A simple novel solution to improve patient and surgeon comfort during ocular surgery.

Dear Editor,

In this advanced era of ophthalmic surgeries, patient comfort plays a major role in patient satisfaction, which is taken care of by various means like effective counseling,[1] topical anesthesia,[2] listening to music,[3] and hand massage before surgery.[4] In general, the cervical spine has a normal lordosis of about 31°–40° which should be maintained at all times for a comfortable lying position.[5] Correct position of patient’s head during surgery is crucial for good surgical outcome and to avoid unnecessary strain on the surgeon’s neck and back. Often, it is difficult to maintain the desired head position of the patient during ocular surgery. During surgery, the patient unconsciously flexes or moves head sideward which causes the eye to move away from the microscopic field.

We suggest a novel idea of using commercially available self-inflatable U shape Neck Support Air Pillow (NSAP) for a comfortable position to the patient’s head during surgery [Fig. 1]. It is easily inflated by pressing the built-in ball pump without having to blow it by mouth which could be a potential source of infection, if deflated inside theater.

Figure 1

Showing Neck Support Air Pillow (NSAP); “A” shows the built-in air pump, “B” shows the open/close valve

We positioned the NSAP with valve facing up, covered with a disposable sheet such that the U-shaped horizontal portion of the NSAP supports the cervical lordosis and prevents flexion of neck and the two vertical parts on both sides prevent sideward movement of the head [Fig. 2].

Figure 2

Horizontal part supports the neck and vertical parts lie on either side of the head

We used this NSAP in 35 patients during phacoemulsification. All patients felt comfortable and the surgeon observed noticeably limited head movement among all patients.

As NSAP is filled with air, it molds to accommodate individual contour and improves patient comfort. If the patient or surgeon feels uncomfortable amidst surgery, it could be easily deflated just by opening the valve to release the air, without disturbing the patient. The soft fabric material allows the advantage of cleaning it with an alcohol-based sanitizer.

Declaration of patient consent

The authors certify that they have obtained all appropriate patient consent forms. In the form the patient(s) has/have given his/her/their consent for his/her/their images and other clinical information to be reported in the journal. The patients understand that their names and initials will not be published and due efforts will be made to conceal their identity, but anonymity cannot be guaranteed.

Financial support and sponsorship

Nil.

Conflicts of interest

There are no conflicts of interest.