A Future-Proof Investment – KARL STORZ Equips 14 Operating Rooms at Fulda Hospital

Tuttlingen, 8/01/2019: After less than two years of planning and construction of the Intensive Care, Emergency, and Surgery Center at Fulda Hospital, an open house held in mid-May 2019 gave nearly 10,000 visitors the opportunity to discover the operating rooms equipped by KARL STORZ. At this opportunity, anyone interested as well as potential future patients were able to see for themselves that the operating rooms are equipped with the latest technology and that alongside optimal ergonomics for the surgical staff, patient safety is the top priority.

That was precisely the intention of Dirk Jestädt, Head of Medical Technology, and Markus Fischer, Purchasing and Materials Management Division Manager, when in 2017 they contacted manufacturers of integrated operating rooms about planning the new construction project. The requirements were clearly defined: a future-oriented, modular IT integration infrastructure for image control, documentation, and display, the integration of existing and future imaging modalities as well as the integration of medical software used by the hospital IT system.

“It was very important to us that the OR integration system was integrated into the hospital infrastructure, offering centralized and coordinated access to the entire audio/video technology from the OR. Imaging modalities such as equipment carts, microscopes, and C-arms were to be detected via Plug & Play and easily added, removed, or switched as needed” stated to Dirk Jestädt. “We were also looking for a reliable partner who could offer us an intuitive, flexible, and future-proof system with touch control that can be updated.”

The integration and software solutions offered by the KARL STORZ OR1^™ fulfilled the technical specifications for the new OR in Fulda Hospital’s Intensive Care, Emergency, and Surgery Center. After completion of the planning and tendering phase and the start of project implementation in late 2018, however, other aspects had to be met as well: “KARL STORZ experts intensively analyzed our requirements and completed the project by the planned opening date in May 2019, that is, within only five months. With KARL STORZ, we are very happy to have found a partner who not only stands for quality and reliability but also met our expectations as regards budget and installation time. Since Fulda Hospital is the hub of medical care in East Hesse, serving more than 100,000 patients annually, our focus in terms of project implementation was on safety and innovation”, comments Markus Fischer.

Daniel Wiegand, who supported the new construction project for KARL STORZ in his role as area sales manager of OR1^™, appreciates the good collaboration as well: “Thanks to our excellent, honest relationship with the hospital, particularly with the head of medical technology, challenges were quickly recognized and solved. That enabled us to complete the project within the desired timeframe.”

The new surgical wing of Fulda Hospital was put into operation in early June 2019. The installed integration and software solutions KARL STORZ OR1 Fusion^® and SCENARA^® support experienced surgical teams and further increase patient safety through workflow-based procedures, integrated anesthesia safety modules, and configurable surgical checklists. Optimal 4K imaging ensures the best possible view, while video conferencing solutions and direct room-to-room connection allow communicating with other experts during surgery.

After successful project completion, KARL STORZ will continue to be in close contact with Fulda Hospital to provide comprehensive support services.