US3593986A - Operation tables - Google Patents

Abstract

A surgical operation table has a patient-supporting platform with an extension flap at one end. The flap is removably fitted to the platform. The flap has coupling blocks or wedges on opposite sides at an end proximate the platform end. These blocks or wedges are engageable in mating coupling sockets on opposite sides of the platform. Locking means, such as a locking screw are provided to lock the blocks or wedges against accidental removal from the sockets.

Description

Inventor Norman John Lee London, England Appl. No. 824,851 Filed May 15, 1969 Patented July 20 1971 Assignee Matburn (Holdings) Limited London, England Priority May 28, 1968 Great Britain OPERATION TABLES V 4 Claims, 4 Drawing Figs.

[56] References Cited UNlTED STATES PATENTS 2,120,310 6/1938 Duncan 5/327 UX 2,596,986 5/1952 Curtis 269/324 X 2,660,495 1 1/1953 Schwalbe 269/325 2,965,425 12/1960 Grinsell 269/326 Primary Examiner-Andrew R. Juhasz Assistant Examiner-Donald D. Evens-on Attorney-William R. Liberman ABSTRACT: A surgical operation table has a patient-supporting platform with an extension flap at one end. The flap is removably fitted to the platform. The flap has coupling blocks U.S.'Cl 269/325, or wedges on opposite sides at an end. proximate the platform 5/327 R end. These blocks or wedges are engageable in mating Int. Cl A61g 13/00 coupling sockets on opposite sides of the platform. Locking Field of Search, 269/323- means, such as a locking screw are provided to lock the blocks /327 or wedges against accidental removal lfrom the sockets.

2o 6 4 3 1 9 \CKO 13: o o o o (D (o 011i PATENlEnJuLzolsn SHEET 2 BF 2 INVENTOR' #04514 HIV BY ATTORNEY OPERATION TABLES BACKGROUND or THE INVENTION Surgical operation, tables may comprise a wheeled or fixed base supporting a platform on which a patient can be placed in a supine position. The platform may be composed of two sections, commonly called the upper and lower trunk sections, which are arranged end to end. Means are provided to enable these sections to be disposed in the same plane or at an angle with respect to each other. Extension flaps, commonly called the head and leg sections, can be removably fitted to the ends of the upper and lower trunk sections respectively. Alternatively, the platform may be composed of a single trunk section and the extension flaps can be removably fitted at each end. With the development of equipment to enable surgical operations to be performed under fluoroscopic control, there is a need to provide some operation tables with platforms made of X-ray translucent materials. With such materials, it is difficult to provide a satisfactory connection between the removable head and leg sections and the trunk section or sections and it is an object of this invention to provide a table to overcome this difficulty.

BRIEF SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION The preseri 'tlpihvention provides a surgical operation table which has a platform for supporting a patient and an extension flap removably connected to the platform, one end of the flap having a pair of downwardly tapering coupling blocks or wedges engageable in mating coupling sockets provided at an end of the platform, one on each side of the platform, and means to prevent the blocks or wedges from accidental displacement from their mating sockets.

One or each block or wedge can have a hole in which a locking screw is fitted. This locking screw can have a knurled head or the like at its outer end so that it can be rotated to en gage its inner end in a threaded locking recess or socket in a sidewall of the mating coupling socket to prevent the block or wedge from accidental disengagement from the socket.

The flaps can be hingedly connected to the blocks or wedges and a supporting strut can extend between a coupling block or wedge or each of them, and a slide which can move on a partially screw-threaded bolt which runs along a side of the flap. Each slide has a partially screw-threaded aperture engaged with the bolt. When the screw threads of the slide are disengaged frdm those of the bolt, the slide is freely movable on the bolt. When the screw threads are engaged and the bolt is secured against rotation the slide is not free to move; thus, the flap can be secured in any desired angular position.

DESCRIPTION OF THE ACCOMPANYING DRAWINGS FIG. 1 is a schematic side elevation of a surgical operation table according to the invention,

FIG. 2 is an enlarged side elevation of part of a trunk and an extension section of the table, showing a coupling between the two sections partially engaged,

FIG. 3 is a fragmentary underplan view of part of the extension section, and

FIG. 4 is a fragmentary underplan view of another part of the same extension section.

DESCRIPTION OF A PREFERRED EMBODIMENT In the illustrated embodiment of the invention, a surgical operation table comprises a patient-supporting platform 1 arranged on a wheeled base 2. The platform I comprises a single trunk section 3 with extension flaps 4 removably secured to the ends of the trunk section. The trunk section 3 and the extension flaps 4 are all made of a plastics material which is X ray translucent, the plastics material of the trunk section being secured to a suitable metal side frame 5 and the plastics material of each extension section 4 being secured to metal side frames 6.

The side frame members at one end of each extension flap 4 are connected by a hinge 7 with a pair of coupling blocks or wedges 8 so thatone of these blocks or wedge; is arranged on each side of the flap. Each block or wedge 8 extends beneath the flap 4 and tapers in the downward direction. These coupling blocks or wedges 8 interengage with mating coupling sockets 9 mounted on the side frame members a t the ends of the trunk section. The coupling sockets 9 are openat the top and at the outside. The coupling blocks; or wedges of each flap are identical and the coupling sockets are also identical so that the extension flaps can be secured to either end of the trunk section.

The coupling blocks or wedges are interengaged with the sockets by downward movement of the blocks or wedges onto I the socket. In order to prevent the blocks or wedges being accidentally lifted out of the sockets, each block or wedge 8 is provided with a locking screw 10 (FIG. 3) having an enlarged knurled head 11 at its outer end. The locking screws 10 can be rotated to engage the inner ends of the screws in locking recesses or sockets 12 (FIG. 2) in,the sidewalls of the mating coupling sockets 9.

The hinged connection 7 between each extension flap 4 and its coupling blocks or wedges 8 permits the angular position of the flap 4 to be adjusted to between a few degrees above the plane containing the adjacent trunk section 3 and approximately below that plane. In order to hold each flap 4 in a desired angular position, a supporting strut 13 is provided on one or each side of each flap. Oneend of each strut 13 is pivotably connected at 14 to one of the coupling blocks or wedges, the other end being pivotably connected to a slide 15 (FIG. 4) on the same side of the flap. Each slide 15 has a longitudinal passage 16 with two spaced screw-threaded portions.

The two screw-threaded portions together extend over about half the circumference of the passage 16. A bolt 17 runs along the same sideof the flap 4 and through the passage 16. This bolt 17 has two complementary spaced external screwthreaded portions 18 which are separated by unthreaded portions 19 and which can mate with the screw-threaded portions in the passage 16. When the screw-threaded portions of the bolt and passage are disengaged, the slide I5 is freely reciprocable on the bolt. This permits the angular position of the flap 4 to be easily and quickly adjusted. When the screwthreaded portions of the bolt and passage are mated and the bolt is held against rotation, the slide 15 is not free to rotate so that the flap will be held in a desired position. The bolt 17 projects beyond the outer or free end of the :flap 4 and a handle 20 is mounted on the projecting end to enable the bolt to be rotated to engage or disengage the screw threads as desired. A strong spring (not visible) is provided to ensure that the screwthreaded portions are movably engaged.

The flap intended to be the head section need only be pro vided with one supporting strut. The loading on the flap intended to be the leg section is often greater so that this flap should be provided with two supporting struts. In this case, the two bolts associated with the strut can be linked to a common operating handle.

What I claim is:

l. A surgical operating table comprising a platform for supporting a patient said platform having a pair of downwardly tapered coupling sockets at one end thereof, one socket on each side of said platform, an extension flap removably connected to the platform, said flap having at the end proximate to the platform a pair of downwardly tapering mating coupling blocks mounted on the platform, one of said blocks being engageable in each of said coupling sockets, and means for removably locking said blocks within their mating socket.

2. A table as claimed in claim 1 wherein each coupling socket has a threaded locking recess and each block has a threaded locking screw extending transversely therethrough engageable in said locking recess to lock said block to the coupling socket.

3. A table as claimed in claim 1 wherein said extension flap is hingedly connected to the blocks and a supporting strut exis permitted to move when said screw-threaded portions are disengaged. I

4. A surgical operation table as claimed in claim 3 having two extension flaps one of which is arranged at each end of the platform.

Claims (4)

1. A surgical operating table comprising a platform for supporting a patient said platform having a pair of downwardly tapered coupling sockets at one end thereof, one socket on each side of said platform, an extension flap removably connected to the platform, said flap having at the end proximate to the platform a pair of downwardly tapering mating coupling blocks mounted on the platform, one of said blocks being engageable in each of said coupling sockets, and means for removably locking said blocks within their mating socket.

2. A table as claimed in claim 1 wherein each coupling socket has a threaded locking recess and each block has a threaded locking screw extending transversely therethrough engageable in said locking recess to lock said block to the coupling socket.

3. A table as claimed in claim 1 wherein said extension flap is hingedly connected to the blocks and a supporting strut extends between one block and a slide which can move axially along a partially screw-threaded bolt which runs along a side of said flap, said slide having a partially screw-threaded aperture engaged with said bolt whereby said slide is prevented from moving along said bolt when said screw-threaded portions of said bolt are engaged with those of said aperture, but is permitted to move when said screw-threaded portions are disengaged.

4. A surgical operation table as claimed in claim 3 having two extension flaps one of which is arranged at each end of the platform.

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