the length of the table four to five
inches in each direction.
The ability to reconfigure the
top of the table with minimum
fuss is key. I work with a flat top
for cases such as anterior cervi-
cal or lumbar fusion procedures
where the patient is lying flat on their back. If a
patient is placed in the prone position, we'll often
add a Wilson frame, which provides padding for
the patient's face and chest, and naturally posi-
tions them in a neutral posture that enables me to
access the posterior part of the spine. We also
use a configuration I call "Jackson with four
posts," which involves attaching posts that make
contact only with the patient's thighs, pelvis and
chest, leaving the abdomen entirely free. The
positioning of the posts changes the curvature of
the patient's spine, which can be helpful when
we're trying to reconstruct its alignment. By sim-
ply changing the position of the posts, the task
becomes a bit easier.
Spine tables are fairly mature pieces of equipment,
but there's at least one area in which they can
improve. I perform a lot of minimally invasive surger-
ies that involve the use of tubular retractors, the
arms of which connect to the table to ensure the
retractor stays exactly where I want it while it's
inside the patient. But the area where the arm con-
nects to my table is through a holder that wasn't
meant for a Jackson table. We end up jury-rigging the
set-up, but I'd like to see manufacturers expand my
options for how to attach these arms to tables.
OSM
Dr. Qureshi (qureshis@hss.edu) is the Patty and Jay Baker
endowed chair in minimally invasive spine surgery at the
Hospital for Special Surgery and an associate professor of orthope-
dic surgery at Weill Cornell Medical College in New York City.
O
C T O B E R 2 0 2 0 • O U T P A T I E N T S U R G E R Y . N E T • 6 1
Hillrom
Allen Advance Table
hillrom.com
800-445-3730
This table, designed for complex
spine procedures, can accommo-
date patients weighing up to 600
pounds. The company notes that
the table, which offers radiolucen-
cy through its entire working
length, rotates through 360° to
make it easy to switch anes-
thetized patients between supine
and prone positions. Features
designed with safety and conven-
ience in mind include central
locking wheel castors that help
staff members maneuver the
table around the OR and numbered H-Brackets for improved communication among staff members who
are attaching varying tabletops to the base. The unique H-bracket design also ensures the surface won't
fall to the floor if the wrong pin is accidentally pulled when patients are being repositioned.
The ability to reconfigure the top of
the table with minimum fuss is key.
