Of mounting importance
They are rarely noticed but nevertheless they carry a lot of weight in a hospital: intelligent mounting solutions for medical equipment and monitors. While the eyes of physicians, nurses and patients alike tend to be fixed on the device, hardly anybody ever looks at the way, the device is fixed to the wall or the ceiling. The engineers of CIM med, based in Munich, Germany, however did have a close look and came up with an innovative solution: in the CIM med mounting systems, the cables run through the inside of the arm. This seemingly simple idea improves bedside hygiene, safety and not to forget esthetics. Manuela Loibl (ML), Managing Director of CIM med, talked to EH@Medica about the market and the possibilities of medical mounting solutions.
EH@Medica: Ms Loibl, where in a hospital are your products used?
ML: Our products are primarily used in areas where a lot of equipment is required – above all the operating theatre and the ICU. Our customers are not the hospitals themselves but the manufacturers of medical devices, so-called Original Equipment Manufacturers, OEMs for short. We offer standard solutions for their product lines as well as customized solutions for the hospitals they do business with. Both the standard and the customized solutions comply with all relevant regulations and with all relevant regulations and are CE-marked. Moreover we develop mounting systems for new products taking into account the intended use and functionalities of the device. Since we have an in-house development department we can react quickly to specific customer requirements.
EH@Medica: What is so special about your mounting solutions?
ML: Our products are unique since all cables of the device they support are inside the arm. Thus we avoid the dreaded cable clutter in the OT and we meet highest hygiene standards which is particularly important in the critical care areas. Despite the compact design of the arm the cables can be removed or replaced easily and quickly by any member of the hospital staff. No trained CIM med technician has to be on-site. This is what makes our solutions so appealing. Moreover, our products are easy to clean and feature an anti-microbial surface. They offer highest flexibility and are adapted to the life-cycle and the functionalities of the products they support. We attach great importance to our safety checks that verify stability and sturdiness. Our load-bearing tests are performed with factor of safety of 6 while the legal requirement is a factor of safety of 4.
EH@Medica: What will you be showcasing at this year’s MEDICA?
ML: At MEDICA 2011 we will be presenting our most recent products which feature components for safe usage in the anesthesia environment. The solution can now be mounted right above the anesthesia unit and it can also be linked to patient monitors and patient data management systems. This might sound trivial but indeed intelligent mounting solutions can markedly improve the outcomes in the OT and the ICU.
About CIM med GmbH Founded in 2007 CIM med is one of the leading specialist providers of medical-grade mounting solutions. CIM is the acronym of Cable Integrated Mounting, the company’s innovative and patented solution. All CIM mounting systems are CE-marked and comply with the EU medical device directive MDD 93/42 EEC.
CIM med is at MEDICA
Hall 13 . Stand C21
18.11.2011
