People involved
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Operation Simple works to create new healthcare possibilities for developing countries through innovative, cost-effective equipment.
Developing countries lack adequate medical equipment to treat patients. Many underdeveloped nations, such as Bangladesh, are overcrowded and impoverished allowing for disease and corruption to plague millions. Natural phenomenons and disasters place heavier burdens on countries where hospitals are already operating under intense conditions with extremely limited funds. With merely wooden planks for a surgical table, a standard $80,000 American surgical table is out of reach for hospitals in these developing nations. As a result, there is a desperate need for low-cost surgical equipment that can meet the demands of an ever-changing environment.
Operation Simple comprises of an interdisciplinary team who collaborated to design and develop a $500 surgical table to meet the needs of hospitals in developing countries such as Bangladesh. In 2009, Operation Simple constructed a working prototype, created an identity system and innovative packaging solution, and developed a comprehensive business plan to fulfill the need for low-cost, accessible surgical tables in developing countries.
Compatible with standard surgical tables, the Operation Simple surgical table solution accommodates 80% of general surgeries by adjusting in a range of movements including vertical height adjustment, trendelenburg motion, and segmentation adjustment. Using readily available, low-cost hardware, such as a scissor jack and pin locks, the $500 table is completely manual and does not require electricity to operate. Likewise, the table is collapsible and comes ready-to-assemble within a convenient 24-inch cube. Complete with accompanying mass-produced, simple screw-and-bolt hardware, the table can be assembled in four easy steps within a matter of minutes.
The table is comprised of four major components including the base support, scissor jack, axle housing, and bed segments. The base support of the table utilizes telescoping poles and a cross design to provide motion and overall stability to the table during its adjustment and use. The telescoping poles of the base support allow the axle housing to freely move up and down while table remains stable.
The height of the entire table can be adjusted vertically using the scissor jack, a common, mass- produced, cost-effective, and durable part. The scissor jack easily secures to the base support and axle housing with bolts that are pre-installed. With a vertical adjustment from 32 to 42 inches, the Operation Simple surgical table solution is consistent with top-of-the-line surgical tables and standards of human metrics, therefore accommodating nearly every patient and doctor.
The trendelenburg motion of the table is controlled using a pin lock in the axle housing. By pulling the spring-loaded pin out, the table is free to rotate on the axle and the entire table can be positioned from head-to-toe both before and during surgeries in nine locking positions within a range of degree resolutions from -32o to +32o.
The bed top is divided into four segments addressing the head, torso, and leg sections. Each segment can be individually locked and positioned with hand-pull pin locks in five positions: -90o, -45o, 0o, +45o, and +90o. As stated before, the surgical table is in line with standard surgical tables accommodating 80% of general surgeries; the Operation Simple design accommodates 90% of patients and doctors in both the table’s vertical adjustment and bed segmentation aspects.
By using mechanical mechanisms, the scissor jack, locking axle, and bed segments are manually controlled and therefore, as previously mentioned, require no electric power to operate, a huge benefit in the poorest of conditions. Likewise, the use of common, mass-produced parts and hardware not only lowers cost but also allows for easy repairs.
Currently, the base support and the other core components of the table are made from plain carbon steel. Implementing a metal coating to the steel surfaces will prevent rust and corrosion, providing a durable, cost-effective, and readily available material solution for the table’s construction. Closed cell foam like Ethylene-vinyl acetate (EVA) provides a supportive yet cushioning top for the bed’s segments; likewise, the material deters mold and mildew buildup within the hot, wet, and humid environment that often affects developing countries.
The originality of Operation Simple’s surgical table lies in the collapsible, ready-to-assemble, and adaptable aspect of the design. As aforementioned, the table is uniquely packaged and shipped in a compact 24-inch cube, which is nearly one-sixth the size of the average surgical table shipping crate; the shipping of the table is also included in its $500 price. The cross design and telescoping poles of the base support allow the axle housing and its corresponding poles to nest for packaging and shipping. The scissor jack can be tucked inside the base support cavity while the table’s bed segments fold to encase the configured parts in a compact and efficient packaging solution.
The cubic packaging design allows for cost-effective and convenient transportation. Utilizing standard shipping containers, the cube maximizes the space available allowing 96 tables to be shipped in a single container. Likewise, the dimensions of the cube accommodate palate sizes across the world and maximize their space potential. In developing countries where bicycles are the primary mode of transportation, the Operation Simple cube allows for the table to be secured to the back of a bicycle for convenience in delivery and portability, much like the flat-packed boxes of ready-to-assemble furniture that accommodate automobile roof racks. The cube’s concise dimensions also meet(s) airline baggage restrictions allowing the table to be easily transported for humanitarian operations by doctors on mission trips to developing countries.
The Operation Simple surgical table is a critical response to the need for adequate medical supplies in developing countries. This low-cost, collapsible table utilizes common, mass-produced parts to accommodate 90% of doctors and patients and 80% of general surgeries by performing/accomplishing (a range of movements including) vertical height adjustment, trendelenburg motion, and segmentation adjustment. The table’s four parts are packaged within a 24-inch cube and can be (easily) assembled in minutes (with simple hardware). The (table’s unique, collapsible) design allows for portability during natural disasters or (in) humanitarian operations. The design also serves (both) dental and optical procedures thus furthering the table’s application in addition to (its goal of) improving the conditions of hospitals in developing countries.
Operation Simple’s mission is to provide affordable, efficient medical tools to developing communities. As a profit-driven but socially-minded company, Operation Simple is uniquely positioned to provide a demanded product to a quickly growing market. With continued outreach to small medical mission groups and active pursuit of large relief organizations, Operation Simple has a sustainable model. Support for Operation Simple promises both economic return for investors, but mostly social betterment for the communities that need it most.
