Electric heating pad with electrosurgical grounding

An electric heating pad with electrosurgical grounding comprising a heated underbody support, heated mattress or heated mattress overlay, the heating pad with electrosurgical grounding comprising:

• a flexible sheet-like heating element including an upper edge, a lower edge, and at least two side edges;
• a flexible sheet-like grounding electrode including an upper edge, a lower edge, and at least two side edges;
• a shell covering the heating element and grounding electrode and comprising at least two sheets of flexible material;
• a weld coupling the at least two sheets of flexible material together about the edges of the heating element and grounding electrode, wherein the weld is one of a RF weld, ultrasonic weld, or a heat bond,
• wherein the two sheets comprise a weldable polymeric layer to facilitate the one of the RF weld, the ultrasonic weld, or the heat bond, and
• wherein the grounding electrode includes conductive heater material such that the grounding electrode and the heating element form a heater assembly.

An electric heating pad with electrosurgical grounding comprising a heated underbody support, heated mattress or heated mattress overlay, the heating pad with electrosurgical grounding comprising:

• a flexible sheet-like heating element;
• a flexible sheet-like grounding electrode;
• a shell covering the heating element and grounding electrode and comprising two sheets of flexible material;
• and
• one or more welds coupling the two sheets of flexible material together about the edges of the two sheets to hermetically seal the heating element and grounding electrode therebetween, wherein the heating element and grounding electrode are held in position between the two sheets without using connectors that pierce the two sheets, and
• wherein the grounding electrode includes conductive heater material such that the grounding electrode and the heating element form a heater assembly.