Bausch & Lomb Surgical Eyes the Next Millennium Using Echelon’s LNS Operating System

Bausch & Lomb Surgical, formerly Storz Instrument Company, is a leading international manufacturer and distributor of high-quality ophthalmic surgical instruments, surgical and diagnostic equipment, intraocular lens implants, and ophthalmic pharmaceuticals. The firm is a subsidiary of Bausch & Lomb, a global eye care company headquartered in Rochester, New York.

Bausch & Lomb Surgical’s new Storz Millennium Microsurgical System is a modular system that addresses the needs of several eye surgical specialties, including cataract removal, retinal reattachment, glaucoma, and cornea repair. The Millennium’s advanced surgical features include new pump technology for either a flow or vacuum-based aspiration system from the eyes, high-performance ultrasound delivery for cataract removal, a dual light source, and electric scissors. According to Mike Bisch, an engineering project leader, “The high-end ophthalmic equipment we design must last up to 10 years and meet the ongoing needs of ophthalmic surgeons for the most efficient, safe, and advanced surgical devices available.” He notes that one of the key design goals for the Millennium was to develop a system that could easily incorporate new features. “We wanted to provide the latest technical enhancements without requiring the physicians to replace the entire system.” Another important objective was to substantially reduce the typically high cost of repairs. “A modular solution would allow us to concentrate on the defective module,” explains Bisch. He adds that built-in “plug-and-play” capability would also allow his firm to provide a loaner module to the customer to minimize downtime.

Open LonWorks Network Services Solution Supports Modular System

Bausch & Lomb Surgical selected the LonWorks Network Services (LNS) solution from Echelon as the network operating system for Millenium. The LNS architecture enables interoperable network tools to work together to install, maintain, monitor, and control networks. “We are experts at designing sophisticated medical equipment,” states Bisch. “We needed the same type of design expertise in a communications system.” He notes that Echelon’s LNS products took a lot of the worry out of the development process. “LNS provided the core set of control networking services that we required, allowing us to spend our development time adding the application-specific features valued by our particular customer base.” Echelon’s LNS architecture provided the flexibility needed by Bausch & Lomb Surgical’s engineering team to design the most useful and advanced system for the company’s customers. LNS is used to set up an “on-the-fly” dynamic network configuration that can be tailored to the specific needs of individual installations. In addition, LNS performs all system diagnostic and maintenance functions.

“Our customers can now keep pace with advances in opthalmic surgery”

Bausch & Lomb Surgical developed LNS applications that are clients of the LNS server running on the PC embedded within the Millenium system. These applications use the LNS server to configure all network modules and to maintain a directory of all available functional modules. Peer-to-peer wiring enables modules to share information without having to rely on a central processor. For example, the foot control module can simultaneously send information directly to both the ultrasound handpiece driver module (used for cataract removal) and the user interface module.

Bausch & Lomb used LNS to build an autoconfiguration capability. The company’s customers use customized screens to select desired new features related to one or more of the Millennium’s functional modules. After physical implementation of the module, the autoconfiguration subsystem scans the database, senses that the new module has been activated, registers the node, and updates the database. “Without the LNS capabilities, this would not have been possible,” states Bisch. For example, the Millennium provides a choice of aspiration pumps used to draw fluid out of the eye during cataract operations. The system can be configured with a scroll pump (operating in either flow or vacuum mode) or with a venturi aspiration pump for precise control of vacuum aspiration. “The LNS autoconfiguration feature lets us quickly and easily configure the system to meet the preferences of the ophthalmic surgeons,” says Bisch. “For example, LNS can detect the type of pump module on the network, and our software then provides that information to the appropriate customer user interface.” Monitoring and control of the Millennium system is performed by Bausch & Lomb’s customized LNS-based software. The network produces error messages as alerts on the physicians’ screens prior to surgery. For example, a foot control module controls the specific parameters of handheld tools during surgery. The surgeon can vary the power of these tools by simple foot movements on the foot control. The system alerts the surgeon if the foot control unit is not plugged into the system. Through its ability to load new data into network devices, the LNS architecture also offers an opportunity to provide software enhancements to the customers. “Surgeons are constantly refining techniques, which sometimes change the established operating parameters or require a new operating function,” comments Bisch. “We can now offer our customers the ultimate in flexibility in a microsurgical system.” He adds that system upgrades and enhancements that previously required factory installation can now be performed at the customer’s site.

The Millenium also includes an integral motorized intravenous (IV) pole. The system uses the Neuron Chip’s built-in device driver software to directly control the stepper motor that powers the IV pole, so that the saline solution bags can be easily raised or lowered.

Design Team Realizes its Vision for a High-Performance, Low-Cost System

The open architecture of Echelon’s LNS solution enables Bausch & Lomb Surgical to fulfill the promise of its Millennium Microsurgical System. “The modular design lets our customers keep pace with major advances in ophthalmic surgery,” comments Bisch. “Each Millennium can be configured to the exact requirements of the surgeon, maximizing flexibility for individual surgical facilities while keeping costs down.”

“We anticipate that repair costs will be slashed in half over the life of the system.”

The modular design also greatly reduces repair costs. Echelon’s LNS products support a plug-and-play capability, so that individual modules can be repaired with-out affecting the entire system. “The health care facility incurs expenses only for the individual modules to be repaired or replaced,” says Bisch. As a result, he anticipates that repair costs will be slashed in half over the life of the system. The cost savings can be huge. For example, repairing an individual module only requires shipping a 5-pound module versus an entire 60-pound system. The difference in standard overnight rates (from St. Louis to Research Triangle Park in North Carolina, for example) between shipping an entire system weighing 60 pounds versus a single five-pound module is $200. If 10 percent of the modules require repair over a one-year period, then the savings in shipping costs for every 1,000 systems (assuming 6 modules each) is well over $100,000. The freedom to configure the Millennium with only the modules needed at any particular time also provides an economical solution to customers’ surgical needs. In addition, Bausch & Lomb realizes significant savings that help substantially raise overall revenues for the company. “Before, an entire system had to make the round trip to the factory for the upgrade,” emphasizes Bisch. “An average shipping charge of $650 for a system to be upgraded or repaired was an excessive burden to place on our customers.” The LNS-based Millennium also greatly reduces downtime for Bausch & Lomb’s customers, since replacement modules can be easily and quickly installed. Many system upgrades and enhancements that previously required factory installation can now be performed on-site. “This approach takes only minutes versus about four days for both shipping and upgrade tasks under the old approach,” says Bisch. The open architecture will be especially beneficial to Bausch & Lomb Surgical customers as the company continues to expand worldwide.

PDF version