A
stretcher,
litter, or
pram is an
apparatus used for moving patients who require medical care. A basic type (cot or litter) must be carried by two or more people. A wheeled stretcher (known as a gurney, trolley, bed or cart) is often equipped with variable height frames, wheels, tracks, or skids. In
American English, a wheeled stretcher is referred to as a
gurney. The name comes from a horse-drawn cab patented in the USA by J. Theodore Gurney in 1883 which bore a similarity to early wheeled stretchers.
