Patent ID: 7314454

Claim:
A method of preventing eye-related positional injuries during spinal surgery, comprising: putting a spinal surgery patient under general anesthesia; adding an ointment to the surface of the eyeballs of the patient; maintaining the patient's eyelids in a closed condition during the spinal surgery; providing at least one site sensor to detect pressure on orbital areas of the patient, the at least one site sensor including a transducer in the form of a cupped, convex transducer element and a substantially annular ring extending circumferentially outward from the transducer element; adhering the ring of the at least one site sensor to the patient over the orbital areas of the patient so that the cupped, convex transducer element forms a protective convex barrier in front of the orbital areas and does not contact the eyeballs or eyelids; providing a facial support to support the patient's face during the spinal surgery, the facial support including an opening to accommodate the at least one site sensor on the orbital areas of the patient; providing the patient in a prone position with the patient's face supported by the facial support with the at least one site sensor accommodated by the opening; connecting the at least one site sensor to a monitor to monitor pressure on the orbital areas of the patient with the at least one site sensor; continuously monitoring pressure on the protective convex barrier formed by the cupped, convex transducer element in front of the orbital areas of the patient with the at least one site sensor and the monitor; alerting medical personnel of a pressure condition on the protective convex barrier formed by the cupped, convex transducer element in front of the orbital areas if the monitor and the at least one site sensor determines a pressure condition exists on the protective convex barrier formed by the cupped, convex transducer element in front of the orbital areas; readjusting the patient's head to alleviate the pressure condition, thereby preventing eye-related positional injuries.