Algemeen Stedelijk Hospital (ASZ), Belgium

The need

With a planned refurbishment of three of its theatres over a period of five months, the Algemeen Stedelijk Hospital (ASZ) needed a solution to enable it to continue to treat the up to 55,000 patients it sees annually in its acute and general services.

The solutions provider needed to be able to mobilise quickly and provide an environment that met the clinical standards required to conduct surgery, as well as provide a configuration that would help manage and maximise patient flow.

The Vanguard plan

To best meet the hospital’s needs to maximise capacity while refurbishment work was underway, the logistics team at Vanguard Healthcare Solutions, working alongside commissioning partner Simed International, planned to install a mobile laminar flow operating theatre which includes dedicated anaesthetic and recovery rooms and a full operating theatre.

The Vanguard solution

The revolutionary design of the temporary theatre and the ultra-clean air supplied by the laminar flow hood enabled staff at the ASZ to treat patients in both the operating and recovery room. This innovative arrangement, a first for Vanguard, maximised patient flow and essentially doubled the surgical capacity of the facility.

The outcome

The operating room was able to carry out invasive surgeries where the ultra-clean air supplied by the laminar hood significantly reduced the chances of infection. The secondary theatre which had been established in the recovery room was used to carry out other low risk procedures such as cataract surgery. The ventilation in the additional theatre space was compliant to the necessary standard for these less invasive procedure types.

Pascal De Ras, Manager of ASZ Wettern’s Technical Department told us: “Vanguard was the only company that could respond to our needs both quickly and within the budgetary constraints. The mobile theatre complied with all requirements including hygiene, ventilation, electrical safety and comfort.”