REMINDER: Vacation. No emails May 1-9. If u miss me, read the archive online.
I've been thinking about doing an Implant Friday on operating tables for as long as I can remember. However, it's actually not the simplest topic. Also, it’s not really an “implant,” per se…
What I learned today
Let's start off basic. (I promise it gets more interesting.)
Names: “regular OR table,” “general OR table,” “general surgery table.” Notice how the base is huge and centered. It’s hard for a C-arm to get in there, but you can also add a radiolucent extension for proximal or distal procedures.
Wait, we’re not general surgeons here. Show me some Ortho tables!!
This would be most generically called a “fracture table.” Good for getting consistent traction. This company also calls it an “orthopedic table” or a “trauma table,” which is a bit confusing for my taste. It probably reminds you of…
A Hana table. Often associated with the anterior approach for total hip arthroplasty. Actually, Hana® is the registered trademark of a table company called Mizuho OSI. I’m not a Mizuho OSI rep, but you’re about to think I am. Because at my program, this is called a “flat OSI”:
C-arm not included. However, I chose the pic with a C-arm because that’s important. A “flat OSI” is more generically called a “radiolucent table” or “radiolucent flat top table.” The whole thing is nice and clear on fluoroscopy.
Technically, Mizuho OSI calls this setup the “Modular Table System” with a “Radiolucent Imaging Top.” Why do I sound like a rep again? Because the Modular Table System can also be used with an “Orthopedic Trauma Top”:
Notice how that looks kind of similar to the fracture table or “orthopedic trauma table” up above. But wait. There’s more.
This is the setup for the same Modular Table System with a “Spinal Surgery Top.” Also known as a “Jackson table,” more or less. You can buy just a Jackson table by itself, but I wouldn't if I were a hospital admin. In spine surgery, a Jackson table allows you to rotate the patient 180 degrees like a rotisserie (I can say that because I don’t eat meat).
Finally, there’s this:
A “radiolucent cantilevered table.” See how the base is off to one side so our friendly C-arm can pass underneath? You can lay the head or the feet at the cantilevered end.
There are some modifications for prone positioning and spine cases available too, but you’re probably sick of me talking about OR tables by now (click the link in the caption if you’re interested).
Do you use the same tables at your institution? What tables did I miss?
By the way, thank you to everyone who has filled out the survey so far. If you haven’t, you can anonymously vote here. There are 3 main questions: how frequently should I write, what length, and how should I organize the topics.
Bon voyage! (to me)
Sources
see image captions
and my own brain