Patent ID: 7024711

Claim:
A patient exam bed comprising: an elongated bed surface extending between left and right sides and a pair of ends, and being formed with left and right openings such that the bed surface comprises a relatively enlarged headrest portion, a relatively enlarged bench portion, and a ledge portion longitudinally bridging therebetween and also defining the respective inboard margins of the left and right openings, wherein said left opening provides underneath exposure of the heart region of a reclining patient's left-side rib cage, and wherein said ledge portion provides undergirding support for a thin strip of the patient's rib cage in order to support against sagging into the left opening; a drop flap for temporarily filling the left opening in order to present with said bed surface a generally uninterrupted patient-supporting area along the length of the bed surface adjacent the left side, and pivoted along a given margin of the left opening for dropping out of said left opening by swinging down in order to open said left opening; a latching mechanism for temporarily latching the drop flap in position of temporarily filling the left opening, said latching mechanism including a manual actuator which is actuated by a one-handed or hands-free actuation so a sonographer has at least a hand and arm not occupied with dropping the drop flap and free for steadying the patient during actuation, and which actuator when actuated unlatches the drop flap for automatically dropping out of the left opening in order that the sonographer not be any further occupied with dropping the drop flap other than actuating the actuator; and a prop section for the right opening attached to the bed for disposition in an up position with patient's ribs' the bed surface and provide a rest for the patient to lean against with respect to the thin strip supported on the ledge portion; whereby said prop section in the up position and said ledge portion cooperatively provide anti-rolling and anti-sagging support for reclining patients.