98

the 23rd week) from its sister hospitals. The NICU has 20

beds, 12 of which have ventilators available.

Continued satisfaction

With a wealth of experience, the NICU prides itself on

always being at the forefront of what is possible. The move

to a newly refurbished location in the hospital provided an

opportunity to update the monitoring in the unit to the

new IntelliVue central and bedside monitors. The general

satisfaction with the existing Philips monitoring was a

major reason in deciding for Philips monitors again.

“Obviously with the flat, touchscreeens they are easier to

work with” says Mrs. Dorothee Rissler, Neonatal Intensive

Care Nurse. Staying with Philips also means less difficulty

getting used to the way the new monitors work, and reusing

the measurement modules they already have.

Also in Philips favour was that, because they are developed

locally, there are various opportunities for cooperation. The

paediatric clinic has already been involved in testing many

developments. This not only helps Philips improve their

products, but as Dr. Gerald Nachtrodt, Head of the

Neonatal Intensive Care Unit, points out, it keeps the clini-

With four nearby regional hospitals, the Böblingen regional

hospital became part of a network called the South-west

Clinic in mid-2006. This means up to seven senior special-

ists are available to consult on a diagnosis or treatment. This

sharing of expertise makes these smaller hospitals competi-

tive with larger organisations, such as nearby university

clinics.

The NICU has been part of the paediatric department since

the late 1960s and is an integral part of the hospitals perinatal

centre. Even before the South-west Clinic, the NICU was

looking after the sick and premature babies (from as early

Philips monitoring and supplies are important parts of the competitivenessof the NICU in the South-west Clinic, in Germany

Working together

W ith changes in financing the German

health system, regional hospitals are

looking at ways to make themselves attractive to

potential patients. For the hospital in Böblingen,

south of Stuttgart, this means a new business and

clinical partnership with nearby hospitals, where

they can share expertise to increase both their

effectiveness and their efficiency. An important

precedent for such networking was already set by

the neonatal intensive care unit (NICU), which

already worked with the other hospitals.

cians abreast of emerging technologies. It also gives them a

chance to evaluate new applications fully. The most impor-

tant feedback here is from the nursing staff, as they are the

ones who have to work most closely with any new equip-

ment. They would not have the same chance to experience

the equipment fully in a normal evaluation, or influence

how it works.

Competitive advantage

“With good monitoring and a good laboratory,” explains

Dr. Nachtrodt, “we can save the children from many exami-

nations and most antibiotic treatments,” by detecting risks

or symptoms at an earlier stage where they are more easily

treated and the prognoses are better. This is something that

parents notice, to the benefit of the clinic’s standing.

“Monitoring is becoming increasingly important,” adds

Prof. Dr. Manfred Teufel, Head of the Children’s Clinic,

“and not having good monitoring would be a competitive

disadvantage.” He has found that, with electronic aids for

every part of daily life, many parents now expect measure-

ments of the vital parameters, even for healthy newborns.

Dr. Nachtrodt connects this trend to the number of

above: Dr. Gerald Nachtrodt, Head of the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit

below: Prof. Dr. Manfred Teufel, Head of the Children’s Clinic

The NICU has 20 beds, many with ventilators, all with monitoringThe South-west Clinic site in Böblingen, Germany

1110

planned, single-child families too. Many of these parents

invest a lot of emotion in the health and future of their only

child and expect the reassurance of electronic monitoring.

Prof. Teufel expands: As financial pressures mean fewer nurses

on duty, it is technology that ensures continued high-quality

care. This, for example, is why they monitor the vital signs

of all the premature and sick babies in their intermediate

care unit until they are stable enough to go home. For the

less stable patients they use Philips M3 monitors, where the

ECG, respiration and SpO2 curves help them diagnose prob-

lems. The plan is to network the monitors in this area and

use central monitoring at the nurses desk. This will mean

the two nurses on the night shift have an even better over-

view of all their charges, at all times.

Whole solution

Apart from continued good experiences with Philips moni-

toring, the quality of Philips accessories and consumables

was also important in the choice of monitors. “What we

particularly liked were the blood pressure cuffs,” says Dr.

Nachtrodt. “What I find good is that they are so gentle on

the skin,” adds Mrs. Rissler, “and the edges are not as hard

as others, so they don’t leave pressure marks, or injure the

babies.”

They are using single-patient neonatal NBP cuffs, ECG

electrodes and reusable and (for transport) single-patient

SpO2 sensors. The unit regularly evaluates competitive pro-

ducts, and is currently looking at other ECG electrodes.

Mrs. Rissler points out that some other electrodes have better

adhesion. This can be important if the air in the incubator is

humid, or for neonates with vernix caseosa. However, the

Philips electrodes can be removed without discomforting

the baby or damaging the skin. “What is also nice about the

Philips electrodes,” she adds, “is the colours of the pre-

attached leads match the colour-coding on the cable connec-

tor.” This means that even if parents accidentally disturb

the connection, for example, it is easy to reconnect without

having to undress the baby to identify the positions of the

electrodes.

As the new generation of SpO2 sensors from various manu-

facturers hit the market, the NICU tested them all. In the

end, the nurses – whose opinions in such cases are critical,

Dr. Nachtrodt points out – decided to stick with the Philips

sensors. The main reasons are because it is among the easiest

to apply, and gives a good signal for reliable measurements

even when the child is not still. “We are very satisfied with

the Philips supplies,” says Mrs. Rissler.

Working together well is an important part of providing a

rounded solution. And it is competitiveness in their indi-

vidual services, as well as in the network that ensures satis-

faction for patients of the South-west Clinic. <

Philips Neonatal Supplies Mrs. Dorothee Rissler, Neonatal Intensive Care Nurse

Gold Standard50 defibrillators in action at the 2006 Turin Olympics

T he 20th Winter Olympic Games held in Turin,

Italy, on 10 – 26 February, 2006, witnessed the

use of Philips HeartStart MRx defibrillators on the

Piedmont Regional Administration’s healthcare sys-

tem’s emergency vehicles.

The long awaited Turin Olympics witnessed the participa-

tion of hundreds of thousands of people numbering athletes,

coaches, accompanying people, voluntary personnel and spec-

tators. A situation that involved a remarkable effort on the

part of Mobile Accident Unit personnel called to ensure

speedy and effective assistance in case of sudden illness and

accidents. Operational experience proved on the field that

Philips HeartStart MRx defibrillators can provide aid and

become an effective life-saving device.

But how was the decision made to provide rescuers with

such an innovative technological tool as the HeartStart MRx

defibrillator? The request was issued by the Collegno Local

Health Administration, which needed to create First Aid

Centres in all sites where Olympic events took place. There

was also a special need for devices to transfer data from

Emergency Centres to hospitals in real time to establish tar-

geted and effective intervention and treatment. Philips met

the request with its excellent quality, being chosen as the best

supplier in the call for tenders organised for the occasion.

The experience of previous Olympic Games

The next stage was to organize the operational structure

of mobile accident units at the Turin Olympics, explained

Dr. Danilo Bono, Director of the 118 Operations Centre for

Special Edition CA

RD

IOLO

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Dr. Danilo Bono, Director of the 118 Operations Centre for the Cuneo and Turin provinces