The subject of the invention is a table top for positioning the patient during procedures, particularly during medical procedures.

There exist a number of table tops designed as a basis to position a patient during medical and diagnostic procedures or for surgeries. Such table tops are mounted, on one or more sides, to mobile chassis or to fixed elements of the room.

In the current state of the art table tops of operating tables manufactured by, for instance: Alvo, Trumpf, Uzumcu, Oakworks, Famed, Biodex, Steris, RoeSys or Skytron, are composed of an upper smooth surface made of carbon fiber and a bottom surface made of carbon fiber, where the space between them is filled, in most cases, with plastic in the form of polyurethane foam. Such construction of table top is characterized by limited flexural strength and shear strength, and a reduced ability to be shaped. With a table top of that structure it is impossible to position a person of a large body weight on it, or to arrange medical equipment around such a person in order to perform the required tests without the need to change the position of the patient's body. Moreover, a table top of that structure demonstrates low radiolucency, which affects the quality of the material obtained through diagnostic procedures.

The need for an advanced table top to position the patient on has been brought about by the requirement for a much easier and more ergonomie access to the patient, and by the development of medical diagnostic techniques. The modern medical procedures related to surgeries, procedures and diagnostic imaging methods such as computed tomography (CT), magnetic resonance imaging {MRI), positron emission tomography (PET), radiography (X-ray) and mammography, or vascular surgery procedures require the patient to be positioned on specialist table tops made of materials characterized by high radiolucency and a lack of magnetic interaction with the diagnostic equipment.

Another frequently required characteristic of such table tops is radiolucency offering a full 360° view around the top's longitudinal axis. When the increasing body weight of patients is added to the aforementioned requirements it turns out that the material the table tops and accessories are made of needs to demonstrate much higher mechanical strength. Standard tops built using metal or aluminum sections do not offer all the required properties. Carbon fiber composites have two main features that make them useful for medical applications: radiolucency - an ability to permit the passage of one or more forms of radiation, such as X-rays, and high mechanical strength, which is inversely proportional to their weight.

The table top as per present invention combines, in the most optimal way, such desirable features as low weight, radiolucency and mechanical strength.

The table top as per present invention composed of the upper panel and the bottom panel is characterized by that the upper panel has an external carbon fiber layer bonded to an internal cork layer which is bonded to an internal carbon fiber layer, and the bottom panel has an internal carbon fiber layer bonded to an internal cork layer which is bonded to an external carbon fiber layer, while the upper panel and the bottom panel are connected at their external edges. The internal upper and bottom layers preferably are a conglomerate consisting of cork granulate bound by a binding agent, or a compound of cork granulate with plastic granulate bound by a binding agent. The bottom panel has a hold-down retainer on one side. The upper and bottom panel connection can be made using a closed section, or alternatively can be glued or thermoplastically bonded or laminated, pressed or made using the RTM, LRTM or CCBM infusion methods.

The subject of the invention is shown in its embodiments and in drawings, where Fig. 1 shows a cross-section of the table top, Fig. 2 shows a longitudinal section of the table top with the closed-section type of connection.

In one embodiment of the table top as per present invention, the upper panel 1 has an external 3-mm-thick carbon fiber layer 1 , to which a 3-mm-thick cork agglomerate layer 3 is bonded by gluing, to which an internal 1 ,5-mm-thick carbon fiber layer 111 is bonded by gluing, whereas the external edges of the panel are bent down and mechanically leveled. The bottom panel 2 has an internal 1.5-mm-thick carbon fiber layer 22, to which a 3-mm-thick cork agglomerate layer 33 is bonded by gluing, to which an external 3-mm-thick carbon fiber layer 222 is bonded, whereas the external edges of the panel are bent up and mechanically leveled. Both the panels are connected by gluing, at their appropriately shaped edges. in the second embodiment, the upper panel 1 and the bottom panel 2 are connected using a closed section 5 made of metal. In both cases the panels have a retainer 4 that constitutes two parallel H-shaped mounting rails. The table top according to the invention can have different shapes adapted to the user's needs.

Due to its preferable features, the table top as per present invention can be used also in other fields of technology.