Charleston VAMC upgrades OR suites with BERCHTOLD surgical equipment to provide Veterans highest level of care

Veterans from every war – from WWII heroes to those returning from Afghanistan – will benefit from recent upgrades at Charleston’s Ralph H. Johnson Veterans Affairs Medical Center (Charleston VAMC).

To add flexibility and efficiency for a variety of patient procedures – including open heart, neurosurgical and orthopedic operations – five state-of-the-art OR (operating room) suites were recently reconfigured with the latest in surgical equipment from local manufacturer BERCHTOLD Corporation.

According to Tonya Lobbestael, public affairs officer for the Charleston VAMC, which was built in 1966, it’s important to keep pace with medical advances and aesthetics to provide the highest levels of patient care and comfort.

Products include BERCHTOLD’s TELETOM equipment, anesthesia and perfusion booms, Chromoview flat panel monitor arms and CHROMOPHARE E Series surgical lights.

Additionally, improvements were made to increase the size of the ORs by approximately 20 percent.

“As the industry leader in medical design and manufacturing, we are proud to be the selected supplier of OR equipment for the VAMC renovations,” said Jim Wetzel, director of marketing and corporate accounts for BERCHTOLD. “Our high quality medical equipment will ensure the outstanding service men and women at the VAMC receive the best care possible.”

BERCHTOLD TELETOM EQUIPMENT Management System
Providing an infrastructure that combines clinical ergonomics with emerging technologies to optimize workflow, the TELETOM systems increase the efficiency of a surgical team and improve patient outcomes. Additionally, TELETOMs are custom-configured to enhance a specific environment and are designed to bring all equipment – for every case – within the staffs’ grasp.

BERCHTOLD E-Series Family
Using a comprehensive array of advanced lighting technologies, BERCHTOLD’s E-Series enhances existing standards in OR lights to offer bigger, brighter, and more uniform spots with best-in-class shadow control and depth of field. BERCHTOLD is the only company in the US market to offer all three major lighting technologies: Premium HID; LED; and BRITe halogen.

“We certainly take an aggressive, proactive approach to continually renovate and update our facilities,” Lobbestael said. “It is very much our privilege to take care of our nation’s heroes.”

About Ralph H Johnson VA Medical Center
The Ralph H. Johnson VA Medical Center is a primary, secondary, and tertiary care facility that serves more than 40,000 Veterans in 15 counties along the South Carolina and Georgia coastline in a main medical center, as well as in one of four community-based outpatient clinics in: Myrtle Beach, SC; Savannah, GA; Beaufort, SC; and Goose Creek, SC. For additional information, visit www.charleston.va.gov.

About BERCHTOLD
Founded in 1922 in Tuttlingen, Germany, BERCHTOLD Corporation’s North American headquarters are located in Charleston, SC. The company designs, manufactures and services a range of products and solutions including SUPERSUITE® Custom Surgical Environments, CHROMOPHARE® Surgical Lights, TELETOM® Equipment Management Systems, PINNACLE CARE Services and OPERON® Surgical Tables. Visit www.berchtold.biz or call 800.243.5135 for more information.