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FAQ
Commercial
Q: How do I buy from Avidicare?
A: Please contact any of our Sales Directors or our CEO. You find their contact details here. We are also collaborating with local partners in our key markets that will work with you and ensure that everything meets your needs over the full lifetime of your operating room.
Q: Can you give me your corporate and bank information?
A: Sure, Avidicare AB’s registration number is 556823-9585 and VAT is SE556823958501.
Avidicare AB’s bank details:
- Bank: SEB
- Bankgiro: 694-6339
- IBAN: SE 4350 0000 0005 9971 0050 26
- BIC: ESSESESS
User Experience
Q: How can the Opragon be so silent? I can barely hear it!
A: The Opragon uses temperature to drive the removal of bacteria instead of high-speed air. This means that we do not create the noise otherwise so common in operating rooms. And just think how much easier it is to concentrate on the job when it is quiet – this means patient safety!
Q: I cannot hear the Opragon. How do I know that it is working?
A: Walk beneath the Opragon and hold a bare hand in front of you. You will notice a slight chill on the top of your hand. (Or check the digital operator panel, if you have one of those.)
Q: I know that Avidicare maintains less than 10 cfu/mÂł in all of the OR. Does that mean that we can put the operating table anywhere in the OR?
A: No, the operating table shall be put directly underneath the main Opragon. The benefit of having ultra-clean air in all of the OR is the flexibility of having the instrument table where it is best needed.
Q: Why is it that I do not feel a chilling effect from the Opragon?
A: We have designed the system to ensure that the falling air can overcome the heat generated by the team (their body heat convection) and equipment. The result is an air speed of only about 0.3 m/s next to the team/patient, which hardly is felt at all.
Q: Isn’t it cold to work under an Opragon?
A: The temperature is set based on the needs of the patient. In most cases, the room temperature is set to 18-24°C. However, in order to operate on small children, we have designed systems that function well above 28°C. It can also work in low temperatures.
Q: Are there two different temperature zones in ORs using Opragon?
A: Yes. The air falling down beneath the central Opragon is about 1.5-2°C cooler than the room temperature. It means that the physically more active surgical team works in a slightly cooler central area. Outside this area, the anaesthesiology and other teams work in a slightly warmer area.
Technology
Q: How can your system handle large heat loads in the OR?
A: With more than 300 installations in place, we know that both current and exceptional heat loads are handled extremely well. Thousands of measurements of bacteria during live operations confirm cfu levels around the wound of 0-3 cfu/mÂł, while the rest of the room remains below 10 cfu/mÂł. For special installations, such as hybrid rooms it is important to design the system such that the necessary cooling capacity is in place. This was not done during a Swedish simulated test, which erroneously led to a fear that Opragon was not suitable for this kind of installations. We and many customers know from real world measurements that this is not true. Just make sure to design the system the right way.
Q: Will heat loads increase in future ORs?
A: Possibly, it could to some extent increase since more and more instruments are brought into the OR. At the same time, technology becomes more and more efficient, which in many cases cancel this trend. Just look at old X-rays and compare with new ones. Or look at the OR lamps that now use super-efficient LEDs instead of “light bulb” technology.
Q: Why is the air from the Opragon slightly cooler than the surrounding air?
A: Opragon uses the fact that cold air is heavier than warm and falls to the ground. This falling air is very effective at sweeping all bacteria down to the floor. It behaves almost as a fluid. This means that obstacles such as people, lamps and pendants are less of a problem for the removal of the bacteria.
Digital Services
Q: What is the difference between a Building Management System and Opragon Online?
A: Opragon Online is for the surgical staff to monitor its own infection prevention work. The services focus on the surgical department’s need for an easy-to-use web page that saves time and monitors behavior in order to reduce the risk of airborne infections. It shows simple overviews, short reports, and current status. For this purpose, it is only the essential parameters that contribute to good air hygiene that are displayed and monitored. The difference between the systems is similar to those in and around an airplane – there is one system that service personnel have on the ground (Building Management System) and another (Opragon Online), that is used by the pilots. Many data are the same, but they are used for different purposes.
Q: Is it possible for us to create our own reports?
A: With Opragon Online it is easy to produce your own reports that are designed for your clinic. The information is presented in sections and graphs to ease the understanding and can be used to follow up and improve clinical operations. The data stored in the cloud can also be used to generate reports to support facility management.
Q: Is it possible to integrate Opragon Online with mixed ventilation or UDF systems?
A: Opragon Online only supports Opragon systems today.
Q: Who owns the stored information?
A: The customer owns all data, and it is stored in a customer specific database. An agreement between Avidicare and the customer gives Avidicare permission to access the data to be able to deliver the services to the customer. This is standard for most IT systems.
Q: Which parameters are monitored?
A: The essential parameters to ensure that the Opragon system is working are monitored. At the moment four temperatures and two airflows are monitored. If the customer has other sensors for presence detection, pressure, humidity, and door openings this information can also be presented in Opragon Online.
Q: Who gets notified in case of alarms?
A: Alarms are always presented on the room page and in the alarm log in Opragon Online. If the add-on service “Reports and Notifications” is activated you can get notifications via e-mail and SMS, and it is also possible to select priority of alarms. The receiver of notifications can be anyone in the surgical department, facility management department or a service partner.
Q: How can we avoid alarms in the room?
A: The easy answer is to have a proper functioning ventilation system with a good maintenance program. It is also important to follow local regulations, such as keeping the number of door openings during surgery low. The alarm levels are set at installation together with the customer. If needed, the levels can be adjusted later. Another way to avoid that alarm interfere with the daily activities is to select the add-on service “Functional guarantee”. This service level ensures function and safe operation since monitoring and actions are provided by Avidicare’s service organization. In case of alarm the surgical staff can keep their focus on the patient, and Avidicare will act on the alarm and notify those who can fix the problem, usually facility management or a local ventilation services firm, as well as management. It is easy to change whom shall be notified.
Q: How is facility management affected when we install Opragon Online?
A: There are only benefits for facilities department since the surgical department will find it easier to describe fault conditions and provide actionable information, which makes it more efficient to locate faults. The value of the facility department’s support will also be appreciated more as it becomes even more clear how they contribute to reduced risks of infection and increased patient safety.
Q: Is the installation of Opragon Online safe from cyber-attacks?
A: IT security is guaranteed by the fact that Opragon Online uses the highly secure Microsoft Azure cloud with all the data security and high availability that Microsoft offers. Users of Azure include many large organizations such as communications providers like Verizon, online service providers like eBay and LinkedIn as well as high-tech companies within defense/aeronautics such as Boeing and many hospitals. Furthermore, Opragon Online uses a security configured lockdown gateway that ensures that all collected data is sent encrypted to the cloud.
Installation
Q: Can I perform surgery anywhere in the OR?
A: No, although the Opragon system keeps the entire OR at ultra-low levels of CFU this is dependent on the fact that most of the staff is working below the central Opragon and fewer are moving in the periphery.
Q: How much space does the system need above the false/inner ceiling?
A: Installations have been done in less than 30 cm but this is not recommended. 40 cm and upwards is usually not a problem.
Q: Can you help me do a quick check to see if an Opragon could fit in my OR?
A: Yes, we offer design support for free. Just contact our Development and Support Manager here.
Maintenance and Service
Q: How often do the HEPA-filters need to be changed?
A: Usually every 5-7 years.
Q: How often do the airshowers need to be changed?
A: Avidicare recommends every 3 to 5 years depending on local conditions.
Q: We got stains on an airshower, how do we clean it?
A: Airshowers are usually not cleaned, but they are as easy to change as a light bulb. Just bring a small ladder, climb it, twist the airshower (bayonet type), remove it, twist on a fresh one and you are ready. The Opragon is built with easy maintenance in mind – since the easier it is the more certain that it will be done. A main benefit is that you do not have to close the OR during this time – so your up-time increases compared to other systems that mandate long closing times for their maintenance.
Q: We have a problem with increasing infection rates. Can you measure it for us?
A: Yes, we have specialist equipment and expertise for measuring operating rooms, both for bacteria and particles. Please contact our Development and Support Manager here.
Q: Why is the HEPA filter placed next to the air handling unit and not close to the airshowers?
A: Our philosophy is to do everything as easy to maintain as possible. This choice makes inspections as well as exchanges easy and safe. The HEPA filtered air may travel several meters before being released into the OR and inspections of those ducts after seven years of use still show no bacterial growth or other contaminations. Should your hospital require that the HEPA filters are placed very close to the airshowers, custom designs are possible where the HEPA filters are located immediately by the Opragon.
Q: Can you come and check the Opragon system for us?
A: Yes, Avidicare offers a service program. Together with trusted HVAC partners in each region, we will offer a program that keeps your ORs safe and comfortable for many years. Please contact us to learn more about the service offer.