Abstract: A bedside control unit for a hospital bed is operable from a position within the bed and also from a bedside chair. The bedside control unit includes a base which attaches to the frame of a hospital bed. An articulated support is connected to the base which includes a vertically extending support member pivotally connected to the base, and an overhead support arm pivotally connected to an upper end of the support member. The control module is suspended from the overhead support arm. The support arm is moveable between a first position in which the support arm extends over the hospital bed and a second position in which the support arm extends outward from the bed. In a preferred embodiment of the invention, the bedside control unit includes data storage means for storing data, such as patient information, and a display for displaying information stored in the control module.

Abstract: The present invention provides a surgical drape adapted to cover either end of a C-arm-type x-ray machine having a laser targeting device mounted thereon. The surgical drape is made of an x-ray-transparent material, such as plastic, and includes a transparent window made of a material that does not diffuse or diffract a laser beam, such as an acetate film. The transparent window is preferably delineated from the main, plastic sheet of the surgical drape by a colored indicator. The indicator may be, for example, a colored band surrounding the window. Alternatively, the transparent window may itself be colored. In this case, the color chosen is matched to the wavelength of the laser beam so as to allow transmission of the laser beam yet filter out other wavelengths of light. The surgical drape is preferably shaped like a bag to fit over the end of the x-ray machine's C-arm.