CAMBRIDGE, Mass.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--LiveData, Inc. and KARL STORZ Endoscopy-America, Inc. will premiere the companies’ Patient-Aware OR at the CIMIT Innovation Congress in Boston, Oct. 28-29. KARL STORZ (www.karlstorz.com ) is a global leader in minimally invasive endoscopic technologies and operating room integration; LiveData (www.LiveData.com) is the leader in real-time data integration and display technology.

Equipped with LiveData OR-Dashboard™ and KARL STORZ OR1®, the Patient-Aware OR offers surgical teams a Wall of Knowledge™ that combines comprehensive real-time data from nursing, surgery and anesthesia systems, as well as surgical equipment, PACS images and lab reports. This data is then displayed on a large wall-mounted screen that is visible to the entire OR team.

By automatically gathering and displaying real-time data from disparate sources, the Patient-Aware OR reinforces consistent adherence to safety protocols and helps eliminate so-called “never events,” which are errors generally considered so threatening to patient safety that they should never happen. Communication within the OR team is also facilitated since each member has clear and automatic access to critical information about the patient, procedure and equipment.

The CIMIT Innovation Congress 2008 is a unique interactive conference featuring national leaders who are shaping the future by facilitating innovative public-private partnerships to drive change in healthcare. The purpose of this year’s convening is to explore and encourage networking to enable the development of meaningful partnerships between healthcare organizations in academia, government and industry.

CIMIT, the Center for Integration of Medicine and Innovative Technology, is a non-profit consortium of Boston teaching hospitals and engineering schools. Its mission is to improve patient care by facilitating collaboration among scientists, engineers and clinicians to catalyze the discovery, development and implementation of innovative technologies, emphasizing minimally invasive approaches. The CIMIT conference will represent the first time that the Patient-Aware OR will be demonstrated publicly.

Last July, the two companies announced plans to integrate LiveData OR-Dashboard and KARL STORZ’s OR1 technologies into a concept known as the Patient-Aware OR, the ultimate Wall of Knowledge, delivering all relevant case information—images and data—to the entire OR team. The Patient-Aware OR makes vital information so pervasive that the OR becomes "patient-aware," presenting crucial information on the wall, in the sterile field, and even over the hospital's secure intranet.

Additionally, OR workflow efficiency and productivity are increased by streamlining interaction with other parts of the hospital to improve OR and PACU scheduling, ensuring that surgeon preferences are understood, and identifying missing tray and cart items before the team’s arrival. Hospitals can capitalize on their existing IT investments and accelerate payback from currently installed IT technology by collecting vital data from various systems, such as electronic medical records, pharmacy, lab and pathology systems.

Using these technologies to create a true Patient-Aware OR helps ensures that surgical teams have the right information at the right time, improving patient safety, easing communication among team members, promoting OR workflow efficiency and productivity, and helping hospitals capitalize on existing IT investments. The Patient-Aware OR ensures peak performance of all related delivery systems—instrumentation, information technology, imaging, and communication systems.

About KARL STORZ
Headquartered in Culver City, CA, KARL STORZ Endoscopy-America, Inc., is an affiliate of KARL STORZ GmbH & Co. KG, an international leader for over 60 years in reusable endoscope technology, encompassing all endoscopic specialties. Based in Tuttlingen, Germany, KARL STORZ GmbH & Co. KG is a family-owned company that designs, engineers, manufactures and markets all its products with an emphasis on visionary design, precision craftsmanship and clinical effectiveness. For more information, call (800) 421-0837 or visit the company’s Web site at www.karlstorz.com or www.karlstorz-hd-endoscopy.com.

About LiveData
Specializing in real-time integration and display technology, LiveData builds state-of-the-art systems for healthcare, utility, manufacturing, and government organizations. LiveData software brings together data from any number of sources and presents it as meaningful information on easy-to-read graphic displays. Leading medical institutions, including Massachusetts General Hospital, Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center, and NewYork-Presbyterian Hospital, have selected LiveData OR-Dashboard™ to enhance patient safety, improve team communication and streamline perioperative workflow. Founded in 1991, LiveData is headquartered in Cambridge, Massachusetts.

OR1 and Patient-Aware OR are registered trademarks of KARL STORZ Endoscopy-America, Inc. OR-Dashboard and Wall of Knowledge are trademarks of LiveData, Inc. All other marks are the property of their respective owners, and are used for identification purposes only.

Contacts

LiveData, Inc.
Phil Brzezinski: 617-576-6504; This e-mail address is being protected from spam bots, you need JavaScript enabled to view it
or
KARL STORZ Endoscopy-America, Inc.
Christy Gaudet: 310-338-8100 x. 6652; This e-mail address is being protected from spam bots, you need JavaScript enabled to view it