Patient-Customised Theatre Mattress Supports for Spinal Surgery: A Pilot Study Presenting a Novel Engineering Virtual Design and Manufacturing Technique

Optimal patient positioning for spine surgery is vital for surgical success and the minimisation of complications intra-/post-operatively. In patients with complex co-morbidities, commercially available surgical positioning equipment is inadequate. To overcome this, a novel method was developed to create custom-fit patient-specific theatre mattresses for patients undergoing spine surgery. An innovative digital workflow involving 3D surface scanning, 3D simulation and computer aided design was developed to manufacture customised theatre supports with patient-specific requirements. These supports offered the surgeon an enhanced ability to relieve load bearing on prominent anatomical features or where desired, to tailor the support surface to the patient's anatomy for lengthy surgery. The bespoke theatre mattress was evaluated by whether the support resulted in a complication-free surgery. Using this new workflow, case examples for two patients with complex co-morbidities were described. The spine surgeon and anaesthetist reported the patient-specific custom mattresses were fit as per the required design, provided sufficient clearance around anatomical prominences and areas that required to be unloaded, had sufficient clearance for the anaesthetic method and cannulation, provided excellent surgical access and stability during surgery, and postoperatively no soft tissue overload over bony prominence and implanted devices. Positive patient outcomes after successful lengthy surgical interventions were associated with these patient-specific, contoured mattress supports. Future projects will seek to utilise this technology for other types of surgeries and intra-operative positioning requirements, and for a broader demographic of patients in both the paediatric and adult setting.