Note: Descriptions are shown in the official language in which they were submitted.
CA 02244296 1998-07-29
FIELD OF THE INVENTION
This invention relates to a table top for an operating table. In particular,
this
invention relates to a light weight table top which is adapted for being
secured to
conventional operating tables to allow the surgeon to perform surgery while
seated.
DE TP ION OF TH . P TOR RT
Conventional operating tables comprise an operating table top and a pedestal
adjustment mechanism which extend substantially the entire length of the
operating table
top. Such operating tables, although useful for performing general surgical
procedures,
do not provide the surgeon with adequate leg room for performing specialized
surgical
procedures, such as phacoemulsification cataract surgery, where the surgeon
must be
seated in order to access foot controls while operating.
Specialty operating tables have been developed for performing seated surgical
procedures, such as eye surgery. However, such operating tables are very
expensive and
therefore would only be suitable for hospitals performing high volume eye
surgery.
The Galbraith table top was developed as a lower cost alternative to specialty
operating tables. The Galbraith table top comprises a short flat plate with an
adjustable
steel wrist rest, for enhancing wrist stability while operating. The table top
is placed
under the operating table mattress, between the mattress and the base of a
conventional
operating table. However, the Galbraith table top only extends a short
distance along the
length of the operating table base and is held in place only by the combined
weight of the
mattress and the patient. As a result, the Galbraith table top is inadequate
for performing
seated surgical procedures because the table top can only be extended a short
distance
beyond the end of the operating table base. Furthermore, as the Galbraith
table top
typically is not secured to the operating table base, the table top is prone
to sliding out
from under the mattress should the operating table need to be tilted. As a
result, the
Galbraith table top cannot be used in situations where the patient must be
tilted - e.g., to
the Trendelenburg position in response to a drop in the patient's blood
pressure.
Accordingly, there remains a need for an inexpensive table top which can be
safely used with conventional operating tables for performing seated surgical
techniques.
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CA 02244296 1998-07-29
According to the invention, there is provided an inexpensive lightweight table
top
which can be safely secured to conventional operating tables and which
provides the
surgeon with sufficient leg room for performing seated surgical procedures.
The operating table top, according to the invention, comprises a substantially
planar sheet having a pair of opposed upper and lower surfaces and including
reinforcement means for increasing rigidity of the sheet.
The operating table top preferably extends substantially the full length of
the
operating table and includes a body portion and a head portion extending from
the body
portion. The table top is held in place by the combined weight of the mattress
and the
patient, and can be secured to the operating table by securing means.
In one embodiment, the reinforcement means can be in the form of ribs attached
to one or both of the upper and lower surfaces of the planar sheet. In another
embodiment, the reinforcement means may be integral in the material used to
construct
the planar sheet. For example, the planar sheet may be made of metal mesh
which has
sufficient rigidity to be useful in the present operating table top. A typical
such sheet
could be constructed of aluminum, stainless steel and the like. The optimal
thickness of
the sheet can be readily determined once the material to be used is selected.
For example,
if the sheet is to be constructed of aluminum, a 3 mm thick sheet will be
sufficient for
most purposes.
Embodiments of the present invention will be described with reference to the
accompanying drawings, wherein like reference numerals indicate like elements,
and in
which:
Figure 1 is a top plan view of the operating table top, according to the
invention;
Figure 2 is a side view of the operating table top;
Figure 3 is a bottom plan view of the operating table top;
Figure 4 is a schematic view of the operating table top secured to a
conventional
operating table; and
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Figure 5 is a bottom plan view of one variation of the operating table top
shown
in Figure 3.
TLED DE RTPT ON OF TH . P F.F . RR .MBOD M .NT~
Turning to Figure 1, an operating table top, denoted generally as 10, is shown
comprising a thin substantially planar rectangular or elongate sheet 12 having
a pair of
opposed parallel surfaces 14,16, a pair of parallel opposite ends 18,20, a
body portion 22,
a head portion 24 and a neck portion 26 extending between the body portion 22
and the
head portion 24. It will be appreciated that the rectangular shape of the
sheet 12 allows
a conventional operating room mattress to be placed on the upper surface 14 of
the sheet
12. However, it should be understood at the outset that the sheet 12 need not
have a
rectangular shape but may have any other shape suitable for having a mattress
placed
thereon.
The body portion 22 includes a pair of parallel opposite sides 28,30 and
extends
over a major portion of the length of the sheet 12 between the end 18 and the
neck
portion 26. Preferably, the length of the body portion 22 is at least equal to
the length of
a conventional operating room table.
The head portion 24 also includes a pair of parallel opposite sides 32,34 and
extends over a minor portion of the length of the sheet 12 between the end 20
and the
neck portion 26. The neck portion 26 includes a pair of inturned sides 36,38
extending
the length of the neck portion 26, such that the side 36 extends inwards from
the side 28
to the side 32, and the side 38 extends inwards from the side 30 to the side
34. As a
result, the width of the sheet 12 is greater across the body portion 22 than
across the head
portion 24. However, it should be understood that the width of the head
portion 24 need
not be less than the width of the body portion 22. In one variation (not
shown), the width
of the body portion 22 is equal to the width of the head portion 24.
Turning to Figure 2, it is apparent that the neck portion 26 inclines upwards
from
the body portion 22 towards the head portion 24 such that the upper surface
14b of the
head portion 24 is elevated slightly above but also parallel to the upper
surface 14a of the
body portion 22. As will become apparent, the elevated head portion 24 reduces
neck
strain on the patient lying on the table top 10. However, it should be
understood that the
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CA 02244296 1998-07-29
head portion 24 need not be so elevated but instead may simply be coplanar
with the
body portion 22.
Turning again to Figure 1, the body portion 22 is shown including a plurality
of
apertures 40 (shown individually as 40a, 40b, 40c, 40d, 40e, 40f, 40g, 40h)
positioned
adjacent the sides 28,30 of the body portion 22 and extending between the
upper surface
14 and the lower surface 16. As will be explained, the apertures 40 are
adapted to receive
retaining straps, each retaining strap being secured at one end thereof to the
sheet 12 for
securing the table top 10 to the top of a conventional operating room table.
Of course,
those of skill in the art will immediately recognize the table top 10 may be
secured to the
top of a conventional operating room table by any other suitable means such as
hooks,
loops, U-bolts and the like.
To increase the rigidity and stability of the table top 10, the sheet 12
includes
reinforcing ribbing integrally molded with the upper surface 14a of the body
portion 22.
As shown in Figure 1, the reinforcing ribbing comprises a plurality of
parallel ribs 42
(shown individually as 42a, 42b, 42c) extending upwards from the upper surface
14a of
the body portion 22. The ribs 42 are equidistantly spaced across the width of
the body
portion 22 and extend over substantially the entire length of the body portion
22. As will
be appreciated, the number and spacing of ribs 42 may vary according to the
level of
rigidity desired. Furthermore, each rib 42 need not be continuous, as shown in
Figure 1,
but instead may comprise a plurality of smaller ribs.
As discussed hereinabove, ribs 42 may be eliminated if sheet 12 is made of a
sufficiently rigid material such as 3 mm -5 mm thick aluminum, preferably in
mesh form
to provide an optimal balance between rigidity and weight.
Turning now to Figure 3, the sheet 12 is shown also including reinforcing
ribbing
integrally molded with the lower surface 16b of the head portion 24 for
increasing the
rigidity and stability of the table top in the head portion 24. As shown in
Figure 3, the
reinforcing ribbing comprises ribs 44a,44b, extending downwards from the lower
surface
16b of the head portion 24. The ribs 44a,44b each extend from a respective
opposite
corner 46,48 of the head portion 24 and intersect at a point on the lower
surface 16b
adjacent the neck portion 26.
For added stability, the sheet 12 includes reinforcing ribs 50a, 50b, 50c,
50d,
extending over the circumference of the sheet 12. The reinforcing ribs 50a,50b
slope
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downwardly along the sides of the sheet 12 such that the ribs SOa,50b extend
above the
upper surface 14 of the sheet 12 adjacent the end 18, and extend below the
lower surface
16 of the sheet 12 adjacent the end 20. Similarly, the rib SOc adjacent the
end 18 extends
above the upper surface 14a and intersects with the ribs SOa,50b at the end
18, while the
rib SOd adjacent the end 20 extends below the lower surface 16b and intersects
with the
ribs SOa,50b at the end 20.
Turning to Figure 4, the table top 10 is shown secured to a conventional
operating
table 110 with suitable retaining straps 112. As will be appreciated, the
retaining straps
112 only serve to anchor the table top 10 to the operating table 110, and
therefore may
be replaced with other securing means known to those skilled in the art. The
head portion
24 extends laterally outwards beyond the end of the operating table 110 to
provide the
surgeon with adequate leg room while seated next to the head portion 24. A
mattress 114
is positioned on top of the table top 10 and is secured thereto by the weight
of the patient
(not shown). The mattress 114 sinks down over top of the ribs 42 until the
lower surface
of the mattress 114 contacts the upper surface 14a of the body portion 22. As
a result,
the vertical space occupied by the table top 10 and the mattress 114 is
minimized.
In a preferred implementation of the invention, the sheet 12 adopts the shape
shown in Figure 1, and is fabricated from aluminum sheeting which is 3mm
thick.
Alternately, the sheet 12 is selected from the group of materials comprising
stainless
steel, KevlarTM, fiber-reinforced resin, plastic (e.g., polycarbonate) and the
like. The
sheet 12 is 208cm long, SOcm wide at the end 18, and 45cm wide at the end 20.
The head
portion 24 is 28cm long from the neck portion 26 to the end 20, while the
length of the
body portion 22 and the neck portion 26 combined is 180cm. The neck portion 26
inclines upwards from the upper surface 14 at a 60 ° angle. The
apertures 40 are
respectively positioned 20cm, 40cm, 120cm and 140cm from the end 18 on both
sides
28,30 of the body portion 22.
The upper surface 14a of the body portion 22 includes 3 parallel upturned ribs
40.
Each rib 40 runs substantially the entire length of the body portion 22, is
l2mm wide and
extends 5-6mm above the upper surface 14a. The lower surface 16b of the head
portion
24 includes downturned ribs 44a,44b respectively extending from the corners
46,48
towards the neck portion 26.
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Each rib 44 is 4mm wide, and extends 25mm below the lower surface 16b
adjacent the neck portion 26, tapering to l5mm adjacent the corners 46,48.
Similarly the
ribs SOa, SOb, SOc are 25mm high and 4mm wide. The ribs SOa,50b extend 25mm
above
the upper surface 14a the end 18 and slope continuously downwards along the
sides of
the sheet 12 so that the ribs SOa,SOb extend 25mm below the lower surface 16b
at the
neck portion 26. The ribs SOa,50b then taper down to l5mm adjacent the corners
46,48.
The rib SOd at the end 20 is 4mm wide and l5mm high.
It should be understood that the ribs 42 may be positioned on the lower
surface
14b of the body portion 22 and may adopt some orientation other than that
described
above. Similarly, the ribs 44 may be positioned on the upper surface 16a of
the head
portion 24 and may adopt some orientation other than that described above.
One such variation is shown in Figure 5. As shown therein, the lower surface
16b
of the head portion 24 is provided with reinforcing ribbing comprising ribs
52a,52b
extending downwards from the lower surface 16b of the head portion 24.
However, in
contrast to the ribs 44a,44b, the ribs 52a,52b extend outwards from a common
point
along the end 20 and respectively terminate at points on the lower surface 16b
adjacent
the sides 36,38 of the neck portion 26. To support the corners 46,48 of the
head portion
24, the lower surface 16b also. includes ribs 52c,52d respectively extending
inwards from
opposite corners 46,48 and intersecting with the ribs 52c,52d.
The description of the preferred embodiment is intended to be illustrative,
rather
than exhaustive, of the present invention. Those of ordinary skill will be
able to make
certain additions, deletions, and/or modifications to the embodiment disclosed
herein
without departing from the spirit or scope of the invention, as defined by the
appended
claims.
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