A patient support apparatus having a base, a litter frame, an elevation
mechanism interconnecting the base to the litter frame and being
configured to effect changes in elevation of the litter frame relative to
the base. The litter frame includes a pair of laterally spaced and
longitudinally extending support rails and a plurality of laterally
extending support rails interconnecting the longitudinally extending
support rails so that the litter frame has a rectangular configuration.
Selected ones of the laterally extending support rails are mounted to the
elevation mechanism. On the aforesaid litter frame there is mounted
various modules, namely, (1) a patient support deck, (2) a set of lateral
edge siderails, (3) a holder for bottled gas, (4) an attendant work
surface, oriented beneath the head section when the head section is in a
horizontal position, (5) a seat, thigh and foot section assembly, and (6)
a head section having manipulatable controls thereon supportingly secured
to the litter frame separately from the seat, thigh and foot section
assembly.