We all have our go-to tools, and in the world of minimally invasive procedures—like my work in interventional radiology—it’s no different.

Growing up, I watched my carpenter dad build a flat workspace before every job—a simple habit that shaped how I approached the IR suite. Despite our organized back tables, operators were still working over an uneven patient surface, often hunched and improvising. Existing tabletop solutions were costly, awkward, and inconsistent, so in 2016 I set out to create something better for our lab at Wake Forest. The result was the Stratus Vascular Interventional Surface (VIS): a stable, ergonomic, single-person setup that provides a consistent lift, brings tools closer, and creates a true level workspace. The same lesson my dad taught me applies here—good setup makes everything else easier.

Arm boards in IR and Cath labs go by many names—toboggans, arm sleds, imaging boards—but most share a critical flaw: they’re too short to support the arm from elbow to fingertips. This gap creates discomfort, safety risks, and workflow interruptions, especially for sedated patients who can’t signal poor positioning. More ergonomic solutions, like the Stratus Dovetail and ET Cetera arm boards, offer full-length support that enhances patient safety, stability, and procedural precision.