A U G U S T 2 0 1 6 O U T P A T I E N TS U R G E R Y. N E T 2 3
materials manager, I made sure that when we upgraded our video system, we
also upgraded all of those auxiliary items. Bundling these items can get you a
better overall deal and, when you update everything at the same time and use
the same manufacturer, maintenance contracts are simpler to negotiate. It's also
less likely that you'll run into equipment compatibility issues down the road.
• Automated irrigation. The platform we chose works with an automated irri-
gation pump that requires a lot less saline to open up the joint for good visualiza-
tion. Older pumps that irrigate the joint at a constant pressure can go through
3,000 cc bags of irrigation solution in just a few minutes. Pumps that don't ade-
quately irrigate the joint can cause air bubbles to form or allow blood into the sur-
gical site, which impairs the surgeon's view. An automated pump can sense pres-
sure changes that occur throughout the case — when a burr is activated, for
example — and adjust the flow of fluid accordingly. With the ongoing shortage of
saline solution, finding a system that ensures the joint stays open while also mini-
mizing the amount of fluid pumped into the area can help your bottom line.
• User-friendliness. It might sound obvious, but don't overlook how easy the
video system is for staff and surgeons to use. If the platform is hard to connect
or set up, no one will like using it — no matter how eye-popping the images are.
Conduct extended trials to accurately assess the user-friendliness and clinical
performance of each one. While some facility leaders suggest trialing platforms
for a set amount of time — 1 or 2 weeks, perhaps — I let my surgeons use a sys-
tem for as long as it takes for them to get a true sense of how it works in prac-
tice. Let surgeons use a system for several cases in order to familiarize them-
selves with the features they like and how it stacks up against the other plat-
forms you're trialing. That truly lets them get a feel for whether the system will
improve their views of surgery and how it will benefit the facility as a whole.
Don't forget to ask your nurses and surgical techs for feedback about how
easy a system is to clean, how it connects to your printer or EMR system, and
how quickly it can be set up before a case. In general, it's usually pretty easy to
