When a manufacturer bestows an award, it’s flattering. So, of course Coward Environmental Systems, Inc. (CESI) was excited to learn that SLD Technologies had given them an award for an installation in a MedStar Washington project. “The award is wonderful,” says Kevin Clare, sales engineer at CESI. “But it doesn’t highlight the bigger story: these technologies are so effective, efficient, and easy to install that they have become a standard part of MedStar’s ongoing hospital renovations and expansions.”
“We have done more than seventy rooms with SLD products, for a variety of clients, over the past seven years,” says Clare, “and I am still impressed each time. SLD Technologies offer efficient systems such as AirFRAME and Indigo-Clean that are flexible enough to work in almost any situation. The products are easy to install, and can often be put into a prepared site within a matter of hours. This is a product and a system that can transform the possibilities for all kinds of healthcare spaces including procedure rooms, general operating rooms, and hybrid rooms.
A Practical Option for Low Ceilings
For this project, engineers needed to put a new, state-of-the-art operating suite into an existing space within the building. But the structure had been created for the technologies of past decades, so they had difficulties finding enough ceiling space to install the required technology, wiring, and ductwork.
“This health system needed a hybrid operating room in a space with a relatively low ceiling,” Clare explains. “Traditional solutions were out of the question. But the AirFRAME® from SLD Technologies enabled us to make sure the converted space had all the capabilities of a hybrid ceiling-mounted system and still allowed room for conduit and ductwork.”
Operamed Provides Access for Maintenance
Clare notes, “We installed an Operamed modular tile ceiling. This hermetically sealed tile ceiling allows access to all space above the ceiling. Operamed tiles allow service technicians to reach every piece of piping, conduit, wiring, and medical equipment without the use of small access doors. In essence, the entire ceiling is the access door.”
No New Structural Steel
Using the AirFRAME system, engineers eliminated the need for independent structural steel to support rail-mounted imaging systems or boom mounts. “In addition to providing a range of technologies such as air diffusion and lighting, it also provides a structural element,” says Clare. “AirFRAME can suspend surgical lights, anesthesia columns, equipment boom arms, imaging rails, lead shield tracks, and electrical boxes.”
AirFRAME also reduces the need for additional ductwork. “The system is essentially a giant manifold, so it controls the flow of air to multiple outlets ” Clare emphasizes. “Because it is such a hard-working technology, AirFRAME from SLD Technology enables healthcare systems to update or reinvent operating suites or hybrid spaces within older buildings.”
Reducing SSIs
This AirFRAME included an Indigo-Blue system, which utilizes near UV lighting to kill bacteria and reduces surgical site infections (SSIs.) This is one of the most common types of healthcare-associated infections (HAIs) that patients can develop after undergoing surgery.
Indigo-Blue can reduce SSIs by 73%, including MRSA and C. diff. It results in greater safety for patients and staff, but because a single SSI can increase healthcare costs by more than $25,000 per infection, Indigo-Blue provides healthcare facilities with an immediate return on their investment.
Want to Find Out More?
Coward Environmental Systems, Inc. represents SLD Technology in Philadelphia, Southern Pennsylvania, Southern New Jersey, Maryland, and Delaware. Contact us today to discover how we can be a part of your next project.
