The 10,000th Alphamaquet

The Alphamaquet 1150 series of surgical tables provides ten different table tops, and is thus used across the surgical disciplines. It is also used in practically every university hospital in Germany, the Netherlands, Belgium, Switzerland, Austria and Scandinavia, as well as other leading hospitals in France, Italy and Japan.
Their continuing revisions of design and construction have reflected our changing lifestyles and Western affluence. When first launched in 1995, the load-bearing capacity was sufficient at up to 135 kg. Three years later, the system was oriented to loads of 185 kg and, in a further development, to weights of 225 kg. Today, some surgical patients may have a body weight of up to 360 kg, so these tables are used in centres that specialise in bariatric surgery in many countries.
‘Thanks to its consistent and continual further development the Alphamaquet is now regarded as state-of-the-art,’ said Maquet’s CEO Dr Heribert Ballhaus. ‘The system has consistently been amended in line with the changes and rapidly growing needs in surgical techniques — for example the growth in minimally-invasive surgery — and also with the rapid development in medical imaging in X-rays, CT, MR and ultrasound.’
Integration of imaging diagnostics was the last major development, Maquet reports. ‘The patient may be transported to diagnostics at any time, i.e. before, during or after an operation. This allows for selective therapies and helps to avoid subsequent surgical intervention.’
The tables have an average service life of 20 to 30 years, and technical improvements can be integrated at any time without problems, explained Dr Dieter Engel, the firm’s technical director, adding that the system can also be expanded to include additional components. ‘Maquet is a long-term partner for hospitals, and for us partnership means – in addition to 100% reliability – the continual implementation of surgical requirements in our systems.’

30.04.2008