Anaesthesia & intensive care medicine
Volume 10, Issue 10 , Pages 476-479, October 2009

Positioning the surgical patient

Stephen J Washington FRCA is a Specialist Registrar in Anaesthesia on the North West Deanery rotation, UK. Conflicts of interest: none declared

Glyn J Smurthwaite FRCA is a Consultant Anaesthetist at Salford Royal NHS Foundation Trust, UK. Conflicts of interest: none declared

Abstract 

Optimal surgical positioning aids surgical access and reduces the risk of injury to the patient. Safe positioning represents a considerable challenge, and to achieve these goals it is imperative that the anaesthetist, surgeon and theatre personnel work together as a well-coordinated team. Malpositioning is associated with significant morbidity, and nerve injuries are a common complication. Here, some of the key measures are described that will enable safe positioning of the patient and that will reduce the risk of injury during surgery. A number of physiological changes that occur in the common positions utilized for surgical procedures are also described.

Keywords: injuries, lateral, lithotomy, Lloyd Davies, neuropathies, positioning, prone, sitting, supine

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PII: S1472-0299(09)00196-9

doi:10.1016/j.mpaic.2009.07.011

Anaesthesia & intensive care medicine
Volume 10, Issue 10 , Pages 476-479, October 2009

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