Description:

Customer feedback suggested need for an improved patient support to assist with prone (facedown) positioning. There are metallic supports for general surgery and a selection of foam blocks, but nothing had been designed to best suit the flat/narrow cantilevered Imaging tables used in Interventional Radiology.
The design needed to:
Provide a sensation of ample space to see and breath.
Accommodate different spine shapes, and patients with mild kyphosis.
Be comfortable, providing versatility of arm positioning and accommodating differing levels of shoulder flexion.
Accommodate oxygen tubing at the face.
Be quick and easy to install and remove in emergencies.
Not restrict C-arm X-ray camera procedural coverage requirements.
Be radiolucent allowing clear imaging of the spine through the main flat portion.
Be durable and easy to clean.
Conform to ISO13485 device design guidelines for a Class 1 device.
Have a professional design and finish for patient reassurance.
There are 3 key stakeholders who each have their unique needs to address:
Drs performing the intervention need the patient to be relaxed, still and presented in the right position while utilising image guidance to complete.
Nurses need a product that is quick and easy to set up for different patients and are responsible for pressure injuries that may occur.
Anaesthetists need to be able to administer oxygen and be satisfied that they can provide the patient what they need.
The design of the Prone Support presents as a well proportioned clean and simple solution for the required application. The intuitive form utilises highlights of bright blue, informing both patient and clinician of elements to interact with. The colour usage and materials form part of a suite of solutions in the field of Image guided medicine and are key components to the companies’ brand language.
The carbon fibre has rich appeal due to the depth of the visible cloth weave and is a material associated with high performance. It is used for its excellent radiolucency, strength and weight. The flat carbon portion beneath the patient’s torso has an Aluminium Equivalence rate of 0.615mm, exceeding the ISO limit recommendation of 2.3mm for a patient support, ensuring artefact (X-ray shadow) is not detrimental to safe completion of the intervention. The strength allows it to cantilever beyond the Image table surface, well secured by the patient’s body mass, becoming an extension of the carbon fibre Image table surface. The weight can be kept to a minimum with the carbon skin structure surrounding the aerated foam core, ensuring ease of handling by the nursing team responsible for set up.
The face pillow is made from a waterproof polyurethane and is intended for reuse.
The product addresses each of these stakeholders needs well due to the involvement they each had in the product development. Designers were able to observe different setups for CT and Angiography guided procedures; and hear the pain points first hand from Drs in Christchurch, Auckland and Sydney. These became critical markers of success for the product.
It was released in May 2022.