[2. August 2010 - 13:46]

Making the surgeon's work easier

Tuttlingen (Germany), 27 of July 2010. Hospital de Cordoba and Hospital de Misericordia are the two public hospitals in Argentina's second-largest city, Cordoba. Each of these hospitals is equipping their ORs with seven BERCHTOLD OPERON B 710 surgical tables. The two hospitals are also receiving two extension units for the trauma unit. The Tuttlingen-based specialist for biomedical technology is shipping the 14 surgical tables with split leg plates and basic accessories. "The old locally produced equipment was causing too many problems," explains Orlando Alfaro, BERCHTOLD Area Sales Manager for Latin America. Both hospitals received financing for the new equipment from the Argentinean Banco Interamericano de Desarrollo (BID). BID supports Latin American and Caribbean countries in their efforts to reduce poverty and inequality.

The OPERON B 710 surgical tabletop has five segments. This modular design can be optimally adapted to the human body, so patients are comfortable and safely positioned. The table can be used for a variety of surgical disciplines. Moreover, the surgical area is radiolucent and fully C-arm accessible, enabling full-body imaging. In addition, the table is equipped with a full-length, continuous cassette tunnel, even above the column. This helps ensure superior results with traditional X-ray imaging as well.

Surgical personnel control all electrical hydraulic functions of the surgical tabletop and the table base with the push of a button on the hand pendant. In case of a power outage, a second, battery-powered column control panel  is available. Low-friction rollers with electrically powered hydraulic "InstaDrive" make patient transport simple. This feature enables easy table travel and maneuvering. Gentle braking ensures high patient safety. OPERON pads combine high-quality, high-density PolyFoam as a base layer with an elastic ViscoTM foam layer for maximum patient safety and additional comfort.

With the trauma extension unit, OPERON B 710 can be converted from a universal to a specialty surgical table in six to eight minutes. The adapter and extension unit module for the surgical table are uncomplicated and can be quickly secured. "The surgical tables will simplify the workflow in the Cordoba hospital ORs significantly," said Alfaro. Surgeons can work more productively and efficiently, because more functions are available and the BERCHTOLD surgical tables are easier to use than the old equipment. Alfaro also expects significant cost-cutting by replacing the old surgical tables. The service life for an OPERON table is between 12 and 15 years. The hospitals have already hired more personnel, because they are now expecting to do more surgeries.