Positioning the surgical patient

Optimal surgical positioning will aid surgical and anaesthetic access to the patient and reduce the risk of injury. Safe positioning represents a considerable challenge. To overcome this it is imperative that the anaesthetist, surgeon and theatre personnel work together as a well-coordinated team. Knowledge of the equipment and steps required to correctly position the patient are also key to achieving the required position safely.In this article we discuss how to position the patient safely for surgery as well as the physiological changes and the risk of injury to patients associated with different positions.