STATEMENT OF NEED - Eye stretchers.docx

STATEMENT OF NEED

Eye Stretchers (Replacement for end-of-life Eye Stretchers) GENERAL: The operating room at the Malcom Randall VA Medical Center, 1601 SW Archer Rd, Gainesville Florida 32608, has a requirement to replace 10 end-of-life Eye Stretchers used by Ophthalmology Service for Surgical Procedures.

BACKGROUND:

Gainesville Operating Room has 10 end-of-life eye stretchers that were purchased in 2011 and utilized by Ophthalmology service for surgical procedures. We received notice from the vendor that the 10 eye stretchers the medical center owns, reached the End-of -Guaranteed Support.

SCOPE: Having the best equipment is vital to any surgical procedure and ophthalmic surgeries are no exception. Eye surgery stretchers offer the greatest head end clearance for superior surgeon accessibility.

Ophthalmic surgery is a delicate procedure that requires an ophthalmologist's expert technique. Eye surgery stretchers are specifically designed for surgical procedures that require ample space for the surgeon to work with. Articulating headpieces provide the surgeon with the greatest access to the surgical area. In addition, certain models of eye surgery stretchers can double as transport and treatment stretchers.

Eye surgery stretchers are ideal for ophthalmic procedures that require a temporal or superior approach. Having proper adjustable equipment is critical for a surgeon. Available in both pneumatic and electric models, eye surgery stretchers can be carefully maneuvered to best fit the surgeon's needs. Eye surgery stretchers can be positioned into full extended horizontal positions or into an infinite amount of recliner positions. Electric and pneumatic controls allow precise positioning of the patient for the caregiver. Articulating headpieces on stretcher chairs provide optimum surgical positioning for ophthalmic procedures.

Ophthalmology service has specific needs when it comes to Eye Stretchers:

SPECIFIC NEED/ SALIENT CHARACTERISTICS:

· The ophthalmology surgeons have requirement for the eye-stretchers must be electric, with full patient positioning accomplished through a “remote/pendant” to ensure safe positioning and reduced risk of injury to surgical staff by using a pneumatic system.

· The use of the pendant also allows the surgeon access to patient position changes during the surgical procedure without risk of contaminating the surgical field. Manually positioned pneumatic eye-stretchers require staff to access levers and/or pulls under the sterile field to reposition, increasing risk of contaminating the sterile field and/or staff injury during access to controls under stretcher.

· Patient surface maximum height is 40”, for improved patient and caregiver communications while patient is reclined.

· Ophthalmology service has requested that the eye-stretcher must include a battery that is lead-acid, quick change, and can be charged (off the chair). Being able to remove the battery from the eye-stretcher to charge allows the stretcher to have a newly charged battery and it’s ready for use again. Many stretchers have batteries that are installed and can’t be removed from the eye-stretcher for charging. This leaves the service without the use of the eye stretcher until fully charged.

· The service has requested that the eye-stretcher must be electric and include a pendant that connects the motorized auto-contour positioning (chair/flat) and motorized Seat Tilt positioning. Pendant needs to be flexible and can be accessed from any position around the stretcher. This provides the surgeon uninhibited access to safely position the patient.

· To allow adequate access to the patient’s eyes for the procedure the Head mechanism must have dual articulation levers with a range of 30° elevated to 60° lowered. This range provides improved head positioning for surgery.

· Service has requested that the eye-stretcher must include “push-handles” at the head and foot to reduce the push/pull force needed to transport patient; thus, decreasing the risk of staff injury.

· Eye-stretcher must include medical grade memory foam cushions for increased patient comfort and reduced risk of pressure injuries during long procedures.

· The eye-stretcher must have a weight capacity of 500lbs (227kg) to accommodate patients of all sizes.

· Ophthalmology service has requested a surgical stretcher-chair that functions as a procedure chair, transport device, and stretcher all in one to eliminate patient transfers. This limits risk of injury to patients and staff while improving surgical workflow.

· Due to limited storage space in the department, the service has requested a stretcher that can be placed into a chair position to reduce the footprint in storage. Standard stretchers that are in a fixed reclined position take up significantly more space to store.

PLACE OF PERFORMANCE: Malcom Randall VA Medical Center, 1601 SW Archer Rd, Gainesville Florida 32608.

WARRANTY OF EQUIPMENT: Contractor must provide manufacturer(s) warranty on all provided supplies.