Automated operating room

I am a transplant surgeon, and my cases are long and complex. Most of the times it is difficult to focus the operating room’s lights in the operative field on a consistent bases. This situation creates frustration, increase surgeons’ fatigue, and possibly prolongs the duration of surgeries. Similarly, the position of the bed is dependent from the anesthesiologist controlling a panel of commands cabled to the O.R. bed. The automated operating room will allow surgeons to keep the light always focused in the operative field, and to adjust the bed’s position without the help of the anesthesiologist.

business model: Hospitals, surgical centers, dentists’ office, veterinaries’ office/operating rooms, are examples of the proposed costumers. With regard to the revenue-generating question, I believe that there are three possibilities: first, if this technology is not patented yet, a patent could be generated and the patent could be sold. In alternative a company could be formed and sold. Finally if not sold, the company can manufacture the automated operating rooms and sale them.

brief business description:

Short description of the industry: operating room, also known as operation theatre or operating suite, is a facility within a hospital or nursing home where surgical procedures are performed on patients in order to treat different physiological and pathological conditions in a sterile environment. Technological advancements have brought a lot of change in the way surgical procedures are carried out today. An operating room encompasses equipment such as operating tables, operating room lights, surgical booms, operating room integration systems and surgical imaging displays, and is considered as the major revenue generating department in the hospital. The expected global operating room equipment market revenue in 2019 is 4,046.8 (USD Million). Continuous increase in number of ambulatory surgical centers (ASCs) across the globe, growing demand for hybrid operating rooms and technical advances leading to equipment with innovative features are some major factors expected to drive market growth during the forecast period (2013 – 2019). According to U.S. the Medicare Payment Advisory Commission (MedPAC), during 2006 to 2010, the number of Medicare-certified ASCs increased by an average annual rate of 3.6% in the country (1). The market for operating room equipment comprises operating tables, operating room lights, surgical booms, operating room integration systems and surgical imaging displays. Globally, this market has been experiencing steady growth and is expected to continue through the forecast period 2013 to 2019, under the influence of factors such as increasing number of ambulatory surgery centers, growing demand for hybrid operating rooms and product innovations driven by advances in technology. On the other hand, factors including high cost of equipment and availability of refurbished equipment are likely to serve the market as restraints during the forecast period. In 2012, the global market for operating room equipment was valued at 2,667.9 million and is expected to grow at a CAGR of 6.2% from 2013 to 2019 to reach USD 4,046.8 million by the end of 2019. The operating room integration systems market has been identified as the fastest growing segment during the projected period due to the increasing adoption of hybrid operating room by hospitals, especially in developed countries (1).Business structure: several types of operation can be envisioned going from manufacturing to wholesale to simply selling the technology to an existing company with expertise in this field. The business of manufacturing and selling operating room beds and lights is very well established; examples of companies operating in this market are: Stryker, NUVO, STERIS, Marquet. However, to my knowledge the proposed technology is not currently available. Unique Selling Proposition: previous studies to address this issues date back to the mid ’80 http://www.google.com/patents/US4884008 http://www.mpmhealth.com/body.cfm?xyzpdqabc=0&id=1450&action=detail&ref=49 http://www.hpnonline.com/inside/2002-05/0502or.html however, in this case the proposed technology will provide a continuous automatic adjustment of the operating room lights and table.