- As is the case with any space utilizing AV technology, there is tremendous planning and system design involved to make the various components in today’s medical operating rooms perform as envisioned—and for Jim Dillon, director of Media Connect Ltd. of Milford, New Zealand (a suburb of Auckland), AVSnap AV system design and control software from Brea, CA-based Altinex is the tool that helps make it all possible.
- Media Connect Ltd. is an AV design / build firm marketing to the medical and health services sector. The company’s focus is touch screen controlled integrated operating and procedure rooms. The firm is also involved with live AV streaming of surgery for medical education and collaboration. As the company’s director responsible for research, system design, and project management, Dillon discussed the challenges he routinely encounters in his work and how AVSnap helps him address those issues.
- “One of our client hospitals is involved with emergency and acute surgery,” Dillon explained. “As a result, one procedure may be highly specialized, whereas the next may involve a team of specialist surgeons working together simultaneously. The key here is to enable quick OR (operating room) setup and facilitate immediate switching between various medical AV sources to multiple displays as required by the surgeon. The touchscreen enables centralized control—typically at the nurse’s write up—and avoids the need for non-scrubbed staff to enter the sterile area around the operating table.”
- “AVSnap is an end to end solution—from customer presentation, through technical design and provisioning, to creating touch screen GUI’s (Graphical Unser Interfaces) for controlling AV equipment," Dillon explained. "All the technical elements of a project can be contained in a single .amt file (the file extension for AVSnap files).”
- “As a system design tool,” Dillon continued, “the key attribute for us is the speed and ease AVSnap provides to create system schematic diagrams. Once we’ve created our devices library, it’s remarkably easy to drag those devices onto the page, at which point we just add in the connectivity.”
- “AVSnap’s facilities list and ‘on-board’ software objects for creating great GUI’s, the program’s range of communication options, and control of the system touch screen GUI seems endless,” Dillon said. “Even after two years use, I’m still not utilizing AVSnap’s control facilities to their fullest potential.”
- “My usual communication is via the AVSnap forum,” said Dillon. “Then, I get my answer directly from Jack Gershfeld. That’s direct from the guy who is President and CEO of Altinex, and the developer of AVSnap! And when I call, there are some nice people who answer the phones as well. Further, Grant Cossey, Altinex’ vice president of sales, is familiar with my part of the world and is always willing to chat to ensure I’m well taken care of.”
