St George's Hospital
The Customer
St George’s Hospital has one of the leading Cardiac Catheterisation Laboratories in the United Kingdom, specialising in the management of coronary and valvular heart disease. The department’s reputation dates back to the work of the pioneering physician, Dr. Aubrey Leatham, who established the UK’s first coronary angiography laboratory at St George’s Hospital in the 1950s.
A major improvement programme was scheduled over two years to fully refurbish five cardiac catheter laboratories by Hunters Architects to provide the hospital with the latest, state of the art diagnostic and interventional cardiology equipment.
Not only is this great news for our patients who will benefit from even better care when they’re brought into the cardiac catheter labs, but the new environment will have a positive impact on the wellbeing of our staff.
– Alex Grimster, Principal Cardiac Physiologist
The Challenge
An essential part of the upgrade entailed moving control and monitoring desk stations into the operating theatres from their previous locations outside the theatres. The objective was to enhance communication and interaction between operating team members, whilst bulky, noise- and heat-generating computer equipment was to remain outside each theatre.
The KVM matrix enables the integration of several pieces of monitoring equipment across these cutting-edge Cardiac Catheter Laboratories, driving improved patient outcomes and streamlined clinical workflows – making for an all-round better experience and aiming for improved relationships between clinical staff and patients.
– Morgan Parrack, associate Director, Hunters Architects
In addition, different arrangements of monitoring equipment are needed for procedures, so a simple method of changing between setups was required.
The Solution
Each of the five operating theatres has been equipped with a small, 24-port Draco tera flex KVM matrix switch located in the external equipment rooms along with the related computer control equipment. The optimal solution was designed by Convergence Group in conjunction with the St George’s own IT department. Copper Cat X cabling distributes signals from the switches in each theatre to individual monitors, keyboards and mice, allowing Physiologists, Radiographers and Anaesthetists to interact with the computers as they support heart operations. 25-key keypads were provided for instant changeover between operational setups with dedicated macros to invoke each scenario. The KVM switch also feeds large screen displays located above and around the operating tables so that surgeons and medics carrying out medical procedures are able to access information relevant to the case..
The Draco tera KVM switch allows the delivery of critical medical data exactly as needed to the surgeons and clinical staff carrying out heart operations. Of particular note is the ability to change computer connections using a dedicated keypad and preprogrammed macros which make it extremely simple for clinicians to select appropriate sources using a single key press.
– James Sharman, Convergence Group
The Benefit
The new layout and KVM switching solution deliver enhanced communication, better access to information and a greatly improved physical and ergonomic environment to operating teams. This leads to more efficient medical procedures and ensures that St George’s Hospital can continue to deliver the best and most effective medical care to vulnerable patients.
