Operating room surgical booms are a complicated muddle when it comes to trying to understand the differences between what the supply management manufacturers have to offer.

A lot of what is the best fit for you depends on what your needs are. For example, if you’re a smaller surgical centre, you probably won’t need the heavy duty boom arms that hold in excess of 500 lbs.

That being said, there are, however, functional differences that could prove to be the game changer in your purchasing decision when pricing out booms.

Having installed more than our share of surgical boom equipment in Canadian hospitals and private surgery centres, we know a thing or two about what boom suppliers offer.

In this article, we will cover off a review of the main operating room boom suppliers in Canada with factual and public information. It is our goal to eliminate any type of “promotional” language, such as “outstanding flexibility”, “ergonomic management”, “streamlining workflows”, etc.

NOTE: Since surgical booms can be a very biased topic, we are only including the manufacturers that are listed in the independent study “Surgical Booms Market Global Insights and Trends to 2022”.

These manufacturers are:

• Amico
• Maquet
• Skytron
• Steris
• Stryker
• Trumpf

This includes features, benefits and technical specifications.

Our goal is to make sure that you have all the information you need in order to make a decision that will best benefit your facility.

Honourable mentions include:

• Dräger (Draeger)
• Medicana
• NUVO

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Amico

Amico has three boom options.

Spectra Series

The Spectra Series allows end users to tailor the consoles as they choose. In addition to customizing the consoles, end users can also customize:

• The sizes of consoles
• Braking system
• Med-gas outlets
• Integrated accessories

The Spectra Series can also be configured with a patient lift pendant.

To maneuver the pendants, there is an electric brake handle mounted onto the service console. Eight integrated equipment rails, located on each console, allow the user to choose various accessories to attach to the pendant system.

Available in single or dual mounts, as well as single or dual arms, the Spectra Series is customizable with features such as colour, gases, console sizes, accessories, and outlets. Pendants are available in 20” to 60” sizes.

Additional Features:

• Eight integrated equipment rails for modular accessories
• Ability to future proof using blank placeholders
• Electric brakes
• Top caps help prevent dust and bacteria from collecting on the top surface of the console
• Back door that provides access to all internal components on console

Saturn Series

Completely customizable, the Saturn Series offers two options for end users:

• Fixed (as an alternative to the Spectra Series)
• Rotating (up to 340°)

The Saturn Series, with dual electric/friction braking, has fully customizable consoles with MedGas, lighting, electrical and data outlets, and accessories.

Directly connected to the ceiling, the Saturn Series offers customizations for the outlets, console size, gases, colour and accessories. Amico pendant sizes go from 20” to 60”.

Additional Features:

• Eight rails per console for mounting modular accessories
• Top caps help prevent dust and bacteria from collecting on the top surface of the console
• Back door that provides access to all internal components on console
• Ability to future proof using blank placeholders

OR Equipment Pendant

The OR Equipment Pendant features adjustable shelves that are capable of holding up to 150 lbs each.

With customizable console sizing and MedGas outlet placement, the end users can modify the consoles with numerous accessories using front and back equipment rails.

Additional Features:

• Adjustable shelf and drawer configurations
• Top caps help prevent dust and bacteria from collecting on the top surface of the console
• Back door that provides access to all internal components on console
• Capable of holding up to 400 lbs with adjustable equipment shelf (150 lbs maximum on each)
• Ability to future proof using blank placeholders

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Maquet

Maquet, a part of the Getinge Group, offers the MODUEVO ceiling supply units.

MODUEVO

The outer design of this system aims to reduce the risk of nosocomial infections with smooth surfacing.

Additional Features:

• Ergonomic Positioning (EPoS) System – Components and accessories, with or without required power supply, can be added and removed
• Grab & Move handle senses when it’s grasped and releases the unit’s brakes
• Range of brake options
  • Mechanical
  • Pneumatic
  • Electro-magnetic
• Fully enclosed cables and no exposed screws, rubber, or sharp edges

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Skytron

With its unique central tandem mount, Skytron Ergon 3 booms can hold up to four arms on one mount. No other boom system can accomplish this.

Ergon 3

Skytron booms are reputably the “lowest cost of ownership”, as the central tandem mount eliminates the need for additional construction, and the booms are designed for less maintenance (i.e. braking system).

Additional Features:

• 330° rotation on boom axes
• 360° equipment coverage/access
• Central tandem mount reduces footprint by 50%
  • Eliminates rotational conflicts caused by side-by-side mounts
  • First upper arm provides equipment carrier
  • Second lower arm provides flat-screen display or x-ray shield
  • Minimizes any conflict in the ceiling with patient lift systems
• Friction brakes that do not require the use of buttons or heavy maintenance
• Arm lengths up to 100″
• Equipment can be positioned anywhere within a 17′ diameter of the mounting structure
• All boom components are safety tested up to 5X the capacity ratings
• Protective support rails on center aligned carriers prevent equipment damage
• Sealed plate separates all gas and electrical connections on carriers

3KM, 3PM, 3XM Series

• Three-point rail design
• Center-aligned shelves
• 110 lb capacity per shelf
• 24″, 36″, 48″ or 56″ heights
• 5″, 22″ or 32″ shelf widths

3CM Series

• Open design
• Center-aligned shelves
• 77 lb capacity per shelf
• 24″, 36″, 48″ or 56″ heights
• 5″, 22″ or 32″ shelf widths

3VBM Series

• Open design
• Cantilevered shelves
• 77 lb capacity per shelf
• 24″, 36″, 48″ or 56″ heights
• 5″, 22″ or 32″ shelf widths

3UBM-W Series

• Horizontal utility box
• Under-mount shelf
• 77 lb shelf capacity
• 8″ height
• 22″ shelf width

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Steris

With a compact design, Steris’s HarmonyAIR® Surgical Booms offer a maximum weight capacity of 450 lbs.

HarmonyAIR®

The HarmonyAIR® comes with a few options for customization:

• Arm systems: fixed height or motorized height adjustable
• Columns: various lengths

Additional Features:

• Single/dual fixed height arm systems with total reaches from 24 – 96″
• Motorized dual adjustable height arm systems with total reaches from 64 – 88″
• Electromechanical brakes
• Option of single or tandem mounting
• Adjustable rotational stops that prevent gas and electric constriction by limiting the horizontal range
• 330° swivel radius
• Blank plates for future proofing

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Stryker

With its modular design, Stryker’s FLEXiS allows for customization and flexibility in positioning shelves and other accessories.

FLEXiS

Additional Features:

• Front and back handles provide access to the brake release buttons and vertical articulation controls
• Customizable placement of gas outlets, video plates, and electrical outlets
• Service heads come in three sizes
• Several boom arms available with various arm lengths and articulation options
• Multi-functional rails for in positioning shelves and other accessories
• Three lengths of multi-functional rails
  • 500 mm
  • 600 mm
  • 1000 mm
• Two sizes of fixed shelves (width)
  • 515 mm
  • 750 mm

MMP 200

• Max weight capacity: 302 lbs
• Vertical articulation
• 330° rotation
• Pneumatic & friction brakes

OSC 400

• Max weight capacity: 287 lbs
• 330° rotation
• Pneumatic & friction brakes

OSC 600

• Max weight capacity: 492 lbs
• 330° rotation
• Pneumatic & friction brakes

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Trumpf

Trumpf Medical’s ceiling-mounted supply units offer a modular design that can be customized and future proofed for other accessories down the road.

TruPort™ Supply Unit

Here are some of the TruPort™ specifications:

• Shelfs and drawers
  • Medium load shelf: 110 lbs
  • Heavy load shelf: 176 lbs
  • Heavy load shelf: 17″ (also available in 10” depth), 21″, 25″, 29″ x 19″
  • 4 drawers per shelf
• Support arms
  • Single arm system reach: up to 51″
  • Dual arm system reach: up to 126″
  • Brake system: Friction/pneumatic
  • Suspended ceiling clearance up to 98″
  • Payload up to 750 lbs

Additional Features:

• TruPort™ Horizontal Supply Unit positions right above the anesthesia equipment
• Overlapping silicon gaskets keep out debris from the recessed MPC rail system
• Attach or reposition components to the MPC rail without tools
• Some components supplied with low voltage power when recognized by the patented MPC rail
• Drawers use a spring-loaded opening and closing system, so no exterior handles
• Electro-pneumatic brake

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Booms, booms and more booms

As we mentioned at the beginning of this article, booms can be a very biased subject. Whereas one system may be better for Scenario A, it doesn’t mean that the people in Scenario B will have the same preferences.

There’s no question that booms are a major cost, and as such it’s important to look at the lifetime cost in addition to the initial cost (i.e. having an expensive car is great, but if you can’t afford the gas, you’re not going anywhere).

Additional resources

Meditek is the exclusive Western Canadian distributor for Skytron Ergon 3 booms. We’ve completed some of the most important operating room projects in modern Canadian history, such as Canada’s first hybrid operating room to feature a robotic C-arm imaging system and Western Canada’s first Interventional Cardiac Operating Room,

To make planning your operating room boom system easier, we’ve compiled the Ergon 3 brochure and accessory brochure into one document for you to download.

*Please note that we only offer Skytron booms in Western Canada at this time.