The Founder of the Spinefoundation
The founder, Prof. Dr. Karin Büttner-Janz, MBA is internationally recognized in medicine for her invention of the first artificial intervertebral disc, which introduced a new strategy and a new market for the treatment of degenerative disc disease worldwide. She still holds numerous patents for the latest generation of artificial intervertebral discs for the cervical and lumbar spine. She also came to the attention of the world when she became Germany's most successful female athlete at the 1972 Olympic Games in Munich, winning five medals, including two gold medals. From 1990 to 2012, she was Chief Physician of orthopaedic/trauma surgery clinics in Berlin, including the parallel management of two clinics from 2008 to 2012. From 2008 to 2009, she was President of the International Society of Spine Surgeons (SAS, later referred to ISASS).
https://isass.org/about/board-of-directors/karin-buttner-janz-md-germany/
Prof. Dr. Karin Büttner-Janz, MBA established the Spinefoundation in 2012. “The problem of the spine can only be solved in the long term if extensive knowledge and, above all, scientifically sound results are available.” These are the words she uses to describe her foundation's goal. The Professor at Charité - Universitätsmedizin Berlin knows what she is talking about. She can look back on decades of experience in surgical and conservative spinal treatment, on which her current scientific work is based.
In order to make an additional contribution to progress and innovation, particularly in the spine, in agreement with the German Spine Society the Büttner-Janz-DWG Innovation Prize has been awarded since 2023.
Over the past 10 years, Prof. Dr. Karin Büttner-Janz, MBA has focused on the prevention of infections after surgeries. Together with hospital architects and PwC, she has developed a new innovative hospital in which patients are treated centrally with all the associated benefits. The new specialist clinic has infection-repellent architecture and equipment. As a result of the centralization, the scope and range of surgeries are correspondingly large, which leads to more knowledge and experience among all staff groups. This results in a high level of standard and complex surgeries. The necessary technical equipment for surgeries is available throughout - and does not have to be procured at the last minute, uncertain whether it will be complete. Young doctors would benefit for their training as surgeons from being able to get to know the range of normal and complex procedures in such a specialist clinic. Fewer infections would lead to an enormous reduction in suffering for patients and relatives and a considerable reduction in healthcare costs. So far, the Berlin Senate has rejected the new hospital, and the application for inclusion in the hospital plan, although a large German hospital company had already promised to assume all liabilities and obligations years ago. The new innovative hospital could be a suitable blueprint for reducing costs nationwide. The main content of this hospital, which is still relevant today, is presented in Prof. Dr. Karin Büttner-Janz's master's thesis as part of her MBA general management studies.
The background for the new hospital is primarily a multi-year study at a Swiss university, according to which more than half of all post-operative infections in patients with artificial joints, which almost always lead to further surgeries, result from the first surgery. The surgical site infections show up with the typical symptoms and findings either within a few days after the surgery or months or even years later. Another study has shown that during surgery, microorganisms are transferred from people present in the operating room (hereinafter as OR) to the surgical wound area via the OR air and lead to an infection with the same type of microorganisms of these people. It is therefore a question of clean OR air, which can be achieved using appropriate technology in the ORs. An air-dynamically generated protective area can largely prevent the penetration of microorganisms into the wound area during surgery. The surgical team should also wear sterile hoods that completely cover the head and neck. Small OR lights in diameter that do not affect the vertical airflow in the protected area are also required.
Implantations of artificial joints and other operations with a high risk of infection, including those in specialties other than orthopaedics/trauma surgery, are frequently performed in ORs without this protective area throughout Germany, although DIN 1946-4:2018 clearly shows differences between the two main air technologies in use, laminar air flow and mixed ventilation flow. All patients, especially those undergoing surgeries with a high risk of surgical site infection or reduced general state of health, have a right to be operated on in ORs with the safest ventilation technology.
As a member of the German DIN standards committee for heating and ventilation technology, Prof. Dr. Karin Büttner-Janz, MBA is committed to the safest ventilation technology in ORs in order to protect patients from infection and OR staff from illness. She contributes her extensive clinical experience to this voluntary work and works, among other things, to ensure that standards and other technical and scientific texts are generally understandable and can therefore be implemented in day-to-day work.
New Event Format "OR Conference”
Scientific Publications after working as Chief Physician
