Sheikh Khalifa Medical City Reaches New Frontiers of Technology with Inauguration of Gulf's First ‘Smart' IV Room

SKMC is a pioneer of state-of-the-art Services to Patients - Deputy CEO

Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates: Sheikh Khalifa Medical City (SKMC) has reached new frontiers of technology, with its implementation of an open architecture smart cleanroom (IV room

According to the supplier of the technology, SKMC is the first hospital in the Gulf to implement the smart IV room, which was inaugurated today by SKMC and SEHA management.

SKMC, managed by Cleveland Clinic, is part of the SEHA HealthSystem and owned and operated by Abu Dhabi Health Services Company PJSC (SEHA), which is responsible for the curative activities of all the public hospitals and clinics in the Emirate of Abu Dhabi.

Among other uses, the smart IV room will be used to prepare total parenteral nutrition (TPN), an intravenous administration of nutrition which can include protein, carbohydrate, fat, minerals and electrolytes, vitamins and other trace elements for patients who cannot eat or absorb enough food through tube feeding formula to maintain good nutrition. Essentially, TPN is a way of supplying all the nutritional needs of the body by bypassing the digestive system and dripping nutrient solution directly into a vein.

While preparing TPNs, unique to each individual, the process must be carefully managed in a sterile environment to protect patient health and avoid infection, disability and even death. The smart IV room offers real time 24/7 communication with operators on the room status, cleanliness level, particle count and crucial environmental information such as temperature, relative humidity and differential pressure.

TPN’s prepared in a non USP <797> certified room are not recommended for use for more 24 hours but with this technology, the length of time extends up to seven days, according to Rafik Youssef, Pharmacy Manager at SKMC.

“Patients requiring TPN are usually restricted in terms of mobility and being able to travel, because they must come back to the hospital every day. Now, with the smart IV room technology and sterility capabilities, patients can prolong that to seven days, giving them a sense of a freedom that they didn’t have before,” Youssef said.

Mother of two year old Emirati boy Hamed Al Mansoori, who has been a TPN patient all of his short life, applauded the Abu Dhabi-based flagship hospital for bringing world-class technology to residents: “We knew that this kind of service and technology existed internationally, and we are extremely happy to have access to it here in the UAE.”

“SKMC’s philosophy is ‘Patients First’, and we are happy to have the latest technology to ensure the highest quality of life for our patients. The smart IV room ushers in a new age of patient care and protection in the UAE, and the Gulf, and we continue to be a pioneer of state-of-the-art services to patients,” said Dr. Aref Al Shehhi, Deputy Chief Executive Officer, SKMC.

The smart IV room was conceived according to the newest specifications and in accordance with current regulations,