Beach-Chair Headrest Assembly for Stable Shoulder Surgery Positioning
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Solution Overview
Problem
Current surgical beach-chair devices inadequately provide head, neck, and torso support, leading to patient sliding, spinal stresses, and potential neurological damages due to improper sizing and cleanliness issues.
Innovation Solution
A shoulder surgery attachment for surgical tables featuring an upright chair back assembly with adjustable headrest and neck support, a U-shaped forehead clamp, contoured back rest cushion, and side retainers to secure the patient in the beach-chair position, ensuring proper alignment and preventing sliding.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of operation
If flat pads are used for back support, then the device structure is simple, but the patient slides and experiences spinal stresses
Solution Approach 1:
The back support is changed from a flat pad to a contoured cushion that follows the natural curvature of the patient's back. This curved design provides better anatomical support, prevents patient sliding, and reduces spinal stresses while maintaining reasonable structural complexity.
Solution Approach 2:
The back support cushion is designed with varying density and contouring in different zones to match the patient's body shape. The contouring provides localized support at critical areas along the spine, improving patient stability without requiring a completely complex structure.
2Reliability
If head and neck support is added, then patient safety improves, but the device becomes more complex and cumbersome
Solution Approach 1:
The head and neck support is divided into separate components: a headrest assembly and a detachable neck support. This segmentation allows the neck support to be removed for cleaning and sterilization while the headrest remains attached to the chair back, improving safety without making the entire device overly complex.
Solution Approach 2:
The headrest assembly is made adjustable and movable along the chair back assembly, allowing it to be positioned at different heights and angles. This dynamic adjustment capability provides optimal head and neck support for different patients while keeping the structure adaptable rather than rigidly complex.
3Ease of manufacture
If the neck support is detachable, then ease of cleaning improves, but the device complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The neck support is designed as a detachable component that can be easily separated from the headrest assembly for cleaning and sterilization. The detachment mechanism uses simple connection elements that are easy to operate, improving cleanability without adding significant complexity to the attachment system.
4Stability of the object's composition
If multiple retainers are added for torso and side support, then patient stability improves, but the device becomes more complex
Solution Approach 1:
The side retainers and torso retainer are integrated into a coordinated system that works together with the contoured back support. The retainers are positioned to complement each other, providing comprehensive torso and side support through a unified design rather than separate independent components, reducing overall system complexity.
Data Source
AI summary
A shoulder surgery attachment for a surgical table having an articulated leg section with accessory attachment rails on opposite sides. An upright chair back assembly is supported at its base or bottom end thereof for attachment to the accessory attachment rails and the chair back assembly includes a headrest assembly positioned above a back support. The headrest assembly includes a removable neck support and a head fixation assembly. The headrest assembly is adjustably moveable up and down the chair back assembly. The neck support is positioned below the head fixation assembly and protrudes from the front of the headrest assembly for engagement with the back of the patient's neck. The head fixation assembly includes a forward protruding U-shaped forehead clamp having two distal rearwardly extending free ends that are adjustably secured to the headrest assembly whereby the head clamp may be adjusted for engaging the forehead of the patient to clamp the patient's head against the headrest assembly.