Hamburg – The Hamburg-based hospital Ev. Amalie Sieveking-Krankenhaus is now home to Europes most modern high-tech operating room. On 24 January 2008, this exceptional new facility was opened by Hamburgs second mayor and senator for health, Birgit Schnieber-Jastram: “The Ev. Amalie Sieveking-Krankenhaus has taken a further step to build on its expertise as a centre for health for the north-east of Hamburg”. According to Ms Schnieber-Jastram, “The new operating room also represents an important investment for the hospital market of our metropolitan region, as well as improving the treatment options available to patients.”
The project was realised as part of the necessary measures to restore and expand the central operating room funded by the Free and Hanseatic City of Hamburg. The Albertinen Group provided additional funding for the groundbreaking instruments, networks and camera systems. Olympus was responsible for equipping the operating rooms – and thus, helped to further underpin the Albertinen Group as one of the leading suppliers in the field of minimally invasive surgery in Hamburg. One of the first people to congratulate the hospital was the surgical expert Professor Antonio Lacy from Barcelona – who was connected live to the opening ceremony in the Ev. Amalie Sieveking-Krankenhaus.
The stunning design is the first thing to strike you: blue glazed walls frame the state-of-the-art operating room, with two large windows providing additional daylight. At a second glance, it is the sophisticated technology that makes you stop and stare! For example, digitalised X-ray images and endoscopy findings can be directly transmitted to the surgeons’ screens. Live links to other hospitals, practices or to national and international congresses can also be set up at any time. “The new operating room represents a major technological leap for the Albertinen Group”, explained Prof. Dr. Fokko ter Haseborg, Chairman of the Board of the Albertinen-Diakoniewerk. “I am extremely pleased to have found such a strong and innovative partner in Olympus for the realisation of our plans.” Prof. ter Haseborg also expressed his gratitude to the Free and Hanseatic City of Hamburg for granting funding for the extension of the central operating room without which it would not have been possible to establish this new technology in the first place.
The new high-tech operating room is a European reference centre for minimally invasive surgery techniques. It acts as an exemplary operating room in which visitors are given a direct insight into the functions and medical technology advantages. Ralf Pinnau, Managing Director of the Ev. Amalie Sieveking-Krankenhaus commented, “With this project, we are continuing our strategy of becoming a technological leader despite being a small hospital. Following the successful implementation of cardiac infarction care with one of North Germany’s most modern catheter laboratories, together with Olympus we are now committed to further developing a centre for minimally invasive surgery and minimally invasive surgical gynaecology. Without a doubt, the hospital has become one of the most interesting places to work in the field of minimally invasive surgery which, in the long term, makes us even more attractive to potential employees and consultants.”
Since the successful hand-over of the first integrated Olympus operating room in the Hospital Clinic Barcelona back in 2004, Olympus has realised over 70 reference projects in Europe. Whats more, the number of installations is to increase at an even greater pace in future in order to build on the profitable growth curve seen in the last few years. The European Olympus Medical Organisation employs around 2000 members of staff who work on the development and sales of endoscopic systems in more than 30 national companies. “We are both pleased and proud to cooperate so closely with Europes leading surgeons and endoscopists”, explained Frank Drewalowski, General Manager, Sales & Marketing, Olympus Medical Systems Europa GmbH and Managing Director of Medical Endoscopy, Olympus Deutschland GmbH. “In the field of system integration in particular, we are investing in effective specialist teams of project engineers and service experts across the whole of Europe who are committed to turning all the visions of operating room users into reality.”
Technology: Advanced EndoALPHA
The new operating room features the advanced EndoALPHA system: this pioneering technology allows operating procedures in the Ev. Amalie Sieveking-Krankenhaus to be optimally planned. “With the optimisation of the operating room, we have contributed to the further development of system integration and surgery itself. Ergonomics, efficiency and the flow of information will all be improved”, according to Heinz Jacqui, Managing Director of Olympus Winter & Ibe GmbH. In the future, video and audio links to other departments in the Ev. Amalie Sieveking-Krankenhaus can be created – e.g. to the gastroenterology and radiology departments. The high-tech facility also includes the HDTV 1080 standard. As Dr. Thomas E. Langwieler, head of surgery at the Ev. Amalie Sieveking-Krankenhaus, explained, “The use of high-resolution HDTV camera systems together with NBI (Narrow Band Imaging) allows even the smallest of changes in the stomach or breast to be detected when performing tumour operations.”
The risk of tripping on cables lying on the floor is also a thing of the past in the new high-tech operating room – the devices can be easily and quickly put into the optimal position for each operation, thus providing maximum freedom of movement. The glazed walls are not only a visual highlight; they also mean that the room can be cleaned more quickly and effectively.
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