Support pillow for rectal surgery

An improved surgical pillow for supporting and cushioning a patient's body while the patient is in a prone position on an operating table during rectal surgery, said pillow comprising:

• a body unit of compressible material having shape return memory,
• said body unit including an elongated, generally rectangular base section provided with opposed end portions defining normally upright end surfaces, opposed generally upright, side surfaces extending between the end surfaces, a relatively flat bottom surface and an upwardly facing top surface,
• the width of the body unit between the side surfaces thereof being at least approximately equal to the width of the torso of a patient to be supported on the body unit in a prone position,
• one of the end portions of the body unit being provided with a pair of upright, inclined surfaces extending between a respective side surface and the end surface of said one end portion of the body and which converge as the end surface of said one end portion of the body unit is approached for accommodating the axilla areas of a patient while the patient is supported on the body unit.
• a pair of elongated, parallel, spaced, transversely polygonal torso support sections extending along the length of the base section and projecting upwardly from the top surface of the base unit,
• each of the sections having a longitudinally extending outer side wall, a top wall, an inner wall projecting upwardly from the top surface of the base section, and a chamfered surface extending downwardly from a respective top wall to a corresponding inner wall in spaced relationship to the top surface of the base section, said chamfered surfaces cooperating to position and cradle the torso area of a patient supported on the base unit,
• the inner walls of the sections being of a height and in spaced relationship such that in cooperation with the top surface of the base section the inner walls and said top surface present an open top channel extending the length of the body unit of a size sufficient to alleviate significant interference with return venous blood flow through the torso of a patient supported in a prone position on the body unit.