Standing Support System: In the practice of surgery, dentistry and other clinical procedures which require long periods of standing while intently focused on the critical task at hand there is a well understood need to provide a means of reducing the strain associated with leaning, bending, holding one’s arms extended and even standing unsupported in one place for several hours at a time without periods of rest or the opportunity to change positions without impairment of access, reach or vantage.

The invention integrates dynamic arm rest supports with additional supports for various portions of the body. There are no other devices that provide an adjustable dynamically moving support for either arms or head that provide a full freedom of motion and simultaneously provide an adjustable lifting force to counteract the force of gravity upon the user’s extremities in conjunction with a comprehensive solution for a full body support system.

By providing ergonomically sound postures and a range of settable positions available to the user, not only will lower back, shoulder and neck strain and discomfort be reduced or eliminated, but health care providers formerly subjected to years of repetitive exposure to these risks can anticipate longer productive careers with better quality of life and reduction in lost time due to repetitive and chronic musculoskeletal injuries. Furthermore, surgeons and critical care provider’s can expect better patient outcomes by reducing the incidence of surgical mishaps and accidents associated with strain and fatigue, and may be able to perform more procedures more safely than before.

Modes of use and operation: There are three primary modes of use:
Engaged with one or both human arm supports; Semi – crouched with knees braced upon the lower leg support and the upper thigh and buttocks upon the upper thigh support and upper torso supported by the chest support; Seated at stool height with feet elevated. In each of the modes the optional head support can be employed as needed if neck and shoulder strain are factors, particularly when optical, lighting or other assistive devices are worn by the surgeon as headgear.

Markets: The primary markets for this invention are hospitals, surgical centers and private dental and periodontal practices. The potential sales volume is significant. There were 808,127 community hospitals in the United States (2004 Census). Once adopted as a best practice for use in Surgical Operating Rooms, a very conservative estimate that does not include dentistry applications or private surgical centers could be several million units domestically.

Fabrication and manufacture: The frame of the standing support system will be made from lightweight welded tube, appropriately treated with medical grade coatings, with machined fittings and springs at the joints. All elements within the surgical field will be supplied with sterile covering or have fitting for convenient attachment of conventional surgical draping.

The dynamic lift devices are spring actuated and fabricated from aluminum sheet metal, machined parts, and injection molded plastic housings. Estimated cost to manufacture is about $1500 in the volumes mentioned.