An Affordable Alternative to High-End Operating Tables

A mobile operating table for everyday surgical work offers a flexible and easy to use clinical solution for hospitals with a tight budget.

The Saturn Select operating table is divided into up to nine sections, permitting simple, flexible adjustment of the table to accommodate all patient body types and statures. An electrically adjustable column, manually adjustable table top, and pneumatic springs allow the surgical staff to place the back and leg plates of the table in the required positions without undue exertion, which also enhances safety when positioning the patient. The patient can be placed on either comfortable upholstery or on an optional viscoelastic foam-lining pad with pressure-alleviation properties. The reduced traveling base offers generous legroom, permitting the surgeon and staff to assume a comfortable and relaxed posture while working close to the patient. The maximum Trendelenburg slope in emergencies is 35 degrees.


Large double-swivel castors ensure that the operating table can be rolled into the desired surgical theater or treatment room conveniently and effortlessly; this allows staff to easily move the table, carrying patients weighing up to 225 kilograms, despite soft or uneven floors. A motor raises the column to the desired height, responding to a remote control module or a keypad on the column itself. A low-height version of the table can be dropped to just 600 millimeters, suitable for laparoscopic bariatric surgery.

An available supplementary function is manual longitudinal shift through up to 250 millimeters, eliminating collision hazards that might prevent the use of a C-arm mounted imaging source for intra-operative diagnostics. Carbon-fiber elements are also available to permit 360-degree fluoroscopy, supporting employment in neurosurgery and cardiovascular surgery. The longitudinal shift can optionally be used with an integrated body elevator, which permits ergonomically correct and quick patient repositioning without having to reconfigure the table. The Saturn Select operating table is a product of TRUMPF Medical Systems (TRUMPF; Ditzingen, Germany).

"It's quite clear; full motorization can considerably reduce the effort demanded of the surgical staff and today is standard in many high-end operating tables,” said Michael Gräf, product manager of operating tables at TRUMPF. "But then again, that pushes up the price at the same time. In an era of tight budgets, many hospitals are giving serious thought to what's really and truly necessary. In some cases simpler tables will do – provided that they're flexible and easy to use in day-to-day clinical service.”

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TRUMPF Medical Systems