Bucky warmer

In a mammography machine having a table on which the breasts to be X-rayed are placed and a panel that sandwiches the breast against the table, the table having an upper surface on which the breasts are placed, a peripheral edge, and a bottom surface, the panel have a bottom surface by which the breasts are sandwiched, the improvement comprising a removable device for warming surfaces of the mammography machine that a patient contacts, the device comprising:

• a) two substantially parallel, spaced apart, heat-conductive plates having a generally J-shaped configuration, each plate comprising a first elongated segment sized to fit on the upper surface of the table, a second segment substantially parallel to the first segment and shorter than the first segment, the second segment being sized to fit on the bottom surface of the table, and an intermediate segment joining the first and second segments and sized to fit over the peripheral edge of the table, wherein the device is adapted to be removably placed onto the table;
• b) a heating pad sandwiched between the two plates for warming portions of the upper surface of the table, the bottom surface of the table, the peripheral edge of the table, and the bottom surface of the panel when the device is placed on the table and the panel is placed proximate to the table;
• and
• c) means for releasably holding the plates together so that the heating pad can be placed between the plates and removed therefrom.