Image source, Frimley Health NHS Foundation Trust
Image caption, This innovation allows patients to sit upright while their procedures are performed. Article information
- Author, Charlotte Andrews
- Role, BBC news
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3 minutes ago
A surgeon has developed a table that makes patients more comfortable during hand surgery.
The invention was conceived by Matthew Gardiner, a hand and plastic surgeon at Wexham Park Hospital in Slough, Berkshire.
Normally, patients had to lie flat during surgery, which many people found challenging.
The prototype, which costs almost £8,000, allows people to sit upright and place their hand on a table while the procedure is performed.
Image source, Frimley Health NHS Foundation Trust
Image caption, Other hospitals in the UK are now testing the invention
Mr Gardiner, who is also deputy medical director for research at Frimley Health NHS Foundation Trust, said patient comfort and safety were the main drivers behind the idea.
“Many people have conditions that make lying flat very difficult and uncomfortable,” he said.
“Some ended up having general anesthesia because they couldn’t tolerate lying flat while awake.”
The prototype, which was tested at Heatherwood Hospital in Ascot, showed patients could sit upright and read while their operations were being performed.
Many people chose to watch the operations, but the design of the table provides the option of using a screen for those who prefer not to.
Lightweight and simple
The invention was one of the successful bids during last year’s CEO Change Challenge, the hospital’s annual competition that aims to get frontline workers more involved in implementing change.
Mark Lee, product manager at Anetic Aid, the company that made the final product, said the team had to ensure the new table was lightweight and easy to use.
“(Mr Gardiner) wanted to make operating time more efficient and increase the number of operations that could be performed during the day,” he added.
The Gardiner Hand Surgery System is currently being trialled in other hospitals in the UK.
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