tripod position

noun

A physical stance a person in respiratory distress takes leaning their hands on their thighs with their arms supported on them; leaning or sitting against a wall in a similar fashion

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Meanings

nountripod position (uncountable)
  1. uncountablemedicineA physical stance a person in respiratory distress takes leaning their hands on their thighs with their arms supported on them; leaning or sitting against a wall in a similar fashion

    A patient in the tripod position is likely to have a problem with the ventilatory pump or a need for high levels of ventilation.

    2005, Richard M. Schwartzstein, Michael J. Parker, Respiratory physiology: a clinical approach, page 16

Origin

From tripod + position.

Full word history & related roots →
Cite this entry
APA

tripod position. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 3, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/tripod%20position

MLA

“tripod position.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/tripod%20position. Accessed November 3, 2026.

Chicago

WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “tripod position,” accessed November 3, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/tripod%20position.

Source: tripod position on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.