Medtech engineers to the operating theatre, please!

“Incisions and insights” online workshop – “Orthopaedics, surgery and rehabilitation technology”

(Stuttgart/T?bingen) – In late January 2022, the latest workshop in the “Incisions and insights” series was once again streamed live from the operating theatre of the Institute of Clinical Anatomy and Cell Analysis in T?bingen. Leading doctors specialising in different fields illustrated their medical needs on the anatomical specimen, this time focusing on “Orthopaedics, surgery and rehabilitation technology”. The one-hour workshop offered participating developers from medtech companies further interesting insights and whetted their appetites for the main event, which will take place on site again in June.

As always, the workshop attracted some extremely high-profile individuals. Prof. Bernhard Hirt, Medical Director of the Institute of Clinical Anatomy and Cell Analysis, played host at the institute and chaired the panel discussion involving Prof. Tina Histing, Medical Director of BG Hospital T?bingen, Prof. Philip Kasten, Head of OCC (Orthopaedic Surgical Centre) T?bingen, and Prof. Andreas Niess, Medical Director of the University Hospital of T?bingen’s Department of Sports Medicine. Joining them by video link was Dr. J?rg Richter, Medical Director of the Centre for Sports Orthopaedics and Arthroscopic Joint Surgery at OKM (Orthop?dische Klinik Markgr?ningen). In the institute’s operating theatre, BG Hospital T?bingen’s Deputy Medical Director, Dr. Andreas Badke, demonstrated a procedure to stabilise a spinal fracture using screws. Access to the surgical field was maintained using retractors. During an operation on the spinal column, these retractors squeeze the muscles so hard for two to three hours that tissue can be destroyed. An intelligent system is therefore needed that will indicate in good time when the retractors need to be loosened to restore the supply of blood – without having to interrupt the actual procedure for an unnecessarily long time. This was just one of several medical needs discussed during the one-hour workshop.

“Our objective isn’t to show participants how good we are,” explained Prof. Arnulf Stenzl, Vice Chairman of the Verein zur F?rderung der Biotechnologie und Medizintechnik e. V. (Society for the Promotion of Biotechnology and Medical Technology), in his words of welcome. “We’re aiming to work with them to find solutions that will make us better,” continued the Medical Director of the Department of Urology and Director of the Interuniversity Center for Medical Technologies Stuttgart-T?bingen (IZST) at the universities of T?bingen and Stuttgart. This being the case, the people taking part – primarily developers from medtech companies – had another opportunity to watch live, albeit only on screen due to the pandemic, as the medics described their everyday challenges. After all, there’s always a surprisingly large number of things that can be improved – even in a state-of-the-art operating theatre equipped with high-tech equipment.

With this in mind, co-organiser Dr. Klaus Eichenberg from BioRegio STERN Management GmbH had some encouraging words for his audience: “As deveIopers, it’s important that you visit operating theatres and watch surgeons at work. Small companies in particular sometimes find it difficult to obtain appropriate access, so we’re inviting you and, together, we’re certain to find the right application.” The next “Incisions and insights” workshop is on 29 June 2022 at the Institute of Clinical Anatomy and Cell Analysis in T?bingen – an opportunity not to be missed!

The workshop series is organised by the Interuniversity Center for Medical Technologies Stuttgart-T?bingen (IZST) at the universities of T?bingen and Stuttgart, BioRegio STERN Management GmbH and the Verein zur F?rderung der Biotechnologie und Medizintechnik e. V.

Keywords:BioRegio STERN Management GmbH, Dr. Klaus Eichenberg, Workshop Incisions – Insights, medtech, medical need, orthopaedics, operating theatre