Two new laparoscopic paediatric operating theatres at London’s Chelsea and Westminster Hospital have been equipped with Karl Storz Endoscopy’s latest integrated theatre system – the Karl Storz OR1 NEO.
Claimed by Karl Storz to be both the UK’s most advanced integrated theatres to date, and London’s only dedicated paediatric theatres, they form part of an ongoing development of the new Chelsea Children’s Hospital at the healthcare facility, designed ‘to provide world-class children’s services’, following the hospital’s designation as the lead centre for specialist paediatric and neonatal surgery in North West London. Among the OR1 NEO theatre system’s features are an equipment mounting solution which ensures all the laparoscopic surgical equipment is off the ground, and can be articulated around the operating zone, eliminating cable trail and creating a safer, more ergonomic, environment, and fully adjustable coloured room lighting, for enhanced contrast of endoscopic images and reduction of background glare and flicker to reduce eye strain among the surgical team. Each theatre has three boom-mounted HDTV surgical viewing monitors positioned around the sterile field for optimum efficiency. An additional boom arm on the operating theatre lights provides touchscreen control of all surgical devices, and full room integration from within the sterile field, thus minimising infection risk. Integration is achieved via a Realistic User Interface (RUI), a feature ‘unique’ to the OR1 NEO, where a graphic image of the connected device appears on both the sterile touchscreen and the replica nonsterile nurses’ workstation. The same RUI control applies to operating theatre lights and tables, and offers the same level of integration for ancillary theatre equipment such as room lighting and blinds. The equipment also includes Karl Storz’s leading endoscopic camera platform: a 3-chip digital camera system in full HD (1080p), ‘perfectly matched to the medical grade HD LCD monitors’, ensuring ‘crystal clear’ surgical images. Cameras mounted in the operating theatre lightheads and positioned around the room enable digital transmission to remote sites for educational and training purposes, and for capture and archiving of surgical images for medical records. Connections to the hospital network and teaching locations allow the surgical team to access patient notes and PACS images. Simon Clarke, consultant paediatric surgeon, said: “I have been involved in the design process for our new children’s hospital from the beginning, but was still in awe when I saw the new children’s operating theatres for the first time.”
