Patent ID: 8234731

Claim:
An apparatus for attachment to a patient support frame to support the head of a patient lying in a prone position on the frame during surgery, the apparatus comprising: a contoured head support shell for supporting the head of a patient lying in a prone position on the frame, the contoured head support shell including a contoured surface wherein the contoured surface is rigid and forms an upwardly-facing concave interior surface dimensioned to accommodate the facial structure of a patient resting in a prone position on the frame, a pad engaged with the contoured head support shell, the pad reconfigurable between (i) a relaxed state wherein the pad has a generally planar upper surface and a generally planar lower surface spaced apart from the generally planar upper surface, the generally planar lower surface engageable with a portion of the contoured head support shell such that the generally planar lower surface is spaced apart from portions of the contoured surface of the contoured head support, and (ii) a deformed state wherein at least a portion of the lower surface deflects to conform to the contoured surface of the contoured head support shell when a head of a patient is supported on the pad, and a chin support coupled to a pair of laterally-spaced arms that extend outwardly from a downwardly-facing surface of the contoured head support shell.