07.01.2022

Top Door Alarm Saves Lives

Top Door Alarm

Top Door Alarm® is an effective detection and notification system alerting caregivers of potential acts of self-harm when a door is used as a ligature point. Top Door Alarm, developed in 2008, is the only suicide door alarm system in the industry to offer state-of-the-art photoelectric beam detection which detects PRESENCE before pressure is ever applied to the door. It can take less than 10 seconds for a person to lose consciousness as a result of strangulation, and death can occur in just under 5 minutes. No longer is a facility required to wait until an actual event is in progress to notify staff for emergency assistance.

Selected to protect more than 5,400 patient room doors across the nation in 200+ facilities, Top Door Alarm (TDA) provides medical staff continuous detection and notification of suicide attempts when the door is used as a ligature point. State-of-the-art photoelectric sensor technology, available for both the top and bottom of the door, recognizes presence (such as of a bed sheet, towel, or clothing) before the pressure is ever applied to the door, allowing for life-saving proactive emergency response. The photoelectric beams are protected by specially designed, ligature-resistant casings. In 75% of inpatient suicides, the method was hanging on a bathroom, bedroom, or closet door.

Designed for both new facilities or existing retrofits, on conventional or pivot hinge applications, Top Door Alarm can design a solution specific to meet your needs. Recognized by the Facility Guidelines Institute’s Design Guide for Behavioral Health Facilities, and the New York State Office of Mental Health’s Patient Safety Standards, Materials and Systems Guidelines as the solution for ligature detection for the top and bottom of the door.

Click here to watch a demonstration of TDA.

Contact DH Pace for more information on Top Door Alarm for your healthcare facility.