LATERAL POSITION: CHARACTERISTICS, USES AND BENEFITS - MEDICINE - 2025

The lateral decubitus is an anatomical position that the human body can adopt. It is one of the common positions in medical examination and procedures. The posture is acquired when the person lies on one side in a plane parallel to the ground, and with the limbs in flexion.

The name of the lateral decubitus depends on which side of the body is supported on the surface. Thus, the left and right lateral decubitus are differentiated. This is a position that helps the patient to relieve pain or discomfort in some pathological conditions, and also helps the health professional when examining a specific area of ​​the body.

By Rama, CC BY-SA 3.0 fr, It is also a highly recommended position for women during pregnancy, especially when they are in an advanced stage, as it improves breathing and circulation, helping the well-being of the pregnant woman and the fetus.

However, it is important to know well the particularities of this position so as not to cause harm to the individual who must use it. Especially when that individual is in a coma or under anesthesia before surgery and must be positioned by a third party.

characteristics

Anatomically, several positions are described that help the doctor or health professional when handling, examining or operating a patient.

When the person is lying horizontally in a plane parallel to the ground, he is adopting the position known as decubitus. The variants of decubitus depend on how the individual is positioned.

The lateral decubitus is reached when the individual leans on one of his sides. The right lateral decubitus if it is supported on the right side and the left lateral decubitus when it is supported on the opposite side.

The decubitus position is used in the medical and surgical field to facilitate the examination and exposure of certain organs.

Adopting the lateral decubitus position

The individual will be lying on his side, on one of his sides. The upper extremities (arms) are positioned forward less than 90 ° to the body to avoid injury.

It is advisable to place a pillow under the armpit of the upper arm. In this way, it is possible to avoid injury to the most important nerves of the limb.

The neck and head are kept in a neutral position. If the individual is going to change position, he must be careful with the mobilization of the head.

When it comes to a patient in the Intensive Care Unit (ICU) or a patient who cannot move without assistance, there should be a professional supporting the head and neck area in order to prevent injuries in those areas.

The lower extremities (legs) are slightly bent. It is recommended to place a cushion or pillow between both legs, at the level of the knees, to avoid excessive load on the hip and bone overlap.

Whenever a patient is completely unconscious, either because he is anesthetized for surgery or is in a coma, maximum precautions should be taken to avoid any injury to the neuromuscular part of that individual.

Applications

Medicine

The lateral decubitus position facilitates the physical examination of some specific anatomical areas.

When performing the physical examination of the gluteal, inter-gluteal and anal sphincter regions, including the digital rectal examination, the patient positioned lateral decubitus, on either side, makes these areas better approached.

In gastroscopy and colonoscopy, which are invasive examinations to evaluate the stomach and colon respectively, the gastroenterologist uses the decubitus position. Thus, he instructs the patient to adopt this position in order to be able to properly enter the mouth or anus with the instrument used for this purpose.

It is also a useful position when listening to the heartbeat of the fetus in the pregnant woman, without interference from the woman's own heartbeat.

Surgery

In the surgical field, it is a position especially used in lung and heart surgeries. If the patient is positioned in the lateral decubitus position, there will be a better exposure of the thorax, which favors the cardiopulmonary surgeon in his procedures.

By Internet Archive Book Images - https://www.flickr.com/photos/internetarchivebookimages/14776221901/Source book page: https://archive.org/stream/practiceofsurger00mumf/practiceofsurger00mumf#page/n492/mode/1up, No restrictions, Trauma surgeons benefit from this position by being able to easily address the hips and other joints for their surgical procedures.

Complications

When adequate precautions are not taken when positioning a patient in the lateral decubitus position, serious complications can arise. Even some injuries can be forever.

The idea of ​​these provisions is to remove the stress that pressure exerts on the half of the body that is higher than the other half.

When a cushion is not placed that separates the legs at the level of the individual's knees, there may be neurological, muscular and skin lesions. Neurological injuries can be serious and painful, such as when a stretch occurs in some area of ​​the nerve.

These types of injuries occur when an arm or leg of the patient being treated is misplaced.

Bone and muscle pain occur when the corresponding padded partitions are not placed between the legs or arms. This causes the entire weight of one half of the body to rest completely on the other, generating stress.

When you end up resting one bone surface on another, for example: one knee over the other, there can be joint injuries. Although this type of complication is not the most common.

There is a complication that occurs in chronic patients who are not changed position frequently. In these cases, there may be formation of skin ulcers (eschar) in the areas of greatest pressure.

Benefits

The main benefit of the lateral decubitus position is that it facilitates many common medical activities, such as the physical examination of some areas of the body and the exposure of others during specific surgical procedures.

Another of its benefits is allowing better venous circulation in the pregnant woman. Especially the left lateral decubitus allows the pregnant woman to feel relief and improve her breathing.

When a person convulses, it is advisable to position them in decubitus to avoid choking on vomit, secretions or with their own tongue. This is the same for very young babies.

References

1. Armstrong M, Moore RA. Anatomy, Patient Positioning. (2019). StatPearls. Taken from: ncbi.nlm.nih.gov
2. Burlingame, BL. (2017). Guidelines implementation: Positioning the Patient. AORN Journal. Taken from: pubmed.com
3. Spruce, L; Van Wicklin, SA. (2014). Back to Basics: positioning the patient. AORN Journal. Taken from: nlm.nih.gov
4. Baker, R; Fisher, J. (2004). The Domain of Surgery. Pan American Medical Editorial
5. Testut, L; Ruiz, L. (2006). Human anatomy. Pan American Medical Editorial