NOAC for fatigue-free operations from Hellstern Medical

Noac was developed together with surgeons for multidisciplinary use in the operating room and is thus completely geared to the needs of surgeons. Surgeons can move into any desired position thanks to a sensor-controlled system that optimally adjusts to all body dimensions. This not only relieves the leg muscles, but also the upper body up to 100 %. The automatic control follows the body movement and is hands-free - at no time do the sterile instruments have to be removed from the hand. The patent-pending holding system provides optimum support for the user. In addition to very short set-up times, noac ensures full concentration on the patient during the entire operation thanks to its relief effect. The highlight: thanks to its Mecanum wheels, noac can move completely freely in two dimensions - similar to a hovercraft. It is the new freedom in the operating room. Surgeons, fasten your seat belts, you will float.

noac is a win-win-win situation: The new OR assistance not only benefits surgeons, patients and clinics also profit massively. It is the workplace of the future, uniquely combining indispensable health for surgeons with better OR quality for patients and demonstrable profitability for clinics.

Health for surgeons

• Power maintenance during surgery and throughout the day
• Pain prevention
• more quality of life
• more satisfaction
• more attractive workplace

Quality for patients

• Fewer treatment errors
• higher quality of the OP
• last patient same quality as first patient
• Shorter OP times

Profitability for clinics

• Fewer treatment errors
• Better operating room utilization
• More attractive employer for young surgeons and high potentials
• better image

Hellstern medical GmbH is based in Wannweil in the district of Reutlingen and was briefly involved in manufacturing facial visors last year to help doctors and nurses in hospitals when the market for protective equipment was completely empty. However, the company is now fully focused again on creating the workplace of the future for surgeons. CEO Sabrina Hellstern is working with a team of medical, mechanical and information engineers to develop the Surgeon Support System NOAC. This system uses intelligent motion capture to hold the surgeon in any desired position at the operating table. In an interdisciplinary randomized crossover study with physician volunteers, NOAC was shown to put an end to back pain for surgeons.

Surgery raises many questions for the patient: Will I tolerate the anesthesia? What complications could arise during the operation? What will the healing process be like? Especially in the case of long and complex operations, there is another factor that has been rather neglected so far, as Sabrina Hellstern, CEO and founder of Hellstern medical GmbH, explains. She says: "In two-thirds of all operations, surgeons have to adopt unnatural postures that inevitably lead to fatigue and pain. As a result, 40 percent of them take painkillers on a regular basis." Doctors actually work with state-of-the-art instruments in operating rooms, surrounded by cables and monitors. But they themselves often have to remain bent and stretched over the patient for hours at a time. "This not only leads to fatigue and pain, but ultimately to loss of concentration and performance, which can lead to errors during surgery," Hellstern explains. As a former employee of a medical technology manufacturer in the field, she specifically asked doctors and learned that in order to operate on a curved spine or a brain aneurysm, the highly qualified specialists often have to stand on a simple metal stool at the operating table for ten hours. This situation is intolerable and leads to bottlenecks in healthcare in the long term, as experienced surgeons retire early and positions remain unfilled. The accident insurance funds and employers' liability insurance associations have also recognized that the ergonomic situation in the operating room needs to be improved, and for years have been calling for facilitators such as height-adjustable seating or standing aids. So far, however, the products available on the market have not provided the desired relief because they are too inflexible and restrictive.

The NOAC exoskeleton from Hellstern Medical is a medical industrial product that is primarily used indoors. It is suitable for the upper body, lower body and hips and supports the back, legs, shoulders, neck and arms. The exoskeleton allows standing and sitting as well as frontal movement. It is powered by electricity and has a weight of 250 kg. The product is used in medicine, especially surgery. It is not equipped with AI and can be used by people with a height of 160 to 195 cm. The exoskeleton is dust and water resistant and can be used at a maximum temperature of 40 degrees. The retail price is EUR 88,000 net, and the product is sold in Europe. There is no minimum purchase required. The exoskeleton requires regular maintenance and has a CE mark,