Baxter Hosts 2022 Digital Surgery Summit: Reimagining Connected Surgery

 Inspiring surgical innovation for patient care based on connectivity

SINGAPORE, Aug. 30, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- Baxter International Inc. recently held the 2022 Digital Surgery Summit themed Reimagining Connected Surgery on 9 July in Singapore to accelerate innovation in the field. The summit united international experts to share their vision of future surgical solutions that empower surgeons to provide more efficient, cost-effective and scalable services in such dynamic times. 

The summit's agenda was packed with sessions delivered by notable speakers Dr. Zubin Daruwalla, Dr. Rafael Grossman, Prof. Shafi Ahmed, Dr. Alexander Yip, Prof. Bodo Kress, Dieter Ceglarz, David Vu, and Dr. Gao Yujia brought together to accelerate surgical innovation and shape the future of surgeries in the operating room (OR).

Surgical care in ORs account for a third of all healthcare spending and about half of aggregate inpatient hospital costs. However, what stands in the way of surgical care in ORs are challenges such as perioperative care and other procedural workflow obstacles that could lead to inefficiencies in the OR¹. An estimated 16% of patients admitted to the OR are thought to be affected by medical errors, where 50% of these occur during surgical procedures. While such incidents can result in patient harm, health professionals may also be recognized as secondary victims of medical errors and are susceptible to experiencing emotional distress and depression similar to post-traumatic stress disorder².

As the average operating cost of OR time is $36-37 per minute, it is essential to ensure surgical efficiency, strong throughput and optimal patient outcomes³. Furthermore, simply bringing technology into the OR is not enough; workflow efficiency requires equal attention. Baxter is dedicated to bridging the gap between care and technology by providing data-driven insights with its Helion Integrated Surgical System, capable of offering surgeons easy and swift access to data and persons inside and outside the OR for better teaching, communication, recording and storing.

"Baxter is driven by patient-centered care. Across specialties, the future of surgery will involve more technology, data and integrated environments. We continuously innovate to develop breakthrough solutions to enable clinically relevant insights for reproducibility and predictability of procedures," said Christopher Dee, Associate Director Connected Care, APAC, Baxter. "We believe technology and innovation will better clinical objectives and enable accurate diagnoses, earlier intervention and shorter recovery periods for patients."

Though conventional treatments remain widely practised today, it is likely that the incorporation of AI and VR technology will expand and improve treatment results and in time become the standard of care. One of the most prominent surgical evolutions over the years is the rise in minimally invasive surgeries (MIS), particularly in robotic-assisted surgeries (RAS) and image-guided procedures.

"My key message for this event is that we focus on three things: patient centricity, connectivity, and collaboration. At the end of the day, we will unlock the maximum value for everybody," concluded Dr. Zubin Daruwalla, doctorpreneur, futurist, thought leader and PwC Singapore health industries leader.

Learn more about our surgical solutions.

About Baxter 

Every day, millions of patients, caregivers and healthcare providers rely on Baxter's leading portfolio of diagnostic, critical care, kidney care, nutrition, hospital and surgical products used across patient homes, hospitals, physician offices and other sites of care. For 90 years, we've been operating at the critical intersection where innovations that save and sustain lives meet the healthcare providers who make it happen. With products, digital health solutions and therapies available in more than 100 countries, Baxter's employees worldwide are now building upon the company's rich heritage of medical breakthroughs to advance the next generation of transformative healthcare innovations. To learn more, visit www.baxter.com and follow us on Twitter, LinkedIn and Facebook.

References:

1. National Library of Medicine; https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC6586534/, Jan 2021.
2. Serou, N., Slight, S., Husband, A., Forrest, S. and Slight, R., 2020. Surgical incidents and their impact on operating theatre staff: qualitative study. BJS Open, 5(2).
3. Children CP, Maggard-Gibbons M. Understanding cost of care in the operating room. JAMA Surgery.2018; 153^4th: e176233-.DOI: 10.1001/jamasurg.2017.6233

CONTACT INFORMATION

Investor Relations
Contact: Clare Trachtman, Vice President, Investor Relations
Phone: +1 312 819 9387
Email: sullivc@baxter.com

Media
Contact: Bella Ling, Senior Director of Communications, APAC & Greater China
Phone: +86 136 4196 2389
Email: Bella.ling@baxter.com