Gimbal-Based Patient Positioning System for Sterile Intraoperative Repositioning
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Solution Overview
Problem
Current patient support systems fail to allow for selective and efficient positioning of patients in various positions during medical procedures, particularly during surgery, which limits healthcare providers' ability to perform certain clinical procedures and poses challenges in maintaining sterility and reducing operative time and manpower requirements.
Innovation Solution
A patient positioning system featuring a base frame assembly with a gimbal that is rotatable about multiple axes, allowing for vertical, lateral, and prone positioning, while maintaining access to the patient and equipment, and enabling perioperative and intraoperative repositioning without compromising sterility.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Adaptability or versatility
If standard operating room tables are used, then the table structure is simple and stable, but the patient cannot be repositioned intraoperatively without manual intervention
Solution Approach 1:
The patient support surface is divided into multiple independently controllable segments that can be positioned at different angles and orientations. This allows the table to achieve complex patient positions by coordinating simple movements of individual segments, resolving the contradiction between repositioning capability and structural complexity.
Solution Approach 2:
The table transitions from a static structure to a dynamic system with multiple degrees of freedom, allowing continuous adjustment of patient position during surgery. The dynamic segments can be repositioned intraoperatively while maintaining overall structural stability through controlled movement mechanisms.
2Productivity
If manual patient positioning is performed, then no additional positioning equipment is needed, but multiple staff members are required and operative time increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patient support system provides automated positioning capabilities that reduce or eliminate the need for multiple staff members to manually reposition the patient. The system can adjust patient position independently through motorized segments, significantly reducing operative time and improving positioning efficiency.
3Reliability
If manual repositioning is performed, then equipment costs are reduced, but patient safety risks increase due to airway and joint exposure
Solution Approach 1:
The motorized segments provide controlled, precise movement that reduces the risk of accidental patient displacement or injury during repositioning. The system maintains patient safety through automated control mechanisms while managing the complexity of multiple moving parts through integrated design.
4Stability of the object's composition
If massive base or overhead frame structures are used, then patient support stability is improved, but mobility and portability are reduced
Solution Approach 1:
The support structure is segmented into modular components that can be independently positioned and locked. This allows the system to achieve stability when needed while maintaining the ability to be reconfigured or moved more easily compared to monolithic massive base designs.
Applied Scientific Principles
This section explains which scientific principles are used to turn an abstract innovation direction into a practical engineering solution.
Function Achieved in This Case
The system enables flexible and efficient patient positioning, reducing operative time, manpower needs, and minimizing risks to the patient's airway and joints, while maintaining sterility and facilitating easier surgical procedures.
Implementation Method 1
A patient positioning system featuring a base frame assembly with a gimbal that is rotatable about multiple axes, allowing for vertical, lateral, and prone positioning
Data Source
AI summary
A patient positioning system and methods therefore including apparatuses having a base frame assembly operable to position a patient, adjustably-attached attached to a gimbal, wherein the gimbal is rotatable about two or more axes relative to the base frame assembly.