they don't take up much more of a footprint than the video carts they're
replacing. "These can be put in within 48 hours," says Mr. Ano. Because
they're bolted to the floor, they offer stability without the permanence of
a ceiling-mounted fixture.
If, however, you're open to the concept of a portable boom system,
for flexibility's or economy's sake, that option now exists. One manu-
facturer has recently
introduced a boom
mounted on a rolling
cart. Like floor-based
systems, it can be put
to use anywhere that it
can be plugged into
electrical power, but
unlike them, it can easily be moved within a room or to another. "If I
were a small ASC, I would give serious thought to a cart boom," says
Mr. Ano. "Its portability could be a huge asset."
Differing needs
For OR occupants, the question of ceiling- versus floor-mounted booms
might actually take a back seat to considerations of practical use. "All
that above-ceiling structure and support, that's the concern of the engi-
neer and the architect," says Ms. Spivey. "For clinicians, that's not their
biggest concern. They know what they need and are very particular."
Your choice of booms may be heavily influenced by the types of pro-
cedures to be conducted in the rooms, and the preferences with
which physicians carry them out.
At Saratoga Hospital, booms are the key to creating cutting-edge
minimally invasive surgery suites. "We're doing a lot of laparoscopic
procedures, so video integration is a big factor and our physicians
were most interested in the AV aspects of the booms," says Ms.
Lisieski, including the number, size and positioning of display moni-
8 1
A P R I L 2 0 1 5 | O U T P A T I E N T S U R G E R Y . N E T
Floor-mounted booms can be
installed without tearing up ceilings
or even room renovations, and they
don't take up much more of a footprint
than the video carts they're replacing.
