Surgical Table Position Monitoring With Timed At-Risk Alerts
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Solution Overview
Problem
Current surgical procedures lack automated systems to monitor patient positions on surgical tables and alert medical practitioners when patients have been in at-risk positions for extended durations, leading to increased cognitive burden and inconsistent practices that compromise patient safety.
Innovation Solution
A system that monitors patient positions on surgical tables using sensors and machine-learning models to detect at-risk positions, initiates timers to track elapsed time, and provides intelligent warnings or automatic interventions when predefined time thresholds are exceeded.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of operation
If medical practitioners manually monitor patient position and make ad-hoc decisions about repositioning, then flexibility in decision-making is maintained, but cognitive burden increases and practice consistency decreases
Solution Approach 1:
The system implements automated feedback by continuously monitoring patient position through sensors and providing real-time alerts when at-risk positions are detected. This feedback loop ensures consistent application of repositioning protocols without requiring continuous manual assessment, thereby maintaining reliability while reducing cognitive burden on practitioners.
Solution Approach 2:
The monitoring system performs self-service by automatically detecting patient position, tracking duration in at-risk positions, and generating alerts without requiring continuous human intervention. This automation maintains practice consistency while freeing practitioners from the cognitive burden of manual monitoring.
2Reliability
If automated monitoring systems are implemented to track patient position and provide alerts, then practice consistency and patient safety are improved, but device complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The system achieves multi-functionality by integrating position detection, time tracking, alert generation, and documentation into a single automated platform. This universal approach improves patient safety through consistent monitoring while managing complexity by consolidating multiple functions into one cohesive system rather than requiring separate devices for each task.
Solution Approach 2:
The system replaces manual mechanical monitoring with automated electronic sensing and processing. Sensors detect patient position electronically, microprocessors track time and evaluate risk criteria, and software generates alerts automatically. This substitution improves reliability through consistent automated operation while managing complexity through integrated electronic systems that eliminate the need for multiple separate mechanical monitoring tools.
3Ease of operation
If the surgical table is tilted to Trendelenburg position for extended duration to improve surgical access, then surgical visibility and access are enhanced, but physiological complications increase
Solution Approach 1:
The system performs preliminary action by detecting when a patient enters an at-risk position and immediately initiating timing and alert protocols. This early detection and warning system allows practitioners to maintain surgical access benefits while proactively managing the risk of physiological complications by prompting timely repositioning before harmful effects occur.
Solution Approach 2:
The system provides continuous feedback about patient position and duration in at-risk positions, enabling practitioners to balance surgical access needs with patient safety. The real-time alerts create a feedback loop that allows extended positioning when necessary for surgical access while automatically warning when physiological complications may occur, facilitating informed decision-making.
Data Source
AI summary
The present disclosure relates generally to improving surgery safety, and more specifically to techniques for monitoring the position of patients on surgical tables. An exemplary computer-implemented method for outputting warnings related to a patient on a surgical table during a surgical procedure comprises: determining a configuration of the surgical table; determining, based on the configuration of the surgical table, that the patient is in an at-risk position; initiating a timer to track an elapsed time period during which the patient is in the at-risk position; determining that the elapsed time period exceeds a predefined time threshold; and outputting a warning related to the patient on the surgical table.