A typical operating room has a wealth of devices designed to keep patients immobile, safe and comfortable during surgery. It contains equally as much equipment for the benefit of surgeons, from special glasses that give a nearly microscopic view of tiny blood vessels to limb extensions which provide an extended mini-theatre for surgical repairs.

Arm and leg guards provide a firm, reliable surface for surgeons, who must often lean across a patient's extremities to perform surgery. The arm guards also stabilize IV, or anesthesia lines, while arm and leg guards insure a patient's limbs won't slide off the table under anesthesia.

One of the most essential pieces of equipment in an operating room is a surgical loupe, which come as one-piece units or eyeglass clip-ons, allowing surgeons to magnify an area they are working on.

Equally as vital in close, delicate work is the wrap-around magnifier and light, which - when worn - offer not only close viewing but added illumination for those same delicate procedures.

Anesthesia screens are set up over the patient's body to block the operating site from the anesthesiologist's work area, reducing the spread of infection and eliminating a source of distraction to surgeons and surgical nurses.

Hand, arm and limb positioners extend individual portions of the body beyond the operating table, allowing surgeons to do intricate work on elbows, for example.

Gel pads in either table-length or partial length, provide patient comfort and support during lengthy procedures while under local anesthesia, and provide perineal cutouts for surgical procedures in the vaginal or anal area.

Patients will likely never see many of this operating room equipment, but their importance to surgeons and surgical staff is inestimable.


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