This report originally appeared in the August 2009 issue of DOTmed Business News

It stands to reason that ever since the first surgical procedure there has always been some sort of table a patient lies on to get his or her operation. Through the years, operating room tables have gone from thin, uncomfortable slabs, to luxurious, padded, battery-operated tables that probably cost more than the cars that drove the patients there in the first place. Not that everyone requires the top-of-the-line surgical tables for their hospital; but it's comforting to know that manufacturers have put so much time and effort into creating tables that not only are practical and save time for the surgeons, but allow for a patient to rest a bit easier during the surgery.

According to the latest census report, there are 7,569 hospitals in the United States and it is estimated that there are more than 34,000 operating rooms in hospitals and 5,000 operating rooms in outpatient surgical centers. That creates the need for a lot of tables.
Looking at the market for new tables in 2009, the general state of affairs is one of conservative and selective spending.

"There are facility projects that are moving forward, but some of the expenditures have been reduced or postponed, having been categorized as 'nice to have, but not critical,'" says Eric Wittine, senior product manager, surgical tables, Steris Corporation. "Recently, we have seen projects released to move ahead that had previously been put on hold. Overall, we see the emergence of a cautious recovery for the table market."

Randy Tomaszewski, Vice President of Marketing for Skytron, has also seen a slight decrease in the industry.




"It is a little bit slower, but there is still a demand," he says. "Tables are in demand not only for weight capacity and imaging capability but also flexibility to deal with many different types of specialties and general purpose procedures."

Other OEMs like Maquet, Stryker and Berchtold have been continually producing upgrades in their table lines as most companies agree that operating room tables will continue to be in demand.

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