Surgical table - Patent Review 6721976

What is claimed is:

1. A surgical table comprising: a patient support surface having a longitudinal axis; a frame attached to said patient support surface; a base having a support column and a support platform attached to said support column; a pair of first link arms, each of said pair of first link arms having a first end pivotally coupled with said support platform and a second end pivotally coupled with said frame, said pair of first link arms, said support platform, and said frame forming a first four-bar linkage mechanism in which each of said pair of first link arms extend upwardly and outwardly in opposite transverse directions from the respective pivotal attachment points with said support platform to the respective pivotal attachment points with said frame; and a pair of second link arms spaced along said longitudinal axis from said first pair of link arms, each of said pair of second link arms having a first end pivotally coupled with said support platform and a second end pivotally coupled with said frame, said pair of second link arms, said support platform, and said frame forming a second four-bar linkage mechanism, said first and said second four-bar linkage mechanisms allowing said frame and said patient support surface to tilt transversely relative to said support platform and generally about the longitudinal axis of said patient support surface.

2. The surgical table of claim 1 wherein said patient support surface is tiltable about the longitudinal axis in opposite transverse directions through a pivot arc of about 20 degrees.

3. The surgical table of claim 1 further comprising an actuating mechanism operative to move said first and said second four-bar linkages for tilting said frame and said patient support surface laterally relative to said support platform.

4. The surgical table of claim 1 wherein said base is configured to rest on a floor surface and said support column is vertically movable for movement of said patient support surface vertically to within 251/2 inches of the floor surface.

5. The surgical table of claim 1 wherein each of said pair of second link arms extend upwardly and outwardly in opposite transverse directions from the respective pivotal attachment with said support platform to the respective pivotal attachment with said frame.

6. The surgical table of claim 1 wherein said frame has a first rail and said support platform has a first mounting surface, the first ends of said pair of first link arms pivotally coupled with a transversely-spaced relationship to said first mounting surface and the second ends of said pair of first link arms pivotally coupled with a transversely-spaced relationship to said first rail.

7. The surgical table of claim 6 wherein said frame has a second rail longitudinally-spaced from said first rail and said support platform has a second mounting surface longitudinally-spaced from the first mounting surface, the first ends of said pair of second link arms pivotally coupled with a transversely-spaced relationship to said second mounting surface and the second ends of said pair of second link arms pivotally coupled with a transversely-spaced relationship to said second rail.

8. The surgical table of claim 7 wherein said second pair of link arms, said second rail, and said second mounting surface are substantially coplanar in a first vertical plane extending in a transverse direction.

9. The surgical table of claim 8 wherein said first pair of link arms, said first rail, and said first mounting surface are substantially coplanar in a second vertical plane extending in a transverse direction.

10. A surgical table comprising: a patient support surface having a longitudinal axis; a frame attached to said patient support surface; a base having a support column and a support platform attached to said support column; a pair of first link arms, each of said pair of first link arms having a first end pivotally coupled with said support platform and a second end pivotally coupled with said frame, said first link arms, said support platform, and said frame forming a first four-bar linkage mechanism; and a pair of second link arms spaced along said longitudinal axis from said first pair of link arms, each of said pair of second link arms having a first end pivotally coupled with said support platform and a second end pivotally coupled with said frame, said pair of second link arms, said support platform, and said frame forming a second four-bar linkage mechanism, said first and said second four-bar linkage mechanisms allowing said frame and said patient support surface to tilt transversely relative to said support platform and generally about the longitudinal axis of said patient support surface, wherein each of said pair of first link arms is integral with a corresponding one of said pair of second link arms.

11. The surgical table of claim 10 wherein said each of said first pair of link arms is longitudinally aligned with the corresponding one of said second pair of link arms.

12. The surgical table of claim 10 wherein said patient support surface is tiltable about the longitudinal axis in apposite transverse directions through a pivot arc of about 20 degrees.

13. The surgical table of claim 10 further comprising an actuating mechanism operative to move said first and said second four-bar linkages for tilting said frame and said patient support surface laterally relative to said support platform.

14. The surgical table of claim 10 wherein said base is configured to rest on a floor surface and said support column is vertically movable for movement of said patient support surface vertically to within 251/2 inches of the floor surface.

15. The surgical table of claim 10 wherein each of said pair of first link arms extend upwardly and outwardly in opposite transverse directions from the respective pivotal attachment with said support platform to the respective pivotal attachment with said frame.

16. The surgical table of claim 15 wherein each of said pair of second link arms extend upwardly and outwardly in opposite transverse directions from the respective pivotal attachment with said support platform to the respective pivotal attachment with said frame.

17. The surgical table of claim 10 wherein said frame has a first rail and said support platform has a first mounting surface, the first ends of said pair of first link arms pivotally coupled with a transversely-spaced relationship to said first mounting surface and the second ends of said pair of first link arms pivotally coupled with a transversely-spaced relationship to said first rail.

18. The surgical table of claim 17 wherein said frame has a second rail longitudinally-spaced from said first rail and said support platform has a second mounting surface longitudinally-spaced from the first mounting surface, the first ends of said pair of second link arms pivotally coupled with a transversely-spaced relationship to said second mounting surface and the second ends of said pair of second link arms pivotally coupled with a transversely-spaced relationship to said second rail.

19. The surgical table of claim 18 wherein said second pair of link arms, said second rail, and said second mounting surface are substantially coplanar in a first vertical plane extending in a transverse direction.

20. The surgical table of claim 19 wherein said first pair of link arms, said first rail, and said first mounting surface are substantially coplanar in a second vertical plane extending in a transverse direction.

Description Submit all comments and votes

FIELD OF THE INVENTION

The present invention generally relates to apparatus for supporting patients during medical procedures and, more specifically, to surgical tables having improved patient access and a stable floor locking mechanism.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

Conventional surgical and medical tables are designed to provide a support platform for holding patients in an appropriate position during surgery or a procedure. Floor space in hospital and out-patient operating rooms is at a premium. Therefore, the design of the surgical table must afford surgical team members ready access to various body parts of the patient from various locations along the table before, during or after the surgical or medical procedure and yet minimize the amount of floorspace occupied.

During the surgical or medical procedure, the patient must be maintained stationary. To that end, the surgical table is anchored to the floor in a fixed position within the operating room or procedure room. However, the surgical table must be movable so that it can be repositioned within the operating room or removed from the operating room when unused. The surgical table is repositioned to clean the floor space about the table following the medical procedure. The surgical table may require repositioning to introduce a different surgical table, which is tailored for a specialized procedure, into the operating room.

Conventional medical or surgical tables are mobilized by providing them with multiple pivoting or swivel casters. In one common design for anchoring the position of the surgical table, a plurality of retractable, vertically-movable floor locks are extended to contact the floor. The casters may remain in floor contact or the floor locks may raise the table so that the casters no longer contact the floor. In an elevated position, the table is supported on the legs rather than on the casters. However, such conventional mechanisms are mechanically complex because a set of vertically movable legs must be incorporated into the table design.

The patient support surfaces of conventional surgical tables may only be lowered to within about thirty-one inches of the floor. Because the patient not conveniently located, surgical team members must stand during surgical procedures, which increases fatigue. For certain types of surgeries, it would be advantageous for surgical team members to operate in a seated position.

Surgical team members must work in a close proximity to the patient. If the support surface is significantly wider that the width of the patient's body, then the surgical team members cannot stand near to the patient's body. Users of conventional surgical tables, however, commonly utilize portions of the support surface adjacent to the patient's shoulders as a repository for objects such as instruments, syringes and the like. Therefore, the support surface near the patient's shoulders will be wide enough to accommodate this common usage. As a result, the surgical team members must lean against the support surface and/or extend their arms outwardly so that all portions of the patient's body are within arm's length. In extreme instances, all portions of the patient's upper torso may not be accessible from a single side of the surgical table.

What is needed, therefore, is a surgical table that optimizes the usage of the space on the patient support surface and the surrounding floorspace and that is mobile and yet can be secured against movement when performing surgery.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

In one embodiment of the present invention, a surgical table is provided that permits compact lateral tilting of a patient support surface for reducing the height of the patient support surface relative to the floor surface when the surgical table is in a fully lowered condition. In accordance with the principles of the invention, the surgical table includes a patient support surface having a longitudinal axis, a frame attached to the patient support surface, and a base having a support column and a support platform attached to the support column. The surgical table further includes a pair of four-bar linkage mechanisms that allow the frame and the patient support surface to tilt transversely generally about the longitudinal axis and relative to the support platform. Each of the four-bar linkage mechanisms includes a pair of link arms each having one end pivotally attached to the support platform and an opposite end pivotally attached to the frame.

In another embodiment, the surgical table can incorporate an ancillary support surface for small instruments and the like, which permits a reduction in width of the back section of the patient support surface. In accordance with the principles of the invention, the surgical table includes a base and a patient support surface mounted to the base. The patient support surface has a head section for supporting a patient's head and a longitudinal axis. The surgical table further includes a tray pivotally coupled to the head section of said patient support surface and angularly rotatable about an axis of rotation generally parallel to the longitudinal axis of the patient support surface. The tray has a first condition in which angular rotation of the tray about the axis of rotation is inhibited and a second condition in which the tray is rotatable angularly about the axis of rotation. In the first condition, the tray is capable of receiving and supporting a surgical instrument.

In yet another embodiment, the present invention provides a surgical table constructed to provide a mechanically-simple floor-locking mechanism. In accordance with the principles of the invention, the surgical table includes a patient support surface, a base having a base frame, a support column extending between the base frame and the support surface, and a carriage coupled for relative movement with the base frame. The carriage includes a plurality of spaced-apart rolling members so that the surgical table is selectively mobile and a pair of yokes each pivotally coupled to the base frame, each of the yokes carrying at least one of the rolling members. To that end, the surgical table further includes a lifting mechanism operative for transferring a lifting force to the linkages sufficient to move the yokes relative to the base frame. The lifting mechanism is capable of moving capable of moving the yokes relative to the base frame between a first position in which the carriage is movable on the rolling members and a second position in which the carriage is not movable on the rolling members.

Various additional advantages and features of the invention will become more readily apparent to those of ordinary skill in the art upon review of the following detailed description taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 is a side view of a surgical table of the present invention, shown tilted longitudinally in a Trendelenburg position and supporting a supine patient;

FIG. 2 is a top view of the surgical table of FIG. 1, shown without longitudinal tilting;

FIG. 3 is a perspective view of a portion of the surgical table of FIG. 1 showing the four-bar linkage mechanisms of the invention;

FIG. 4 is an end view of the surgical table of FIG. 3 as viewed from the foot of the surgical table;

FIG. 5 is an end view of the surgical table of FIG. 3 as viewed from the head of the surgical table and in which the frame for the patient support surface is in a level, horizontal position and in which the patient support surface and cowling are removed;

FIG. 6 is an end view similar to FIG. 5 in which the frame is laterally tilted in a first transverse direction;

FIG. 7 is an end view similar to FIG. 6 in which the frame is laterally tilted in a second transverse direction;

FIG. 8 is bottom view of a portion of the surgical table of FIG. 1;

FIG. 9 is a side view of a portion of the surgical table of FIG. 1;

FIG. 10 is a cross-sectional view taken generally along line 10--10 of FIG. 9, in which the articulating trays are shown in a deployed position;

FIG. 11A is a cross-sectional view taken generally along line 11--11 of FIG. 10;

FIG. 11B is a cross-sectional view, similar to FIG. 11A, in which the articulating tray is rotated to a storage position;

FIG. 12 is a top view of the base and associated lifting mechanisms of the surgical table of FIG. 1;

FIG. 13 is a side view of one of the lifting mechanisms of FIG. 12, in which the table is anchored to the floor by the lifting mechanisms of the invention;

FIG. 14 is a schematic view of one of the lifting mechanisms which diagrammatically illustrates the raised and lowered positions of one of the lifting mechanisms of the invention; and

FIG. 15 is a perspective view of another embodiment of the four-bar linkage of the invention.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

With reference to FIG. 1, a surgical table 10 of the present invention is shown with a patient 11 resting in a supine position. To serve as positional references hereinafter, the surgical table 10 shall be described as being "longitudinal" along its length and as being "transverse" across its width. The longitudinal end of the surgical table shown to the left in FIGS. 1 and 2 shall be referred to as the "head." The longitudinal end of the surgical table shown at the right in FIGS. 1 and 2 shall be termed its "foot." The transverse side of the surgical table facing the viewer in FIG. 1 shall be referred to as the "rear" and the opposite transverse side shall be referred to as the "front." The terms "head," "foot," "front," and "rear" shall be used hereinafter in a relative sense to assist in understanding the features and positions of the various elements of the surgical table but are not intended to be limiting of the present invention.

With reference to FIGS. 1 and 2, the surgical table 10 includes a base 12, a variable-height support column 14 extending vertically from the base 12, and a patient support surface 16 located at a variable height above a floor surface 18. The height of the patient support surface 16 is varied by vertical movement of the support column 14. The patient support surface 16 is formed of a plurality of, for example, four interconnected sections including of a head section 20, a back section 22, a leg section 24, and an extension section 26, each of which has a frame and a pad affixed to the frame. A longitudinal axis 17 extends in a longitudinal direction between the head and foot of the patient support surface 16.

Surgical table 10 is configured for performing a plurality of different surgeries. Specifically, the patient support surface 16 can be raised and lowered, the patient support surface 16 can be laterally tilted to the front and rear, the leg section (24) can be pivoted independently of the back section 22, the patient support surface 16 can be moved into the Trendelenburg (FIG. 1) and reverse Trendelenburg positions (not shown), and the patient support surface 16 can be moved into the flex and reflex positions. The mechanisms for providing the longitudinal tilting and relative pivoting of the individual sections of the patient support surface 16 are conventional.

During many operations, the patient 11 is moved along in a longitudinal direction, indicated on FIG. 1 by a double-headed arrow 27, of the patient support surface 16 from a normal orientation on the surgical table 10 in which patient 11 is supported on the head, back and leg sections 20, 22, 24 to an alternative orientation wherein the table 10 is reconfigured with the extension section 26 mounted to the foot end of the leg section whereby the leg section 24 supports the back of the patient 11 and the back section 22 supports the head of the patient 11. The normal orientation is indicated generally by reference numeral 28 (FIG. 1) and the alternative orientation is indicated generally by reference numeral 29 (FIG. 1).

The support column 14 is offset longitudinally parallel to longitudinal axis 17 from the center of the base 12 so that, when the patient 11 is at or near the second position 29, the surgical table 10 cannot tip longitudinally. When the patient 11 is in the first position 28, the base 12 does not restrict access to the patient's torso and head. In addition, the transverse dimension of the base 12 is significantly narrower than the transverse dimension of the patient support surface 16 so that surgical team members are afforded close access to the patient 11.

With continued reference to FIG. 1, the support column 14 is vertically extendable and is covered by a plurality of, for example, three telescoping cover sections 30a, 30b and 30c. The support column 14 is operable for raising and lowering the patient support surface 16 over a given travel range among various positions between a raised position of a maximum separation distance relative to floor surface 18 and a lowered position (shown in phantom in FIG. 1) of a minimum separation distance relative to floor surface 18. In one embodiment, the travel range of the patient support surface 16 is about 18 inches and the level height of surface 16 can be adjusted from a minimum separation distance of about 251/2 inches to a maximum separation distance greater than the minimum separation distance of, for example, about 431/2 inches, in which each separation distance is measured relative to a floor surface 18. A conventional mechanical mechanism provides the upward and downward vertical movement of the support column 14 among multiple positions bounded by the minimum and maximum separation distances.

With reference to FIGS. 3-7, the surgical table 10 includes a pair of four-bar linkage mechanisms 32, 34, each having four independent pivot points and four bars, and an actuating mechanism 36 operative for urging the four-bar linkage mechanisms 32, 34 for laterally tilting the patient support surface 16 relative to the longitudinal axis 17 (FIG. 2) and with respect to support column 14, which remains stationary during lateral tilting. The patient support surface 16 may also be tilted laterally from a horizontal condition to either the front or the rear by, for example, a lateral tilt angle of about 20.degree..

With continued reference to FIGS. 3-7, the actuating mechanism 36 includes a threaded rod or drive screw 38, a threaded sleeve or drive nut 40 through which drive screw 38 is threaded, and a reversible motor 42 which may rotatably operate a worm drive (not shown) that has a meshed relation with drive screw 38 in a conventional manner. The drive nut 40 is pivotally secured to a flange 44 mounted centrally on a support platform 46, which is disposed on an upper portion of the support column 14. Operation of motor 42 will cause rotation of the worm drive and, thereby, rotation of drive screw 38 relative to drive nut 40. The reversible motor allows bi-directional rotation of drive screw 38 relative to drive nut 40 for lateral tilting of the patient support surface 16 between to a first transversely-tilted position (FIG. 6) having a given first tilt angle from a horizontal position (FIG. 5) toward the front of surgical table 10 or to a second transversely-tilted position (FIG. 7) having a given second tilt angle from horizontal toward the rear of surgical table 10. The first and second tilt angles are typically about 20.degree., which provides lateral tilting sufficient for surgical procedures. The actuating mechanism 36 is substantially surrounded by a protective cowling 48 having side skirts 48a,b (FIG. 4) on at least the front and rear sides, respectively, that project downwardly toward the floor 18. It is understood that any type of mechanical, electromechanical, hydraulic, or pneumatic mechanism may be employed without limitation in conjunction with the four-bar linkage mechanisms 32, 34 for laterally tilting the patient support surface 16.

With continued reference to FIGS. 3-7, the four-bar linkage mechanisms 32, 34 have a similar construction and the following discussion of four-bar linkage mechanism 34 is equally applicable to four-bar linkage mechanism 32. Attached to the underside of the leg section 24 (FIG. 1) of the patient support surface 16 is a frame 50 which is connected to the support platform 46 by a pair of link arms 52, 54. As can be appreciated, the support platform 46, the frame 50, and the pair of link arms 52, 54 collectively form four-bar linkage mechanism 34. One end of link arm 52 is pivotally coupled by a pivot pin 56 to one longitudinal end 49 of the support platform 46 and the opposite end of link arm 52 is pivotally coupled by a pivot pin 58 to one longitudinal end or rail 51 a of the frame 50. Similarly, a pivot pin 60 pivotally couples one end of link arm 54 to the longitudinal end 49 of the support platform 46 with a transversely-spaced relationship relative to the pivotal attachment of link arm 52 by pivot pin 56 and a pivot pin 62 pivotally couples the opposite end of link arm 54 to rail 51 a of the frame 50 with a transversely-spaced relationship relative to the pivotal attachment of link arm 52 by pivot pin 56. It is appreciated that the pivotal coupling of the link arms 52, 54 with support platform 46 and/or frame 50 may be direct, as illustrated in FIGS. 3-7, or indirect via another structural member (not shown), such as a mechanical linkage.

Pivot pins 56 and 58 provide pivotal points of attachment for link arm 52 and have respective longitudinal axes of rotation 56' and 58' that are aligned substantially parallel to the longitudinal axis 17 of patient support surface 16. Pivot pins 60 and 62 provide pivotal points of attachment for link arm 54 and have respective longitudinal axes of rotation 60' and 62' are aligned substantially parallel to the longitudinal axis 17 of patient support surface 16. In the level, horizontal condition shown in FIG. 5, the link arms 52, 54 are slanted outwardly in opposite transverse directions and at oblique angles from the vertical relative to the pivotal points of attachment at pivot pins 56, 60, respectively, to support platform 46.

With reference to FIGS. 3 and 4, four-bar linkage mechanism 32 has an identical construction to four-ba