Stryker’s 1488 Endoscopic Camera a ‘game changer’ for healthcare

The market for medical technology is fiercely competitive and facing mounting challenges. According to the Ernst & Young Pulse of the Industry report: “The medical technology sector is weathering a perfect storm caused by three concurrent trends: the move towards value-based healthcare, growing regulatory pressures and resource constraints within the industry itself.” It takes a lot to succeed in this rapidly changing and increasingly demanding environment, but Stryker has broken ahead of the pack with the launch of its 1488 Endoscopic Camera. The camera has set a new standard in the industry, as has been Stryker’s form in this market.

10 million colours analysed and absorbed by the human eye: it’s truly a magnificent achievement – Sevinc Ozdogan, Stryker

Sevinc Ozdogan, Senior European Director for Visualisation at Stryker, credits the company’s vision and innovative approach for all its recent success. “As innovators in medical optics, we understand the power of sight, detail, colour and the strength of clarity that precise engineering brings,” she says. “How can we fix what we can’t see? The fundamental principle of seeing the real picture is what drives us forward and creates our visionary appetite for excellence.”

The new device is part of Stryker’s fourth generation HD video systems, and is the culmination of more than three decades of product evolution. The new 1488 platform is likely to have a huge impact on healthcare practices through the advancement of imaging performance: it should enable better diagnosis and patient outcomes. “Our ability to see and interpret our surroundings in minute detail is one of life’s many wonders,” says Ozdogan. “10 million colours analysed and absorbed by the human eye: it’s truly a magnificent achievement. To see and interact with the world around us is something many of us take for granted, but at Stryker we live and breathe the ability to see. That is what drives us forward and it’s what makes our optics what they are.”

Virtually reality
What sets the 1488 Endoscopic Camera apart from its predecessors is its improved image and advanced colour separation, which provide levels of detail never seen before in an endoscopic camera. The camera is also unique in that it has nine distinct modes to cater for a variety of surgical specialty settings, from laser and microscope, to ENT-Skull and arthroscopy settings. Stryker has pushed the envelope even further by integrating the hardware and software design, ensuring a better overall performance of its products.

“Huge advancements in technology combined with an open mind allow us to see further than the constraints of our industry,” explains Ozdogan. “The use of CMOS chips, found in smartphones and in our cameras, represents a paradigm shift in the way we design and construct medical equipment, enabling better clarity and patient outcomes. How? By making what we see more real, we deliver a realistic vision of the surgery as if it weren’t viewed through a screen at all.”

The medical technology industry values innovation and development more than anything else: there is no place in the market for out-dated products. Stryker aims to design products which continually increase patient safety, and this is the driving force behind its innovative designs. The 1488HD Platform utilises a LED Light Source with Safelight Technology that provides cooler light emissions and incorporates an automatic shut off when the light cord is removed from the scope. It also features tailored camera head options for all specialties, including an integrated camera head and coupler (inline, pendulum and angled) with an Optical Zoom Coupler solution. As a result, the platform is designed to increase patient and caregiver safety, and is customisable to the surgeon’s needs while performing procedures with premium optics.

Seeing clearly
Ozdogan is keen to emphasise that innovation is the name of the game when it comes to Stryker’s future. Even though the 1488 Endoscopic Camera has been a game-changer, the company has no intention of resting on its laurels and instead is already working on their next home-run product. “It’s the ability to really see the detail that creates the perfect environment for a successful patient outcome,” she says. “Will we see other advancements in the future? Yes, of course. But for now, we’re focusing our attention on one thing: clarity. 
We want to create simply the best image in the world for surgeons to see the subject in minute detail. It’s what allows a surgeon to determine tissue, which could be the difference between the complete removal of a tumour or not. This is why, to us, nothing is more important.”

For patients all over the world who rely on technology such as the 1488 Endoscopic Camera to get the best possible outcome in the face of terrifying and potentially lethal diseases, Stryker’s commitment to the continual improvement of its products is inspiring. When an image is the main weapon a surgeon has to tackle a life-threatening tumour, clarity suddenly becomes of the utmost importance. With the 1488, Stryker has provided yet another powerful weapon doctors and surgeons can count on when saving and improving lives.

For more information email: sevinc.ozdogan@stryker.com, or visit stryker.com