A U G U S T 2 0 1 5 O U T P A T I E N TS U R G E R Y. N E T 5 5
imaging equipment has resulted in less-than-conventional table designs. A
table with a central pedestal, for example, could impede the placement of a
C-arm and possibly require the repositioning of the patient to get the desired
fluoroscopic view. That's why you should opt for imaging-compatible table-
tops that are cantilevered out from a pedestal, providing room to set up
equipment beneath them. Many tabletops also allow lengthwise sliding of
variable amounts, or rotation, which can increase or add flexibility to the
area that's available to be scanned.
Keep in mind that weight capacity is a critical consideration here. The imag-
ing-compatible structure of orthopedic specialty tables may put a cap of 500
or 700 pounds — including the patient and any table attachments or surgical
instruments — on them, which can limit the table's full positioning functionali-
ty for heavier patients. Some table manufacturers offer heavyweight construc-
tion and motor operation for the imaging of bariatric or other large patients.
Do you need a specialty table?
Some specialty table designs don't much look like the conventional idea of an
OR table. A traction table, used for hip arthroscopies, lower extremity fracture
repairs and hip replacements, is able to extend, flex and rotate the hip in ways
that are not simply straight-line traction and which were not sustainable on tra-
ditional tables. When surgeons do an anterior approach hip replacement on a
traction table, for instance, the equipment allows surgeons to position the
patient's legs in a manner that prominently exposes the patient's femur and
acetabulum. This allows them to access and replace the hip joint through a sin-
gle incision, sparing the muscle at the pelvis and femur and shortening the
patient's recovery.
A spine table, on the other hand, serves the growing trend of outpatient
spine procedures by positioning patients for stable access to the vertebrae or
posterior pelvic region. Look for an open-frame design, made up of carbon-
