What Technology is in a Modern Day Operating Theater?

Operating rooms are among the most technologically advanced environments in any hospital. They’re also one of the most challenging. Operating rooms are crowded with equipment, hungry staff, and an endless stream of paperwork. In addition to all of that, modern operating rooms also have to comply with strict safety standards. Operating rooms require a high level of both technology and expertise.

Operating rooms are a technological triage. This means that operating room teams have to prioritize the equipment, processes, and people they have available. These teams also have to have a high level of both a technical and clinical expertise.

To operate safely, operating rooms have to deal with the constant presence of technology. The goal is to streamline operations, reduce the risk of infection and prevent medication errors.

Operating room teams will have to deal with a lot of different technology. Here’s a look at some of the most common devices, processes and software in operating rooms.

The Basics: What’s in an Operating Room?

Operating rooms are a mix of advanced technology and highly skilled medical professionals. The first thing a surgical team encounters upon entering an operating room is the sterile field. Once the sterile field is established, teams can move on to operating.

Operating rooms are sterile. The design and layout are both intended to maintain sterility. There are a few common areas where bacteria can grow in the operating room. Hinges, handles, and ties are things that can allow bacteria to get inside. Operating rooms also have pressure gauges, drains and other equipment that can collect bacteria.

The people in the operating room are also undergoing sterilization. The entrance and exit points of staff and visitors are both sterilized. Operating rooms can be very noisy. This can create a potential source of communication.

Anesthesia and Monitoring

Operating rooms are full of medical equipment. This includes monitors for anesthesia, monitoring anesthesia’s effects on patients, and monitoring patients’ vital signs.

The operating room itself is an anesthesiology lab. This is the team’s workspace for monitoring and administering anesthesia.

Some operating rooms may have their own dedicated anesthesia team. This team can handle anesthesia and monitoring for up to four surgeries at a time. Care teams will often work together to decide which surgeries would be most beneficial for a particular patient.

These teams will often work with the EMR and software to find the best way to manage a patient’s care. Anesthesia teams can also be part of a larger clinical operations team. This team can track the health of their patients and identify patterns in their care.

Anesthesia machines are the workhorses of operating rooms. These devices are used for monitoring and administering anesthesia. Each operating room has an anesthesia machine waiting to be used.

Operating rooms will also have other types of equipment. These include monitors for heart rate, blood pressure, and other vital signs.

Equipment also includes things like a heart rate monitor to track and track the effects of an anesthesia on the patient. This information can help with patient recovery and reduce the risk of complications.

Operating rooms also have specialty equipment. This includes tools such as a laser cutter to tackle some of the more complicated procedures.

Disposable Instruments

Every surgical procedure has its own special instruments. Disposable surgical instruments are lost, broken or contaminated frequently. For these reasons, most operating rooms have a large supply on hand.

The goal is to have enough instruments on hand to handle any kind of surgical procedure.

The majority of surgical procedures will use a relatively small number of instruments. Some top-of-the-line operating rooms have more than 1,000 different instruments. The majority of surgical procedures, however, use between 10 and 20 different instruments.

Most operating rooms keep a few dozen different instruments on hand. Staff are trained to handle the changes that each instrument will create.

Operating rooms will also have a few sterilized instruments ready to go. These instruments are kept on a controlled airflow rack. This is to eliminate any potential for contamination in the sterile field.

Electronic Medical Record (EMR)

Operating rooms will have an electronic medical record (EMR). This software keeps track of all the information about a patient’s care. It also keeps track of an EMR’s data. This way staff members have a centralized place to access patient information.

EMRs will also have a lot of data analytics. These are methods to try to identify patterns and make data-driven decisions. EMRs can also be used to share information with other care teams.

Some care teams may also be using an EMR and software outside of an operating room team. This may be a way to share information and make decisions.

Conclusion

Operating rooms are full of innovation, technology, and expertise. When it comes to operating room equipment, operating rooms have an abundance of options. Anesthesia machines are the workhorses of operating rooms. Operating rooms also have a large supply of disposable instruments. In addition to this, operating rooms have a computerized EMR that keeps track of patient data. Operating rooms use a lot of different technology.

Operating rooms have a lot of expertise and a high level of technical expertise. They’ll also have a lot of equipment to help with the day-to-day operations of a surgical procedure.