MAQUET opens North America's first VARIOP prefabricated operating su...( Bridgewater N.J. (January 6 2009) M...),Health

Bridgewater, N.J. (January 6, 2009) MAQUET Inc., a subsidiary of the Swedish-based Getinge Group and one of the oldest and largest surgical equipment companies in the world, has announced that it has completed North America's first installation of its advanced, prefabricated VARIOP operating room system in Spartanburg, S.C.

VARIOP now enables hospitals and surgical centers to reconfigure spaces very quickly with minimal disruption, versus what hospitals experience with traditional construction.

MAQUET recently completed the installation of 12 VARIOP operating suites at Spartanburg Regional Medical Center, with 5 more suites scheduled to be completed in 2009. The VARIOP suites are being used by the hospital for procedures ranging from routine surgeries to robotic surgeries. While MAQUET has installed VARIOP at more than 2,000 hospitals globally, this marks the first North American installation.

"VARIOP, for the first time, will allow hospitals to reconfigure operating suites in a short amount of time, which significantly reduces downtime and disruption from construction effects," said Kevin Gilroy, Senior Business Development Director for MAQUET. "VARIOP's incredible flexibility allows for installation in spaces of different sizes, giving hospitals the ability to easily modify or upgrade the operating rooms as newer technology becomes available. VARIOP, therefore, has the potential to save hospitals a significant amount of money."

VARIOP contains a number of features not usually found in traditional operating rooms, including:

• Suspended metal ceilings for quick installation of products such as ambient room lights, air conditioning equipment or ceiling mounted medical equipment
• Sliding doors that create much less air turbulence than swing doors, and provide for more efficient use of space in the OR
• Special-purpose, easy-to-clean wall elements that shield against x-rays, protect against fire a
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