DOVIDEQ medical can make keyhole surgeries with endoscopes even safer by means of light cable tester

DOVIDEQ medical can make keyhole surgeries with endoscopes even safer by means of light cable tester

Partly thanks to the investment of PPM Oost, Deventer company is able to save on healthcare expenses in hospitals worldwide by means of ScopeControl and GuideControl

DOVIDEQ medical can now make keyhole surgeries with rigid endoscopes even safer for patients and save on healthcare expenses. In addition to the ScopeControl to inspect endoscopes, the Deventer company has now developed the GuideControl to test the accompanying light cables for possible flaws. Together with the Zeeuwse InvesteringsFonds, participation company PPM Oost invests in DOVIDEQ to sell both innovations internationally to more hospitals. 

Both test devices can be used by hospitals in the central sterile services department (CSSD). Here, all the instruments are cleaned, inspected and sterilised after surgery before the next use. The ScopeControl is the only test device in the world that inspects the optical quality of endoscopes for image clarity, colouration, light transmittance and viewing angles. The ScopeControl also tests for flaws, residual moisture and broken lenses. The GuideControl quickly and easily checks whether the light cables for the endoscopes still function properly. Without the ScopeControl and GuideControl, surgeons often only discover during surgery that the endoscope doesn't function properly.

Stopping surgeries

Failure of endoscopes leads to surgeries having to be stopped. 'Surgeons and hospitals would like to prevent that,' Bert Dommerholt, director'/owner of Dovideq, says. 'If an endoscope or light cable needs to be replaced, this results in extra costs on the one hand. Additionally, this brings risks for the patient. In acute situations, a surgeon is sometimes forced to decide to open up a patient after all, because there is simply no time to wait for a new endoscope. Thanks to the ScopeControl, we can guarantee with a high degree of certainty that the endoscope functions properly. By adding the GuideControl to this, surgeons also know that the light cables are in order.' 

Dommerholt, who has previously worked at Philips Medical, started the development of the ScopeControl in 2009 together with Menno de Braak, after he'd been approached by hospital St Jansdal in Harderwijk to develop a device that could test endoscopes.

Worldwide sale

The ScopeControl has now been available for a few years and is already used in hospitals from the United States to Australia, in small numbers. The GuideControl has only recently been launched, but the interest of hospitals from all over the world is extensive.  

With the investment of PPM Oost and the Zeeuws InvesteringsFonds, DOVIDEQ  can continue the further development of the GuideControl on the one hand. Additionally, the marketing and sales team is expanded to sell both the light cable tester and the ScopeControl. Dommerholt: 'We receive many glowing reviews from surgeons all over the world. However, the sales processes often take long due to the complicated decision-making at hospitals. We also use the financing to get our devices into operating rooms more quickly via rental, for instance. This allows us to truly make a difference for more patients and demonstrably lower the expenses of more hospitals.' 

Standard endoscopes

DOVIDEQ has expanded its service by gathering the measurement data from the ScopeControl and the GuideControl in the cloud and making this available to the hospitals. No standards apply to endoscopes and the optical values are kept secret by the endoscope manufacturers. By gathering the data of new and used endoscopes worldwide, DOVIDEQ expects to be able to set a standard for endoscopes.