What it means
Named after Friedrich Trendelenburg, a German surgeon. It is used in some lower abdominal and pelvic surgery, and when a central line is placed in a neck vein, because tilting the head down fills the neck veins and lowers the risk of air entering them. Reverse Trendelenburg tilts the other way, head higher than the feet. Head-down tilting for low blood pressure is no longer advised; raising the legs alone is used instead.
For the nurse
Use it only when ordered or for a defined procedure, and for as short a time as possible. Head-down tilting raises pressure in the head, makes breathing harder and raises the risk of aspiration.
At a glance
| Also written | Trendelenburg |
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Related terms
supine
Lying flat on the back, face up.
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