Positioning Pillow
Pillow · Knee Pillow · Head Pillow · Wedge Pillow
A soft pillow, usually with a fluid-resistant cover and a pillowcase, used to pad and prop the patient on the OR bed.
On the table
What it does and the lengths it comes in.
What it’s for
Used for many padding needs: under the head in supine position to keep the neck aligned, under the knees to ease strain on the lower back, at the sacrumSAY-krumThe large, triangle-shaped bone at the base of the spine, between the two hip bones.sacr/o sacrumFull entry , and between the knees, ankles and arms in lateral position. A wedge or pillow under the right flank tilts a pregnant patient to the left to keep the uterus off the vena cavaVEE-nuh KAY-vuhOne of the two large veins that return oxygen-poor blood from the body to the right atrium of the heart.Full entry .
Lengths and variants
Standard bed pillows and small pillows; foam wedges for tilting.
Through the case
In the order you meet it: before, during and after the case.
- During the case
Caution
What not to do with it, and why.Pro
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4 sources
- Rothrock JC. Alexander's Care of the Patient in Surgery. 17th ed. Chapter 6 (Positioning the Patient for Surgery), Table 6.3, p. 161 and Supine Position, p. 162
- Fuller JK. Surgical Technology: Principles and Practice. 8th ed. Chapter 16 (Moving, Handling, and Positioning the Surgical Patient), p. 329
- Goldman MA. Pocket Guide to the Operating Room. 3rd ed. Chapter 2 (Protection of the Patient in Surgery/Patient Safety), p. 21
- officemax.co.nz
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