Automated sterile supply room at the University Medical Center Schleswig-Holstein, Lübeck Campus

When the newly built University Medical Center Schleswig-Holstein, Lübeck Campus (UKSH) opened its doors in October 2021, it featured an automated central sterilization department developed and installed by Gibotech. An essential part of the central sterilization department is the sterile storage area, where surgical instruments are kept until they are retrieved for use during an operation.

Once the surgical equipment has been cleaned and inspected, it is packed into wire baskets and then registered. A robot stacks the wire baskets and sorts them by weight. The baskets pass through the autoclave and emerge at the sterile storage area.

The sterile warehouse is a so-called “chaotic warehouse,” where conveyor belts and warehouse robots simply place the baskets on an available shelf. Software keeps track of which equipment is located where. This type of warehouse management optimizes storage capacity.

When the equipment is needed for a scheduled surgery, the robot locates the wire basket containing the appropriate surgical instruments and retrieves it from storage. A robot equipped with a specially designed tool places the basket onto a cart. The cart is then transported along a conveyor belt specifically designed for the carts at UKSH Lübeck.

UKSH Lübeck wanted to reduce the physical workload on its staff by eliminating repetitive and monotonous tasks as well as heavy lifting. They achieved this by, among other things, using height-adjustable desks that can be set to the correct ergonomic height for each individual employee.

Another advantage is the ability to manage master data and ensure full traceability throughout the entire process.

We enjoy several benefits from Gibotech’s automated sterilization center and sterile storage facility. The physical workload on our staff has been reduced because we have eliminated some of the heavy, physically demanding tasks. Full traceability of the materials is ensured, and the warehouse is utilized to its full capacity because it is automated. Even though it is a “chaotic warehouse.”

Joss Giese, OP Manager at the University Medical Center Schleswig-Holstein