Rotatable Surgical Table Supports for Spinal Access Positioning
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing spinal surgery access methods face challenges such as patient repositioning, nerve compression, limited visualization, and instrument slippage during minimally invasive procedures, particularly in lateral access approaches.
Innovation Solution
A direct visualization retractor system with adjustable retractor body and hood components that stabilize and provide enhanced tissue retraction, allowing lateral access to the spine while maintaining patient positioning and minimizing nerve trauma.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Object-affected harmful factors
If a minimally invasive lateral access approach is used to access the spine, then patient trauma and recovery time are reduced, but the surgeon faces limited visualization and access to the surgical site
Solution Approach 1:
The retractor system is divided into separate components: a retractor body and a retractor hood. The retractor body provides structural support and positioning, while the retractor hood provides visualization and protection. This segmentation allows each component to be optimized for its specific function, resolving the contradiction between minimal trauma and good visualization.
Solution Approach 2:
The retractor system acts as an intermediary device between the surgeon and the surgical site. It provides a protected pathway that allows instruments to reach the spine while maintaining visualization through the retractor hood, thus mediating between the need for minimal access and the need for good visibility.
2Ease of operation
If a retractor system is used to provide access to the spine, then surgical access is enabled, but nerve compression and nerve trauma may occur
Solution Approach 1:
The retractor hood is designed with specific local qualities: it is radiolucent for visualization, has a specific curvature to match anatomy, and provides localized protection to nerves. The contoured surface and opening configuration are optimized to protect neural structures while maintaining access, addressing the contradiction between ease of operation and nerve protection.
3Ease of operation
If conventional retractors are used, then access to the spine is provided, but instrument slippage occurs during procedures
Solution Approach 1:
The retractor body incorporates a dynamic locking mechanism that allows adjustment during surgery. The expandable structure with locking elements provides stability once positioned, preventing instrument slippage while maintaining the ability to adapt to anatomical variations, thus resolving the contradiction between ease of operation and reliability.
Data Source
AI summary
An apparatus for positioning a patient during surgery includes a surgical table frame having a longitudinal dimension, two or more longitudinal rails that are laterally spaced from a centerline between the longitudinal rails and defining a generally planar surface of the surgical table frame, and at least one rotatable support mounted on the surgical table frame for supporting a portion of a body of the patient when resting thereon the at least one rotatable support having a support surface that is substantially planar and generally parallel to the generally planar surface of the surgical table frame. The at least one rotatable support enables positional adjustment of the portion of the body of the patient when resting thereon by rotational movement of the at least one rotatable support to displace the supported body position in one of first and second directions of rotation to thereby allow for manipulation of the patient's anatomy to maximize access to a surgical site of interest.