Cisco Cisco Energy Management for Data Centers Information Guide

Business Challenge

University Hospitals (UZ) Leuven provides medical and paramedical services

to ambulant and hospitalized patients at five campuses. The hospital is deeply

committed to delivering high-quality care and creating a better, safer environment

for patients. In addition to becoming recognized as a leading research center, UZ

Leuven sought, and received, accreditation from the Joint Commission International

(JCI) an external, independent organization that accredits approximately 90 percent

of hospitals in the United States. UZ Leuven is the first Belgian hospital to achieve

this distinction, which acknowledges its focus on quality of care and patient safety.

As part of its commitment to state-of-the-art medical care, UZ Leuven wanted

an IT infrastructure that leveraged the latest technology to help staff work more

quickly and effectively and provide secure access to patient records and medical

applications in a paperless environment. But it did not want to increase the drain on

its power circuits, or the number of cords and outlets in rooms that were already

packed with electrical equipment. Electrical cords can be hazardous in healthcare

settings, with people tripping over multiple cords on the floor, cords getting caught

in other equipment and possibly fraying, and wall sockets growing loose with

improper use. UZ Leuven also wanted to help ensure compliance with IEC 60601

standards for the safety and effectiveness of medical electrical equipment.

“For patient safety, the network cable and the electrical power to equipment located

near the patient in critical care areas must have the same ground potential,” says

Reinoud Reynders, ICT manager at UZ Leuven. “A difference in potential can

generate a micro current, which can be fatal to a patient in critical condition. With

electrical current and network coming from the same source, the potential is the

same, and the risk is eliminated.”

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Case Study

EXECUTIVE SUMMARY

Customer Name

UZ Leuven

(University Hospitals Leuven)

Industry:

Healthcare

Location:

Leuven, Belgium

Number of Employees:

8,500

Number of Beds:

2,000

Business Challenge

• Deliver easy, secure access to online

patient records and medical systems

• Support better patient care by

increasing number of access points in

intensive care and operating rooms

• Maintain high level of safety within

critical care environments

Network Solution

• Deployed virtual desktop infrastructure

built on Cisco Catalyst 4500E

Switches with Cisco Universal Power

Over Ethernet (Cisco UPOE) and

Samsung zero clients, powering clients

and screens over IP network

Business Results

• Enhanced patient care by allowing

medical professionals to access

multiple systems simultaneously

• Improved safety and system

management by reducing number

of cords in intensive care and

operating rooms

• Supported scalability and expansion

within existing power infrastructure