. And this is how you do it:

Put on medical gloves to avoid infection.
Check whether the injured person is conscious by speaking to him and, if necessary, shaking him gently (not if there is a suspicion of spinal injuries!).
If the person concerned is in the car: Switch off the engine but leave the key in the key.
If the person concerned does not react or cannot move independently, use the Rautek rescue handle to bring him out of the danger area. If necessary, first open the seat belt and check whether the injured person's legs are stuck.
If possible, get behind those affected. Talk to him calmly when he is conscious - there is confidence in knowing what is happening to you.
Carefully lift the person's head first, then their shoulders so that they are bent forward slightly, and support their back with your knee or thigh.
Push your arms forward under the armpits of the victim, grab one of his forearms with both hands and bend it at a 90-degree angle in front of the injured person's chest.
The so-called monkey grip is recommended for grasping the forearm: You do not grab the forearm with your thumb on one and the other four fingers on the other side of the forearm, but place your thumb on the arm next to the other fingers. This will prevent you from squeezing your arm (too) forcefully.
Now pull the person affected onto your thighs, straighten up and carefully move them backwards out of the danger area.
Lay the injured person on their back in a safe place, ideally on a (rescue) blanket.
If the patient is unconscious, control their breathing. If necessary, start resuscitation.
Call the emergency doctor now at the latest or ask someone else to do it.

Step-by-step instructions: rescue handle

Lift the head and shoulders of the person affected from behind, support your back with your own knee or thigh. Reach through under the armpits, take hold of the forearm and pull out of the danger zone or lie down.

If you would put yourself in danger with the first aid bar or if the person concerned is trapped, you should immediately call the rescue service and, if necessary, the fire brigade. Then wait for them to arrive.

When do I do the rescue handle (Rautek handle)?

The Rautek handle is used when

You have to get an injured person sitting or lying down who is no longer able to walk out of a danger area.
In the position in which the patient is located, necessary immediate measures (e.g. resuscitation, wound care) cannot be carried out.

The Rautek rescue handle can be used on both unconscious and immobile "awake" patients. It can also be used for seated persons as well as for recumbent persons. But: Since it harbors an acute risk of injury, it should only be used if there is otherwise a danger to life.

Risks of the rescue handle (Rautek handle)

The Rautek grip is effective, but not necessarily gentle. For example, the patient's spine is moved and not stabilized. Doing so can injure that area or worsen existing injuries.

In addition, the first aider can use the rescue handle to inadvertently inflict broken ribs and injuries in the arm and shoulder area.

There is a risk for the first aider to injure himself if he goes into the danger area - without safety or certain protective measures - in order to use the rescue handle on an injured person.

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