PAIN MANAGEMENT C-ARM TABLES

O.R. Support gets this question a lot. We are often asked if we can add one or more motorized movements to a physician’s pain management c-arm table. This question normally happens after the pain management doctor has attended a cadaver injection workshop where one of the instructors showed them a new way to do an injection or a faster way to perform some other pain management procedure.

There are 5 standard motorized pain management table movements:

• Height adjustment
• Lateral tilt
• Trendelenburg – Reverse Trendelenburg (most physicians count that as one movement)
• Extend retract (sometimes called head to toe or X motion)
• Side to side slide (Y motion)

Other c-arm table movements:

• Four-way free float (manual movement – mostly used for vascular procedures)
• Four-way motorized float (a combination of X and Y motions)
• Fowler back (a backrest that raises up to 90 degrees)

The good news is yes you can upgrade your current used c-arm table. The price just depends on the brand and type of surgical imaging c-arm table you have. If you have one of the modular PMT 8000 c-arm tables, then it is easy. The factory just sends in a factory trained c-arm table service engineer and they will add motors, pivot points and sometimes linear rails for head to foot movement or side to side slide and you are back up and running (It seems like there should be a good pain management pun here. If you think of one send us a note and we will insert it here and give you credit) ..anyway…it normally takes 1-3 hours. Not very long at all.

Other brands of c-arm imaging tables:

Your pain management c-arm table is never obsolete. O.R. Support is can upgrade any of your PMT 8000 series surgical imaging tables in the field in just a few hours. We can even upgrade your PMT 8000 fixed height table to have motorized movements. We can repair and upgrade other models of c-arm tables as well.

• Durabuilt
• Oakworks
• Stille
• Surgical Tables International (STI)
• Biodex
• Morgan Medesign
• Medstone
• Acoma
• Stryker
• Steris

If you have one of these other brands of c-arm tables or pain management tables just give O.R. Support a call or send a text to 858-336-1377 or contact us by email at service@orsupport.com.

We are open 24 hours a day seven days a week. We will be glad to help you with any of your equipment sales or service needs.

Minimum Height

Doctors and nurses have complained for years that pain management c-arm tables, when lowered to the lowest position, were still too high. They did not feel comfortable trying to support an unstable and overweight patient while the patient climbed onto a two-step step stool to get on and off of a pain management imaging table. The PMT 8000 c-arm tables and the Oakworks surgical imaging tables go lower than other brands of fluoroscopic tables, making it very easy for the patient to get onto the table and lie down without trying to climb onto a stool first.

Patient Weight Limit

Most mobile c-arm tables state that they have a 500-pound weight limit, but if you look close, most of the manufacturers stated table weight limit is really described as “evenly distributed, static load”, not patient weight. Since when is a patient either evenly distributed, or static?

Some c-arm tables with a 500-pound weight limit will tip over with as little as 240 pounds at the unsupported end of the table or less if the patient sits down a little too hard at the head end. You might think that a 650-pound weight capacity would be too high for your needs, but think again.

The surgical c-arm table weight limit is important for two other reasons. Doctors and nurses have complained that these cheaper lower weight limit tables move much too slowly, grind or “bounce” when lifting heavy patients.

The motors for many of the 500-pound tables are cheaper and built with lower-quality, less powerful motors than a table with a 650-pound weight capacity. It is not uncommon for these cheaper less powerful motors to fail, start squeaking or grinding within the first few years of use.

Upgradable (protection from obsolescence)

It is very common for facilities to buy a table with a few movements and within a year or two, need a table with additional movements. This often occurs due to budget considerations, a new doctor joining the practice, or a new technique being taught at a workshop. A table manufacturer that has the ability to upgrade your table in the field with zero downtime can save you the time, trouble and expense of buying a new table or the frustration and lost revenue that can occur if you have to send your table back to the factory.

C-arm Table Applications/In-service

In-service/applications are vitally important when using complex products that support and articulate patients. Even though many of the tables seem simple to use, virtually 100% of all accidents where patients were injured, the equipment was operated by personnel without adequate applications training. This training is so important most facilities have it in their SOP (standard operating procedures) that a table cannot be used with patients until personnel have been in-serviced. The better table manufacturers will either arrange to have an applications engineer provide training or provide a comprehensive training DVD. The DVDs have the advantage of being able to be reviewed anytime for refresher training when questions arise or provide training when new personnel are hired.

Warranty

Many table manufacturers’ warranty statements are very misleading. Some of the imaging table manufacturers will give you a 48-month warranty but will not tell you that all of the electronics are covered for only one to two years. (What are they covering? The metal?) The PMT 8000 fluoro tables currently have the longest and most comprehensive c-arm table warranty in the business: 50 months! Parts and labor for the total table, including the electric motors.

30-Day Money-Back Guarantee

This is an invaluable feature of any table. There is not a single table that is perfect for everyone. Having a 30-day money-back guarantee eliminates the risk of getting stuck with a table that does not work for you.

C-arm Access

We have customers who have purchased expensive tables from other manufacturers only to find out the table is very hard to use with a C-arm and there are angles they cannot get because there is metal in the way or the tabletop does not have enough metal-free imaging area. If the base of the table runs all the way to the head of the table, it is hard (if not impossible) to move the C-arm into the positions that you need. The PMT 8000 series table’s base has the smallest footprint on the market. We have engineered the base to give the maximum amount of C-arm access and still provide the highest weight limit available.

Continuous Metal-Free Area

The amount of continuous metal-free area is very important because this determines how much of the spine you can image without repositioning the patient. The PMT 8000 series gives you the additional clearance you will need for the cranial/caudal angulation of the C-arm.

Scatter radiation & image quality

All of the tables produced by C-arms International/OR Support have the most radiolucent tabletops on the market today. FDA regulations require that tabletops used with imaging systems equivalent to 1 millimeter of aluminum or less.

Ease of movement

One manufacturer has added a very large and extremely heavy counter-weight over the rear wheels making the table steer erratically. It is almost impossible to push that table where you need it to go – even with two people! Even if you plan to put it into a room and leave it there, you will need to move your table from time-to-time.

UL or ETL listing?

This is extremely important because many cities, county governments, and other regulatory agencies require these certifications. This also shows the table meets the minimum safety requirements. There are a few small companies selling cheap tables that do not meet these requirements. All of the electrical components

Options (number & type of movements)

Many table manufacturers have a very limited number of table movement configurations available forcing you to pay for movements that you do not want or need. The PMT 8000 series tables allow you to choose any combination of movements and tabletop shapes saving you thousands of dollars if you do not need all of the movements now or need to add a movement in the future.

References

There are a lot of tables being sold on the market today and the table manufacturer no longer exists. Parts are virtually impossible to get/obtain for those tables. Some brands of tables have a much higher failure rate than others. There are 10 times the number of failures on the least reliable table compared to the most reliable table. We recommend getting at least five references from people that have had their tables for a minimum of two-to-three years. Also, references that have purchased multiple tables over multiple years will have the most experience with the table, service issues and the manufacturer.

Delivery time

It is not unusual for manufacturers to quote a four-to-six week delivery time on tables. This can be further delayed by requisite parts being out-of-stock and inclement weather preventing deliveries to-and-from the factory. The better financed, more stable companies can typically ship a table immediately. This prevents lost revenue from opening day surprises.

Service

It is not unusual for some manufacturers to use an untrained, third-party service organization to repair their tables. This often results in one-to-three days downtime per service incident. They may even require you to ship the c-arm table back to the factory to get it fixed. The companies that provide superior service normally have local factory-trained service engineers backed up by a regional product specialist.