A patient lies on the operating table during a surgical procedure. The purpose of a surgical table is to keep the patient in place while the surgical team operates, and may move various parts of the body using surgical table accessories for easier access to the surgical site.

The operating table is an essential part of any successful surgical procedure. Today, various types of surgical table are available for basic operating requirements as well as specialized procedures. The most important function of the surgical table is to keep the patient in the best position possible for the particular surgical procedure and to allow the surgeon to make any necessary adjustment during the procedure without interfering with the operation.

The surgical table market can be subdivided into general surgery and specialty surgery tables. General surgery tables include acute care, ambulatory care and bariatric tables, while specialty surgery tables include orthopedic, ortho/spine and image-guided surgery tables.

The largest segment in the total surgical table market is general surgery tables. Surgical tables can be further categorized according to location in the OR, such as stationary or mobile; drive type; panel characteristics, such as X-ray transparent or opaque and properties of bed material.

Increasingly complex surgical procedures have demanded more specialized and efficient operating tables. For example, sophisticated imaging methods and non-invasive procedures that are increasingly in demand tend to require that patients are positioned in a precise, and sometimes unconventional, position. This has driven the development of more technologically advanced surgical tables.