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Written ByRebecca Kinney
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PublishedDecember 6, 2022
Surgical booms are generally used within healthcare facilities that need easy access to electrical power and audio-visual data services as well as medical gases such as oxygen, nitrogen, and carbon dioxide.
What is a Surgical Boom?
Within the Operating Room (OR) the surgical boom is designed to centralize all surgical support equipment and utility services for OR staff. Surgical booms are generally used within healthcare facilities that need easy access to electrical power and audio-visual data services as well as medical gases such as oxygen, nitrogen, and carbon dioxide. Booms have become essential in keeping cords out of the way and reducing tripping hazards as well as providing shelving necessary to organize and centralize surgical equipment.1
Surgical Booms can either act as an incredibly useful tool or a bulky hindrance if the correct considerations aren’t made. A few key considerations are the configuration and space requirements, features, space they take up, and accessories/compatibility.
Configurations & Space Requirements
An ideal Surgical Boom will have multiple configurations available to meet your specific facility and space needs. A quality setup will include design and planning experts that work with you on a custom solution designed to support your team. From extended arms for the hybrid operating room to flexible carrier coverage in the emergency room, multiple options need to be available. The solutions for every environment and specialty vary greatly depending on clinical needs. A quality Surgical Boom will look different in the following spaces:
- General Operating Room
- Hybrid Operating Room
- C-Section Suite
- Cath Lab
- Intensive Care Unit
- Emergency Department
- GI Lab
- Intensive Care Units
Features
When it comes to features your equipment, gases, power, lights, and Information all need to be where it is conducive to safety and ease of use.
“Today’s high-tech booms have centralized controls that enable a nurse or physician to control lights and other equipment from a single location. Some booms also referred to as equipment management systems, are customizable and can be configured for displays and other functions, such as electrosurgery and digital imaging data transmission. Both features can help an operating room become more efficient, which can help justify the cost of the equipment by increasing patient throughput in a single room.” 2
With our Skytron Freedom Boom, we have what’s called “Active Assist” that helps staff have no buttons to push and easy positioning, you can grab anywhere and move easily, position the equipment carrier, and accommodate multiple displays and lights anywhere without worry of drifting.
Additional considerations include adjustable height vs. fixed height arms, electromechanical vs. friction brakes, and the location of electric and gas outlets that allow for the connection of surgical equipment directly.
Accessories & Compatibility
A surgical boom can be used with hundreds of accessories such as equipment shelves, equipment rails, rail-mounted accessories, smoke evacuation systems, IV support, medical gas support, monitor arms, and organizational tools. The accessories available are immense and one key consideration, if you are remodeling a space vs creating a new one, is to ensure that whatever boom system you opt to invest in, verify that all accessories are compatible with your existing equipment.
At Skytron, innovation is our focus and the Freedom Boom is a prime example of that. Learn about how Freedom can assist you with more extended reach, reduction of drift, and efficiently working within your footprint.
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