U.S. patent application number 09/999092 was filed with the patent office on 2003-05-01 for support pillow for rectal surgery.
Invention is credited to Graham, Bruce D..
Application Number | 20030079291 09/999092 |
Document ID | / |
Family ID | 25545891 |
Filed Date | 2003-05-01 |
United States Patent
Application |
20030079291 |
Kind Code |
A1 |
Graham, Bruce D. |
May 1, 2003 |
SUPPORT PILLOW FOR RECTAL SURGERY
Abstract
A surgical pillow is provided for supporting, cushioning and
positioning a patient while in a prone position on an operating
table during rectal surgery. The pillow comprises an elongated,
self-sustaining, flexible body unit of compressible material having
shape return memory. The body unit is provided with an indented
upper face defined by a longitudinally extending, centrally located
channel and chamfered downwardly inclined patient positioning
surfaces on opposite sides of the central channel. Converging,
inclined side surfaces of the body unit are configured and
strategically located to accommodate the axilla areas of a patient
while the patient is supported on the body unit. A removable cover
that substantially conforms to the configuration of the body unit
is provided in full covering relationship to the body unit.
Inventors: |
Graham, Bruce D.; (Overland
Park, KS) |
Correspondence
Address: |
HOVEY, WILLIAMS, TIMMONS & COLLINS
2405 Grand, Suite 400
Kansas City
MO
64108
US
|
Family ID: |
25545891 |
Appl. No.: |
09/999092 |
Filed: |
November 1, 2001 |
Current U.S.
Class: |
5/630 ;
5/632 |
Current CPC
Class: |
A61G 2200/38 20130101;
A61G 13/1255 20130101; A61G 13/1245 20130101; A47C 20/026 20130101;
A61G 13/121 20130101; A61G 13/123 20130101; A61G 2200/325 20130101;
A61G 13/12 20130101; A61G 13/122 20130101 |
Class at
Publication: |
5/630 ;
5/632 |
International
Class: |
A47C 020/00 |
Claims
I claim as my invention:
1. An improved surgical pillow for supporting and cushioning a
patient's body while the patient is in a prone position on an
operating table during rectal surgery, said pillow comprising: a
body unit of compressible material having shape return memory, said
body unit including an elongated, generally rectangular base
section provided with opposed end portions defining normally
upright end surfaces, opposed generally upright, side surfaces
extending between the end surfaces, a relatively flat bottom
surface and an upwardly facing top surface, the width of the body
unit between the side surfaces thereof being at least approximately
equal to the width of the torso of a patient to be supported on the
body unit in a prone position, one of the end portions of the body
unit being provided with a pair of upright, inclined surfaces
extending between a respective side surface and the end surface of
said one end portion of the body and which converge as the end
surface of said one end portion of the body unit is approached for
accommodating the axilla areas of a patient while the patient is
supported on the body unit. a pair of elongated, parallel, spaced,
transversely polygonal torso support sections extending along the
length of the base section and projecting upwardly from the top
surface of the base unit, each of the sections having a
longitudinally extending outer side wall, a top wall, an inner wall
projecting upwardly from the top surface of the base section, and a
chamfered surface extending downwardly from a respective top wall
to a corresponding inner wall in spaced relationship to the top
surface of the base section, said chamfered surfaces cooperating to
position and cradle the torso area of a patient supported on the
base unit, the inner walls of the sections being of a height and in
spaced relationship such that in cooperation with the top surface
of the base section the inner walls and said top surface present an
open top channel extending the length of the body unit of a size
sufficient to alleviate significant interference with return venous
blood flow through the torso of a patient supported in a prone
position on the body unit.
2. A surgical pillow as set forth in claim 1, wherein said inner
walls of the sections are spaced apart a distance approximately
equal to the width of a respective chamfered surface.
3. A surgical pillow as set forth in claim 1, wherein said
chamfered surfaces are at an angle of approximately 45.degree. with
respect to said top surface of the base section.
4. A surgical pillow as set forth in claim 1, wherein said body
unit is of foam material.
5. A surgical pillow as set forth in claim 1, wherein is provided a
cover over the body unit, said cover substantially conforming to
the outer surface configuration of the body unit.
6. A surgical pillow as set forth in claim 1, wherein the opposed
inner walls of said sections and the top wall of the base section
cooperate to present a substantially U-shaped channel extending
along the longitudinal length of the body unit.
7. A surgical pillow as set forth in claim 6, wherein said channel
is of a depth approximately equal to the vertical height of a
respective chamfered surface.
8. A surgical pillow as set forth in claim 6, wherein said channel
is of a width approximately to the horizontal width of a respective
chamfered surface.
9. A surgical pillow as set forth in claim 6, wherein the top wall
of the sections is of a width approximately equal to the horizontal
width of said channel.
10. A surgical pillow as set forth in claim 1, wherein said body
unit is of one-piece monolithic construction.
11. An improved surgical pillow for supporting and cushioning a
patient's body while the patient is in a prone position on an
operating table during rectal surgery, said pillow comprising: an
elongated, self-sustaining, flexible, compressible body unit, said
body unit being provided with an indented upper face defined by a
longitudinally extending, centrally located channel, and chamfered,
downwardly inclined surfaces on opposite sides of the central
channel.
12. A surgical pillow as set forth in claim 11, wherein said body
unit is provided with generally horizontal, essentially parallel
top walls extending in opposite directions away from the upper
outermost margins of the chamfered surfaces.
13. A surgical pillow as set forth in claim 11, wherein said body
unit is provided with a removable outer cover in general conforming
relationship to the outermost surface of the body unit.
14. A surgical pillow as set forth in claim 11, wherein said body
unit is provided with a pair of inclined, upright, horizontally
spaced, generally converging side surfaces disposed to accommodate
the axilla areas of a patient while the patient is supported on the
body unit.
15. A surgical pillow as set forth in claim 11, wherein said
channel is of a depth approximately equal to the thickness of the
body unit.
16. A surgical pillow as set forth in claim 11, wherein said
channel is of a width approximately one-fourth of the width of the
body unit.
17. A surgical pillow as set forth in claim 11, wherein said
channel is of a width approximately equal to the width of each of
the chamfered surfaces.
18. A surgical pillow as set forth in claim 11, wherein said body
unit is of one-piece, monolithic construction.
Description
BACKGROUND
[0001] This invention relates to an improved surgical pillow
especially adapted to support, cushion and position a patient while
in a prone position on an operating table during rectal
surgery.
[0002] At the present time, positioning of a patient for rectal
surgery on a conventional operating table is most usually
accomplished by making up rolls of blankets, towels or other
similar items which are then placed along opposite sides of the
patient's torso. That technique has many disadvantages including
the tendency for the rolled support to shift and tend to be
displaced from the original patient supporting locations thereof,
and the fact that the rolls do not provide optimum patient
cushioning and positioning. Furthermore, it is difficult to arrange
the blanket or towel rolls in this position such that the patient's
arms can be placed comfortably hanging over the edges of the
operating table. Equally as significant, although support is
provided by the rolls, blanket or towels for the patient's torso,
the patient is still lying flat on the table in a prone positions
such that pressure is inherently applied to the central part of the
patient's body. The result is a tendency for the compressive forces
on the patient's torso to impede veinous blood return to the
patient's heart.
[0003] Efforts to solve the problem of providing comfortable and
effective support and positioning of a patient in a prone position
during rectal surgery have not found widespread acceptance and
universal usage in part because of the complexity and cost of prior
devices, the inability of the supporting devices to adequately
accommodate patients of different sizes and weights, and the
inordinate setup and adjustment time encountered with certain
units.
PRIOR ART
[0004] U.S. Pat. No. 6,076,525 discloses a frame for supporting a
patient in a prone position for surgery which includes a frame
having longitudinal and lateral beams which support upright posts
having pads on the upper extremities thereof. The posts are
adjustable laterally and longitudinally of the beams for patients
of different sizes. The frame assembly of the '525 patent not only
requires extensive adjustment, but is also not intended to support
a patient during rectal surgery, but instead is specifically
designed to maintain a patient's back in an orthopedically
preferred position for spinal surgery.
[0005] Similarly, U.S. Pat. No. 5,239,716 relates to a surgical
spining positioning frame made up a multiplicity of parts for
lateral, longitudinal and pivotal adjustment said to allow optimal
patient positioning. A powered actuator is provided which serves to
actuate flexible strips and pads to position the patient so that
the curvature of the patient's spine may be adjusted to assure
maximum lumbar access.
[0006] Another spinal surgery support is illustrated and described
in U.S. Pat. No. 4,840,362 in which comprises a kit of resilient
blocks interconnected by hoop and loop fasteners for securing the
various blocks in desired positions. The blocks are shaped and
dimensioned for different patient sizes and different curvatures of
the patient's spine. The kit includes a base block, a U-shaped
block, inside and outside filler blocks, face and chest blocks, and
a pair each of flexion, lordosis, or neutral blocks. The nature of
the surgical procedure and the size and shape of the patient are
said to determine the size and identity of the blocks to be
used.
[0007] U.S. Pat. No. 2,764,150 concerns a convex spinal frame in
which the curvature of a main support panel which carries opposed
rolls held in place by fastening belts or the like. The curvature
of the main panel may be adjusted as desired by adjustment of a
hand operated screw connected to links joined to respective
opposite ends of the support panel.
[0008] U.S. Pat. No. 4,579,111 relates to a lumbar lamenectomy pad
made up of two elongated two elongated pyramidally configured
bolsters carried by a rectangular base cushion and associated with
a headrest or pillow. The two side by side bolsters present a
V-shaped cavity therebetween for receiving the torso of a patient.
Arm restraints are provided on opposite sides of the triangularly
configured bolsters.
[0009] The spinal surgery chest bolster assembly of U.S. Pat. No.
4,908,892 is made up of a chest support bolster which is used in
conjunction with a separate triangular spinal surgery frame. The
support bolster consists of a trapezoidal pillow having a central
slot for receiving the patient's head and providing shoulder
support.
[0010] An iliac support frame for a patient during back surgery as
disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 4,923,187 has two horizontally spaced,
hemispherical pillows which have curved upper surfaces. The
semi-circular upper surfaces of the opposed patient supporting
pillows are said to better maintain a patient's vertebrae in
desired curved, spaced relationship for X-ray examination. A
somewhat similar spinal surgery frame having spaced curved upper
surface supports is illustrated in U.S. Pat. No. 5,584,302.
[0011] A surgical pillow is illustrated in U.S. Pat. No. Des.
438,046, having a central planar portion with two elongated, spaced
blocks positioned on the central portion. The construction of the
pillow is unknown and the manner in which a patient is supported by
the pillow cannot be discerned from the patent drawings. A pillow
having a channel formed centrally therethrough is also illustrated
in U.S. Pat. No. Des. 397,270.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
[0012] An improved surgical pillow is provided for supporting and
cushioning patients of different sizes and weights while the
patient is in a prone position on an operating table during rectal
surgery. The pillow comprises an elongated, self-sustaining body
unit of compressible material having shape return memory. The body
unit is provided with an indented upper face defined by a
longitudinally extending, centrally located channel, and chamfered
downwardly inclined surfaces on opposite sides of the central
channel.
[0013] The pillow is designed to be placed on the flat surface of a
conventional operating table used for rectal surgery in which the
patient's torso rests in a prone position on the table, while that
person's legs extend beyond the table and are supported by an
L-shaped accessory component of the table. The chamfered inclined
surfaces engage, cushion and cradle the patient's torso and
maintain the patient in a centrally disposed position on the
operating table during the operation. In addition, the pillow
provides reproduceable positioning of different patients with
variable body habitus. Patients are more secure on the operating
table with less chance of fall. Jackknife positioning of a patient
on the surgery table is avoided. Most importantly, improved veinous
blood return through the central channel of the pillow is assured,
thereby lessening risk of hypotension during the surgical
procedure.
[0014] In particular, the body unit of the surgical pillow includes
an elongated, generally rectangular base section which supports a
pair of elongated, parallel, spaced, transversely polygonal torso
support sections extending along the length of the base unit. The
polygonal sections have inwardly facing, directly opposed chamfered
surfaces which extend downwardly from the top walls of
corresponding sections and that merge with respective upright,
horizontally spaced inner walls of the sections which cooperate
with the top surface of the base section to define the central
channel through the body unit. End portions of the base section as
well as corresponding ends of the polygonal sections are inclined
relatively to define upright, outwardly diverging inclined surfaces
on opposite sides of the base section in disposition to receive the
upper ends of the patient's arms when the patient is cradled by the
pillow.
[0015] The foam body unit is preferably provided with a removeable
cover which generally conforms to the outer surface configuration
of the pillow, thereby permitting the cover to be periodically
sanitized independent of the body unit, and to be replaced if
desired.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
[0016] FIG. 1 is a respective representation of the improved pillow
for rectal surgery schematically illustrating the manner in which a
patient is cradled, cushioned and positioned by the pillow during
surgery;
[0017] FIG. 2 is a respective view of the pillow with the cover
being broken away to illustrate the underlying, self-sustaining,
flexible and compressible body unit;
[0018] FIG. 3 is an end view of one end of the body unit of the
pillow; and
[0019] FIG. 4 is an end view of the opposite end of the body unit
of the pillow.
DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT
[0020] An improved pillow for rectal surgery is illustrated in the
drawings and generally designated by the numeral 10. The elongated,
self-sustaining, flexible, one-piece, monolithic, compressible foam
body unit 12 of pillow 10 is normally contained within a removeable
cover 14 that generally conforms to the surface configuration of
body unit 12. The generally rectangular base section 16 of body
unit 12 has a flat bottom surface 18, opposed upright side surfaces
20 and 22 and an upwardly facing top surface 24. Base section 16
supports two integral, elongated, transversely polygonal torso
support sections 26 and 28 which project upwardly from the top
surface 24 of base section 16. Each of the torso support sections
26 and 28 has a longitudinally extending top wall 30, an outer side
wall 32, an upright, relatively short inner wall 34 and a
respective chamfered wall 36.
[0021] It can be seen from FIGS. 3 and 4 that the opposed,
horizontally spaced inner walls 34 of polygonal torso support
sections 26 and 28 cooperate with the top surface 24 of base
section 16 to define an elongated, centrally disposed channel 38
extending longitudinally of base section 16. Inclined chamfered
walls 36 extend downwardly and inwardly at an angle of about
45.degree. with respect to the horizontal from respective top walls
30 of torso support sections 26 and 28 and merge with the upper
margins of respective inner walls 34.
[0022] The transverse width of channel 38 between opposed walls 34
of torso support sections 26 and 28 is approximately equal to
one-fourth of the horizontal width of body unit 12 defined by side
surfaces 20 and 22 and outer side walls 32 of base unit 12. The
channel 38 is also of a depth approximately equal to the vertical
height of a respective chamfered surface 36. The top wall 30 of
each of the torso support section 26 and 28 is of a width
approximately equal to the horizontal width of channel 38.
[0023] The side surfaces 20 and 22 of base sections 16 and the
corresponding outer side walls 32 of torso support sections 26 and
28 have upright, inclined, converging surfaces 40 and 42 at one end
44 of body unit 12. The opposite end 46 of base unit 12 is defined
by a flat upright surface 48.
[0024] Body unit 12 is preferably constructed of a compressible
foam having shape return memory, which may be a synthetic resin or
natural foam. Cover 14 is also preferably fabricated of a material
which is liquid-proof and that may be subjected to repeated
sanitizing procedures, as with chemical agents or the like, without
significant deterioration. It is also to be understood that one of
the margins 50, for example, which extends around a significant
part of the perimeter of base unit 12 is defined by edges of the
cover releasedly held together by hook and loop fastening
devices.
[0025] The overall horizontal width of body unit 12 is related to
and corresponds generally to the width of a patient's torso. The
distance between and the angularity of chamfered wall surfaces 36
of torso support sections 26 and 28 and the corresponding width of
channel 38, although correlated with a normal patient's body
habitus, permits reproduceable positioning of patients with
variable body habitus on an operating table. The channel 38 is of a
width and depth allowing improved venous blood return to lessen the
risk of patient hypotension during the surgical procedure.
[0026] In use of pillow 10, it is placed in desired position on the
upper surface of an operating table 52 (shown schematically for
illustration purposes only and not intended to be representative of
an actual operating table), and a patient is situated in a prone
position on the pillow. The patient's torso is cradled, cushioned
and positioned by the chamfered surfaces of walls 36 of torso
support sections 26 and 28 while providing improved exposure of the
patient for the rectal surgery.
[0027] It can also be seen from FIG. 1, that when a patient is
positioned properly on pillow 10, that patient's arms may hang
freely over opposite sides of the operating table 52 in view of the
relief provided by inclined upright surfaces 40 and 42 of body unit
12. In addition, a head supporting pillow or other supporting
cushion may be provided under the patient's head in a desired
location adjacent end 44 of pillow 10.
* * * * *