The Perioperative Patient for Registered Nurses

Positioning and Pressure Points

Surgical Positioning Considerations and Techniques

Review pages 8-12 that annotate the pressure points of common surgical positions.

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Determining Optimal Patient Position

The safety of the patient is one of the most crucial factors in determining the optimal surgical position. Proper positioning is vital to a patient’s surgical outcome. It includes preoperative skin preparation, and sterile draping and provides optimal exposure and access to the surgical site.

Determining the patient’s position and positioning equipment is multifactorial. Considerations are based on:

  1. The type of anesthesia the patient will be receiving,
  2. The surgeon’s surgical approach
  3. The age, height, and weight of the patient
  4. Pre-existing co-morbidities (e.g., arthritis, paralysis, obesity)
  5. Cardiopulmonary status of the patient
  6. Pre-assessment findings such as skin integrity, joint mobility, and presence of joint or vascular prosthesis
  7. Length of the procedure
  8. The surgeon’s preferences

(Phillips & Hornacky, 2021; Fawcett, 2019)

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