For some paediatric patients who need to undergo lengthy and complex surgeries, their health condition and body shape may mean that lying down for extended periods of time increases their risk of intra-operative complications. To reduce this risk, Dr Little has developed novel technologies to design and manufacture patient-customised theatre mattresses that contour to the individual patient’s anatomy. These mattresses enable surgeons to achieve much needed surgical solutions for these young children. Dr Little has already designed and manufactured customised theatre mattresses for two patients surgically treated at Queensland Children’s Hospital by Dr Askin. These patients would otherwise not have been able to undergo surgery due to the grave risk of critical surgical complications. Dr Little is grateful for the recent support for this project that was provided by the CCHR Seed Funding program. This will enable her to design and manufacture mattresses for an early series of patients as a proof-of-concept for this new technology.