Fatigue testing of selected suspension manual wheelchairs using ANSI/RESNA standards.

OBJECTIVES To evaluate the durability and value of 3 common suspension manual wheelchairs and to compare the results with those of previously tested lightweight and ultra-lightweight folding-frame wheelchairs. DESIGN Standardized fatigue testing and cost analysis of 3 suspension manual wheelchairs from 3 different manufacturers. SETTING A rehabilitation engineering center. SPECIMENS Nine suspension manual wheelchairs. INTERVENTIONS Wheelchairs were fitted with a standardized wheelchair test dummy and tested on a series of fatigue tests, consistent with those developed by the International Organization for Standardization. Main outcome measures Fatigue life (measured as the number of equivalent cycles completed) and value (equivalent cycles divided by cost) were compared among all wheelchairs. RESULTS Analysis of variance revealed significant differences (P< or =.05) in the number of equivalent cycles among the suspension wheelchairs tested. When compared with previously tested ultra-lightweight and lightweight wheelchairs, the suspension wheelchairs failed to show significant improvements; however, significant improvements were found between individual suspension and lightweight wheelchairs. CONCLUSIONS We found little evidence to suggest that suspension manual wheelchairs provide advantages in terms of durability or value over standard lightweight and ultra-lightweight folding-frame wheelchairs.

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