Definition

Noun: A specialized, sturdy table in a hospital operating room upon which a patient is positioned to undergo a surgical procedure. It is designed to support the patient securely and often allows for adjustments in height, tilt, and position to provide optimal access for the surgical team.

Usage

The term "operating table" is used specifically to refer to the central piece of equipment in an operating theater. It is a countable noun.

Examples

• The surgeon asked the nurses to prepare the operating table for the next procedure.
• The patient was carefully transferred from the gurney to the operating table.
• Modern operating tables can be adjusted electronically.

Advanced Usage

• "to be on the operating table": This phrase describes the state of undergoing surgery.
  • The patient was on the operating table for over four hours.
• The term can be used metaphorically to describe a situation where something is being analyzed or "operated on" in a detailed, critical manner.
  • The company's finances were on the operating table during the audit.

Variants and Related Words

• Operating theater (UK) / Operating room (US) (n): The room where surgery is performed, containing the operating table.
• Surgical table (n): A synonym for "operating table."
• Gurney / Stretcher (n): A wheeled cot used to transport patients, distinct from the stationary operating table.

Synonyms

• Surgical table
• Operating room table

Antonyms

• (Conceptual) Recovery bed, hospital bed

Related Phrases

• To wheel someone into the operating room: To transport a patient for surgery.
• To prep the table: To prepare the operating table with sterile drapes and necessary instruments.

Noun

1. table on which the patient lies during a surgical operation