GB2067395A - Surgical operation tables - Google Patents

Abstract

A surgical operation table has a support column carrying a yoke which supports a main table top (3). An extension member (5b) is provided at each end. At least one of the extension members (5b) is so connected to the main table top as to be capable of being reversed so that its upper surface (25) becomes its lower surface and vice versa, and so as to be capable of being positioned at a desired inclination, with respect to the main table top. The latter function is achieved by a ratchet and pawl mechanism (22,23,21). <IMAGE>

Description

SPECIFICATION Surgical operation tables This invention relates to surgical operation tables.

Surgical operation tables comprise a patient supporting platform or table top which is mounted on a support column. The support column is itself mounted on a movable base or is fixed to the ground. An object of the invention is to provide such an operation table with a versatile extension flap which is lockable in a selectable inclination with respect to the remainder of the platform.

According to the present invention there is provided a surgical operation table comprising a support column, a main table top portion supported by the support column, and an extension member connected by connecting means to one end of the main table top portion, wherein the connecting means comprises means enabling the extension member to be positioned at a desired inclination with respect to the main table top portion and means enabling the extension member to be reversed so that its upper surface becomes its lower surface and vice versa.

In recent years, there has been an increasing use of X-ray apparatus during surgical opertions.

However the platform of a surgical operation table is usually connected to the support column by mechanisms which permit the platform to make a wide variety of angular movements and which, does of necessity, occupy an amount of space which makes it difficult or impossible for X-ray apparatus located beneath the table to be used over the full area of the platform and, therefore, to be used on all parts of the body of a patient lying on the platform.

Accordingly, an object of an embodiment of the present invention is to provide an improved surgical operation table in which this disadvantage is avoided. According to this embodiment there is provided a surgical operation table which comprises a support column, a yoke pivotally mounted on the support column, and a platform carried by the yoke, wherein support rods or the like extend from the yoke and brackets extending beneath the platform on opposite sides thereof are a sliding fit on the support rods or the like so that the brackets, and therefore the platform, can be slid on the rods to enable the position of the platform to be adjusted lengthwise of itself.The support column may be conveniently mounted on a base having a pair of running wheels on which the base can be moved over the ground, stabilisers arranged to prevent excessive tilt of the base when it is supported by the running wheels, and a plurality of feet which can be lowered or raised to lift the running wheels and stabilisers off the ground or to permit them to rest on the ground. Conveniently, the feet are raised and lowered by conventional means such as hydraulic, electrical or electro-mechanical mechanisms.

The invention is illustrated in the accompanying schematic drawings of which: Figure 1 is an elevation of a surgical operation table, Figure2 is a detail view illustrating an extension section with a ratchet and pawl locking mechanism, Figure 2a is a section along line A-A in Figure 2, Figure 3 shows the extension section of Figure 2 with the locking mechanism in a second position, Figure 4 shows part of the extension section of Figure 2 with the locking mechanism in a third position, and Figure 4a shows the same as Figure 4 but in a view taken at right angles thereto.

In the illustrated embodiment of this invention, a surgical operation table comprises a patient supporting platform or table top generally designated by the reference numeral 1. In order to provide a platform of sufficient length to support a patient in a supine position, the platform 1 may be composed of five sections namely two central or intermediate sections 2,3 usually called upper and lower trunk sections, an upper leg extension 4, and two extension sections 5a and Sb intended to support the head or the legs of the patient. The extension sections are removable and the extension section Sb can be used as a back rest in a manner hereinafter to be described.

The platform 1 is mounted on a support column 6.

The column 6 can be extended so that the platform may be raised or lowered as desired by hydraulic, electrical or electro-mechanical mechanisms. The support column 6 is mounted on a movable base 7.

In order to facilitate the use of the operation table with X-ray apparatus positioned beneath the platform 1,the platform is slidable lengthwise of itself to adjust its position as indicated by the arrow A. For this purpose, the table is supported from the support column 6 by means of a pair of brackets 8 extending beneath one of the trunk sections 3 on opposite sides of the platform. These brackets have sockets which are a sliding fit on support rods 9 extending on opposite sides of the table and cantilevered from ayoke 10.Theyoke 10 is mounted by a pivot 11 on the support column 6. By this arrangement, the platform can be swung about the pivot 11 so that it can be tilted to meet the requirements of a surgeon.

Trendelenburg movement may be effected by the displacement of piston rods 12 located on opposite sides of the platform 1 and each connected at one end to the yoke 10 and at the other end to a piston (not shown) movable in a cylinder 13 under hydraulic pressure. A linkage 14, also operable hydraulically, enables the trunk sections 2 and 3 to be moved with respect to one another as is well known.

All the hydraulic devices can be controlled by a central control mechanism (not shown).

Releasable locking devices (not shown) are provided at opposite ends of the cantilever rods 9 to enable the bracket 8, and therefore the platform 1, to be locked in either one of the extreme positions on the cantilever rods 9.

The table is movable across the floor on a pair of running wheels 15 secured to the base. The base is conveniently of generally rectangular section and stabilisers in the form of castor wheels 16 are located near the four corners of the base to prevent exces sivetilting of the base and, therefore, also of the platform, when the table is being moved on its running wheels. Feet 17 are also located near the four corners of the base. These feet can be lowered or raised, conveniently by hydraulic mechanism, as desired so as either to liftthe running wheels 15 and the stabiliser castors 16 off the ground or to move clear of the ground so that the table is then supported on the running wheels 15 and castor wheels 16. Once the feet have been lowered on to the ground, the position of the table is fixed until the feet are raised.

Either one or both of the extension sections 5a or Sb is tiltable with respect to its adjacent section 2 or 3 and is also removable with respect to the adjacent front section. In the illustrated embodiment the extension section Sb is tiltable with respect to its adjacent trunk section 3, and the mechanism by which this is achieved is illustrated in Figures 2 and 2a. The extension section Sb is removably fixed to the adjacent trunk section 3 by insertion of a pair of pins 18 (one of which is shown) on the extension section into corresponding sockets 19 in the end of the trunk section. Each pin 18 forms part of a connector member which further comprises a ratchet wheel carrying a part circular array of ratchet teeth 22. The pin 18 is rigidly fixed to the ratchet wheel.

The main part of the extension can be swung about a pivot 20 on the connector member. It can be locked in any desired inclined position by engagement of a pawl 21 with the ratchet teeth 22.

The pawl is disengageablefrom the ratchetteeth by operation of a linkage 23 underthe control of levers 24 on opposite sides of the table near the free end of the extension section. The two levers 24 are connected together by a cross bar, not shown, so that they can be moved together and each lever is provided with its own pawl, ratchet teeth and linkage.

The remaining part of the mechanism associated with the levers 24 is described below in conjunction with a description of the operation of the extension section. For ease of understanding only one lever is referred to below but it must be understood that there are in fact two levers which operate in unison.

As will be seen in Figures 2 and 3, the array of ratchet teeth 22 terminates at one end at a location which is flush with one face, denoted by reference numeral 25, of the extension section Sb. At the other end, by contrast, the ratchet teeth continue beyond the opposite face 26, and thus protrude beyond that face. It will be appreciated that it is desirable from the point of view of avoiding injury to patients that the upper surface of the operating table should be as smooth as possible. Accordingly, when there is a danger of such injury, for example when a patient is being slid onto or off of the operating table, the ratchet teeth should not protrude above the surface of the table. Consequently, during such movement of patients the extension flap is positioned with its face 25 uppermost.Having got the patient on to the table it may then be desired to pivot the extension upwardly or downwardly so as to form, for example, a back rest or so as to support the legs in a lowered position. If this is desired then the first step is to withdraw the pawl 21 from engagement with the ratchet teeth, as shown in Figure 3. This is done by pivoting the lever 24 in the direction indicated by arrow X thus causing the upper part of the lever to bear against a pin 27. This causes a pivot pin 28 (see also Figure 2a) which connects the lever 24 to the linkage 23 to slide lengthwise in an elonate slot 29 which is provided in the extension, and, by virtue of the connection between the pivot pin 28 and the linkage 23 the pawl 21 is caused to move out of engagement with the ratchet teeth 22.

If it is desired to pivot the extension downwardly this can then be done, and the extension will pivot through any angle up to about 90". The lever 24 can then be moved back to the position shown in Figure 2, with the pawl 21 in engagement with the ratchet teeth 22. The same applies if it is desired to pivot the extension upwardly by a relatively small angle, say not more than 45 . If, however, it is desired to pivot the extension upwardly by more than that angle, i.e.

a "chair position", a different procedure must be adopted. It will be apparent that if one were to try to pivot the extension upwardly through say, 90" from the position shown in Figure 3 there would be no way of fixing the extension in its end position, since the pawl would be out of engagement with the ratchet teeth. Accordingly, what is done in this case isfirstto move the levers into the position shown in Figures 4 and 4a by releasing the pivot screws 30 and sliding the levers longitudinally of their length.

The levers are then rotated through an angle of approximately 1800 about the axes of the pins 28 whereafter they are respect red by tightening the pivot screws. The reason for doing this will be apparent from what is said below. The extension section is then withdrawn completely from the rest of the table and rotated through 1800 about an axis extending parallel to the length of the table so that the face 26, which was previously the lower face, becomes the upper face and the face 25, which was previously the upperface, becomes the lower face.

In this orientation the extension is reconnected to the rest of the table. It will be apparent that because of the prior rotation of the levers about the axes of the pins 28 the levers and the cross bar which connect them are positioned below the plane of the table after reversal. It is important that this should be so since otherwise the cross bar would bear against the patient's back.

With the extension in the reversed position it is possible to pivot the extension upwardly through an angle of about 90". The inclination of the ratchet teeth 22 is such that they will cooperate with the pawl 21 to lock the extension in a desired tilt, regardless of which face is uppermost.

The various sections of the platform are of X-ray translucent material. In a particularly convenient arrangement, the various sections are composed of a central core of foam plastics material covered by an impregnated carbon cloth and bonded to side pieces or frame members of aluminium.

Claims (10)

1. A surgical operation table comprising a support column, a main table top portion supported by the support column, and an extension member connected by connecting means to one end of the main table top portion, wherein the connecting means comprises means enabling the extension member to be positioned at a desired inclination with respect to the main table top portion and means enabling the extension member to be reversed so that its upper surface becomes its lower surface and vice versa.

2. A surgical operation table according to claim 1, wherein the connecting means comprises a removable pin and socket connection which enables the extension member to be removed and rotated through 1800 about an axis extending parallel to the length of the table so that said reversal can take place.

3. A surgical operation table according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the means for enabling the extension member to be positioned at a desired inclination comprises a ratchet and pawl mechanism.

4. A surgical operation table according to claim 2, wherein the means for enabling the extension member to be positioned at a desired inclination comprises at least one part-circular array of ratchet teeth fixed with respect to the pin and socket connection, and a pawl mounted on the extension member and movable with the extension member when it changes inclination, the pawl being movable between a first position in which it is in locking engagement with the ratchet teeth and a second position in which it is out of engagement with the ratchet teeth and permits relative inclining movement between the extension member and the main table top portion.

5. A surgical operation table according to claim 4, wherein the pawl is movable by at least one lever which is operable to move the pawl between its first and second positions both in a first condition in which the lever projects beyond one surface of the table and in a second, reversed, condition in which the lever projects beyond the opposite surface of the table.

6. A surgical operation table according to claim 4 or 5, wherein the array of ratchet teeth has one end which terminates flush with a major surface of the extension member and an opposite end portion which protrudes beyond an opposite major surface of the extension member.

7. A surgical operation table according to any preceding claim, wherein an extension member is provided at each end of the main table top portion.

8. A surgical operation table according to any preceding claim, wherein at least one extension member is removably connected to the main table top portion.

9. A surgical operation table according to any preceding claim, which comprises a yoke pivotally mounted on the support column and carrying the main table top portion, wherein support rods or the like extend from the yoke and brackets extending beneath the main table top portion on opposite sides thereof are a sliding fit on the support rods or the like so that the brackets, and therefore the main table top portion can be slid on the rods to enable the position of the main table top portion to be adjusted lengthwise of itself.

10. A surgical operation table substantially as herein described with reference to the accompanying drawings.