More than one million surgical procedures are performed annually in Canada, according to a detailed 10-year analysis.¹ This is staggering. The operating room is an overwhelming, busy place, especially when the overarching goal is to save lives. Moreover, the pandemic has not made working in the OR any easier. In 2020, over 353,000 surgeries, procedures, and appointments with specialists were delayed across Canada due to the pandemic.² Also, 2,367 patients lost their lives while on an OR waiting list.³ As an operating room manager, you know firsthand how challenging it is to run an OR, but throw in some inadequate surgical equipment, and your entire OR can shut down.

For surgical room procedures to run smoothly, operating room managers must possess the acumen to manage complex care teams comprised of surgeons, nurse practitioners, OR nurses, and support staff. But even with highly efficient teams, a systematic review found that surgical equipment failures account for a large proportion of operating room errors.^4,5 A substantial number of Meditek buyers request new products because of equipment failures. This is why your OR needs innovative surgical equipment distributors.

In this article, we discuss the remedy for surgical equipment failure and why you need to partner with a distributor that cares about innovation if you’re serious about providing cutting-edge solutions.

Your Remedy for Surgical Equipment Failure is Exceptional Support from Your Distributor

One critical decision that operating room managers must make is the choice of surgical equipment. But more than that, the selected equipment needs a competent support team at hand to provide end-to-end troubleshooting when required.

When OR equipment fails, it can be a matter of life or death. Discovering the root cause of equipment failure can consume time that patients and doctors don’t have. Every minute counts when a life is at risk. Although equipment failure can be unpredictable, operating room managers can learn to stay ahead of the game by partnering with surgical equipment experts who can provide instant troubleshooting during equipment failure. Repair and maintenance support are equally as important as product purchase.

Innovation is Key When Partnering with an Equipment Distributor

Innovation provides cutting-edge solutions. More healthcare providers are expanding their ability to implement new interventions, and the equipment has to match these new standards.

For optimal health care, your organization needs the most updated surgical equipment to support modern surgical procedures.

Below, we describe clever modern-day medical procedures and tools that can inspire you to form a partnership with innovative surgical equipment distributors:

Minimally-invasive surgical procedures

More surgeons across Canada are performing minimally-invasive procedures. Therefore, your equipment distributor must adapt to help these procedures go smoothly. For example, surgical tables, a critical part of open or minimally invasive procedures, should include the following features:

• Easy accessibility: Surgeons need to adjust the table to any height or angle to help them reach the surgical area more efficiently. Also, some special surgeries require a wide range of positioning options, for example, prone and kneeling positions.
• Imaging support: Minimally-invasive procedures depend on imaging to help guide robots around the surgical area. Many modern surgical tables support specialized 3D imaging.
• Electronic controls: Advanced surgical tables have electronic controls that help surgeons and OR nurses place patients in precise positions or transition them when needed.

Medical Imaging for Hybrid ORs

To perform minimally-invasive procedures, your surgical equipment should have the appropriate technology that supports surgical imaging. Newer ORs are hybrid environments where various specialists can work together in one room, including imaging specialists. This means that your surgical tables should have essential features like C-arm support, carbon fiber tops, and other features that allow imaging specialists to do their job while your patients are on the operating table.

You should partner with innovative surgical equipment distributors who can provide the following technology that supports medical imaging:

• Carbon fiber tabletop: carbon fiber is fully radiolucent, which means that it is transparent to x-rays. Unlike older surgical equipment with metal tabletops, carbon fiber tabletops allow specialists to focus on the patient’s images because they appear black on the x-ray print. The carbon fiber material also has a high strength-to-weight ratio. Depending on this ratio, it can be stronger than steel and also lighter, which makes it great for surgical equipment.
• C-arm support: a c-arm is an imaging scanner intensifier. It connects the x-ray source and x-ray detector in a c-shape, hence the term “c-arm.” As the C-arm technology keeps advancing, the demand for c-arm imaging tables is increasing.

Surgical Booms for Optimal Movement

With the advancement of technology, more Canadian healthcare facilities are using surgical booms with cutting-edge communications and video systems. In fact, the global Surgical Boom Market is forecast to reach $350.3 Million by 2027.⁷

Surgical booms are designed to centralize your support equipment and utility services, especially when the patient needs oxygen or other gases. They also keep electrical cords for surgical lights out of the way.

Here are some special features of surgical booms that you can get when you partner with innovative surgical equipment distributors:

• Tandem mounts: newer models for surgical booms have tandem mounts to allow the equipment to be positioned for optimal movement.
• Adjustable height: the more flexible your surgical boom is, the easier it would be to reposition.
• Electromechanical breaks: unlike older surgical booms with friction brakes, new models have electromechanical brakes that can be activated with the push of a button.

Cost Savings: Innovative Surgical Equipment Distributors Can Also Provide Remanufacturing

Operating room managers care about cost savings. Studies show that ORs are a significant revenue source but also the main source of waste and cost in hospitals.⁶ Operating room managers are responsible for the management of inventory. Although surgeons often request new hospital equipment, as an OR manager, your responsibility is to strike a balance. Therefore, it’s wise to partner with a distributor that will help you save costs.

Some distributors offer remanufacturing solutions that specialize in restoring used medical equipment to an “as-new” condition. This service is great for hospitals looking to add more equipment to their ORs but not willing to break the bank. This is also useful for ORs that contain hospital equipment over 15 years old.

The surgical table is one of the operating room’s most expensive pieces of equipment. This is why remanufacturing a surgical table is an effective and cost-efficient solution. Remanufacturing typically costs 40% to 60% of the cost of buying a brand new table. As an operating room manager, you can weigh the pros and cons and make a decision that favors your organization.

Why Meditek for Surgical Equipment?

Meditek is an innovative, forward-thinking company. Our surgical equipment experts are knowledgeable about the needs of ORs and can help create a harmonious flow in the OR.

Our products support minimally-invasive procedures, medical imaging, and communications.

Here are some innovative equipment from Meditek for your OR:

• Biodex 840 Imaging Surgical Table that provides precise positioning options for cardiovascular surgeries. It guarantees C-arm clearance, whether using portable or ceiling-suspended C-arms.
• Skytron 3003 Imaging Surgical Table that comes with an 83inch image-friendly extended carbon fiber top and a multi-directional top slide for optimal full body imaging coverage.
• Steris SurgiGraphic 6000 Imaging Surgical Table that is built with radiology quality imaging for minimally-invasive vascular, orthopedic, or other procedures that require fluoroscopy.
• Skytron Central Mount with Flat Screen that feature two dual arm sets and up to two light heads from a single ceiling mounted hub.
• Skytron Freedom Booms that is built with a five-stack mount, the industry’s greatest number of arms. It gives surgeons a 360° access to equipment and utilities.

At Meditek, we empower operating room managers, surgeons, nurses, and other support staff to improve patient outcomes by providing exceptional product and service options for our surgical equipment.

Our products are cutting-edge to meet the demands of modern procedures. In addition, our Meditek ReNew Program can save costs through our remanufacturing process, as this is an alternative to purchasing completely new equipment. But not just that, we are readily available to provide immediate troubleshooting support to help your OR processes run smoothly again.

For more insights from Meditek on surgical equipment and operating room workflow management, visit our blog or browse our products.

 

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References:

1. DETAILED ANALYSIS Surgical Safety in Canada: A 10-year review of CMPA and HIROC medico-legal data. :20.
2. Report: Over 353,000 postponed surgeries, procedures and consultations due to COVID-19. SecondStreet.Org. Published March 4, 2021. Accessed October 21, 2021. https://secondstreet.org/2021/03/04/report-over-353000-postponed-surgeries-procedures-and-consultations-due-to-covid-19/
3. Staff NP. More than 2,000 patients in Canada died while waiting for medical care in 2020: report. National Post. https://nationalpost.com/news/canada/more-than-2000-patients-in-canada-died-while-waiting-for-medical-care-in-2020-report. Published July 9, 2021. Accessed October 20, 2021.
4. Surgical technology and operating-room safety failures: a systematic review of quantitative studies. Accessed October 20, 2021. https://psnet.ahrq.gov/issue/surgical-technology-and-operating-room-safety-failures-systematic-review-quantitative-studies
5. Weerakkody RA, Cheshire NJ, Riga C, et al. Surgical technology and operating-room safety failures: a systematic review of quantitative studies. BMJ Qual Saf. 2013;22(9):710-718. doi:10.1136/bmjqs-2012-001778
6. Ahmadi E, Masel DT, Metcalf AY, Schuller K. Inventory management of surgical supplies and sterile instruments in hospitals: a literature review. Health Syst. 2018;8(2):134-151. doi:10.1080/20476965.2018.1496875
7. Surgical Boom Market Size, Share & Trends, 2020-2028. Accessed October 25, 2021. https://www.reportsanddata.com/report-detail/surgical-boom-market