Operating Room Control Panel: Central Control from One Touch Interface

What central OR control does

Without central control, each device has its own remote or panel: the light, the camera, the room lighting, the table and the video routing. Staff must move between them, and mistakes happen under pressure. A central control panel gathers these functions so that a single interface controls the room.

The benefits are practical: faster start-up and turnover, fewer cables and remotes, consistent room scenes for different procedures, and a single place to select which source appears on which display.

Central control also supports teaching and documentation. When the same interface routes video to a recording point or to a conference stream, the team does not need a separate technician in the room, and the setting used for each procedure can be repeated from one case to the next. Such repeatability is difficult to achieve with a collection of separate remotes.

The OpenOR approach

Lojer OpenOR is described as an operating room management and AV system that connects video and audio sources, medical devices and room functions such as lighting and ventilation, and shows them on monitors or info screens. Its single interface covers video, audio, devices, lighting and ventilation.

The interface is available in the user's own language and can be used from tablets. The architecture is open, so devices from any manufacturer can be integrated, and the modular design lets a hospital start with the AV system and add features later. Ask for a live demonstration on your own workflow.

Sterile and non-sterile control

Think about who needs to control what. The surgeon may want to switch a video source or adjust a display from the sterile field without breaking asepsis, while the circulating nurse runs room settings and the anaesthetist views patient data. Check how each role is served, whether a sterile-covered or wall-mounted interface is offered, and how tablet use is handled for cleaning and infection control.

Confirm how the system behaves if the control layer fails. The room must remain safe and usable with the local controls on each device, so ask the supplier to demonstrate fallback operation.

How to specify an OR control panel

Write the specification as scenarios, not features: start a laparoscopic case, switch to open, show imaging from PACS, record a segment, end the case. For each scenario list the devices, the sources, the displays and the steps. This gives the supplier a clear target and gives you a way to test at handover.

• List the devices to be controlled and who maintains each driver.
• Define the number of sources, displays and recording points.
• State the languages, user roles and access rules.
• Specify cleaning requirements for each interface.
• Define acceptance tests and training, and fallback behaviour.

Integration with the wider hospital

A central panel is only the surface of an integration project. Behind it are video routing, network and storage, and links to hospital systems; OpenOR is described as communicating with HIS, BMS and PACS. For background, read our guide to choosing an integration system and the article on HIS and PACS connectivity.

To see how central control would work in your rooms, contact Beckfinity to arrange a technical discussion.