Elucidating the role of integrated operation theatres (OT), he said, “ We develop specialist solutions in OTs that will help surgeons to enhance and improve their surgical workflow and also provide better patient care. Integrated theatres comprise features like audio, video, device control and patient data integration.”
Informing that integration allows to offer better care, Aicher said, “In integrated OTs, the surgeons can access images and reference materials in the OTs, which lessens the stress and provides a better working environment. It also helps surgeons to consult with their colleagues during an operation, and in remote surgeries where specialists can oversee an operation being conducted miles away. Another area where integration helps is in the cases of litigation where you
can refer and review the surgeries.”
“We believe in customising the design as per the speciality right from orthopaedics to neurology since they have different requirements. Also, talking to OT team prior to building OT theatres will save a lot of money. If it is built without proper inputs from the specialists, the working environment gets affected. For example, in a large hospital in Norway, the chief surgeon went into the OT at the day of opening and said that he can’t work in the OT and it was closed. It is one of the 15 hospitals that had closed the OTs and refurbished them. So, these things can be avoided with proper planning. Another element is future-proofing – the technology we implement today can be used up to 15 years,” he said.
Listing out the advantages of future-proofing, he highlighted that it helps surgeons in better diagnosis, because they have better-quality image, removes the scope of human error and helps in remote surgeries where specialists can guide a surgeon miles away.
“Standardisation, integration and improving technology of OT is not about removing human factor, but empowering them, so that they can give better treatment. To reduce the stress and strain of surgeons, for shorter duration surgeries, you can use less consumables.” he added.