Industry commentary — August 2026
The lateral decubitus position is the workhorse of urological, thoracic, orthopedic, and general surgery. It unweights the sacrum and occiput that dominate pressure-injury risk in supine — but concentrates the load on the dependent ear, shoulder, iliac crest, greater trochanter, lateral knee, and lateral malleolus.
Cervical alignment support and the internally-rotated shoulder position to avoid.
Cervical alignment and the down shoulder
The head must be supported in cervical neutral alignment with the thoracic spine. When a patient lies laterally, the dependent shoulder naturally rolls into adduction and internal rotation, compressing the brachial plexus. The countermeasure is a low-profile axillary support placed a hands-breadth caudal to the axilla — under the chest wall, not under the axilla itself.
The arms: 90° at the shoulder, 90° at the elbow
The dependent arm rests on a double-joint arm board with the shoulder at 90° and the elbow at 90°. The upper (operative-side) arm is supported by a separate arm rest so the surgeon can work between the two arms. The upper arm should never be abducted above 90°.
The safe 90/90 arm position and the pull-the-dependent-shoulder-outward technique.
Legs and specialty checklists
A gel or memory-foam knee pillow separates the legs to prevent skin-to-skin pressure and protects the peroneal nerve at the fibular head. Kidney surgery flexes the table at the iliac crest; thoracic surgery flexes between the scapulae; hip arthroplasty pads the ASIS and sacrum against the table's perineal post.
FAQ
Do you need an axillary roll for every lateral case? Every lateral case under general anesthesia lasting more than 60 minutes; the risk of brachial plexus injury rises sharply with case duration.
For more information about Red Sun Medizone surgical positioning systems and other operating-room equipment, please visit www.redsunmedizone.com or contact our sales team.
About Red Sun Medizone: Red Sun Medizone (Tianjin Huahong Technology Co., Ltd.) is a medical device manufacturer and exporter specializing in operating tables, surgical position pads, surgical lights, patient monitors, and in-vitro diagnostics. With CE, ISO 13485, and FDA certifications, the company serves healthcare facilities in over 60 countries worldwide.