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the entire surgical team — the buck stops with the surgeon and anesthesia
provider — must constantly monitor the patient to ensure pressure points
remain free of the excessive forces that can lead to skin injuries or nerve dam-
age.
When assessing your positioning device options, make sure they're easy for
staff to set up, so they can flip rooms between right and left configurations or
knee and shoulder procedures without wasting valuable minutes. In addition, sur-
geons should be able to make small mid-procedure adjustments needed to gain
optimal access to the joint. Devices that let surgeons make adjustments as need-
ed without relying on a staff member — for example, articulating shoulder sys-
tems that allow slight adjustments to the arm position with the movement of a
strap, push of a button or step on a pedal — give surgeons the control they need
and free up assistants to focus on clinical matters that are more pressing than
holding the knee flexed or arm in place. It might also reduce the number of staff
needed in the OR.
Surgeons also want to easily and quickly reproduce effective patient posi-
tions. Some ill-designed shoulder systems are restrictive in the way they
allow the arm to move, which can add an unnecessary level of difficulty to
already challenging joint procedures.
Also look for devices that operate as a complete system. Using options from
different manufacturers to position the patient and set arm traction might work,
but I've found that solutions designed to operate together work best.
Fast learners
No matter how user-friendly the positioner you choose, understand that staff
and surgeons need to spend time learning how a device works and master the
nuances in setting it up and making small adjustments on the fly.
Surgeons, who each have their own positioning preferences, need to show the
OR team how they like patients placed for each procedure. They should under-
stand how positioning devices work and communicate very specific instructions
