Knowledge that moves – Dialogue between clinic and development at Löwenstein Medical.
Interview with Prof. (Ret.) Dr. Rolf Schlößer
Please briefly introduce yourself.
My name is Rolf Schlößer, and until the end of 2023, I was head of the Neonatology Department at the Children’s Hospital of the University Hospital Frankfurt am Main. Neonatology has always been my favorite area of pediatrics since my training as a pediatrician. I have over 35 years of experience in the development of this field to look back on. I’ve been familiar with Löwenstein Medical since the late 1980s in Bochum, and even more so since the 1990s in Frankfurt. This was partly because there were only a few suppliers of medical devices in my field, and partly because I had always been impressed by the very personal way the company’s staff provided support – all the way up to the CEO.
To me, the dialogue with engineers, technicians, and makers has always been very important – just as much as the exchange of knowledge between us users and the developers. Many of our requests, especially those regarding the ventilators, were seized upon and implemented wherever possible.
Professor Emeritus Dr. Rolf Schlößer
Please explain to our readers which Löwenstein Medical products you work with and how long you’ve been working with them.
In recent years, there have been continuous developments in thermal therapy with incubators and warming beds, and especially in ventilators. In addition, we were able to design an intensive care transport incubator together with the company, tailored to our very specific needs at the hospital and in the city of Frankfurt.
What do you particularly appreciate about Löwenstein products as a user?
The dialogue with the engineers, technicians, and makers of the company has always been very important to me. The exchange of knowledge between us users and the developers at Löwenstein Medical was extremely valuable. Many of our requests, especially regarding ventilators, were actively considered. At the same time, we were always able to receive the technicians’ ideas in a relaxed atmosphere.
What is especially important to you beyond the product itself?
The aforementioned dialogue and the very simple and quick implementation of ideas for new devices have always been important to me. In addition, the repair service was always very reliable – even on weekends. It is particularly noteworthy that the contact people did not change frequently, which is always an advantage for users.
Were there any specific challenges in implementing the Löwenstein products at your hospital?
Of course, financing new equipment for the wards is the biggest challenge. I was fortunate that I never had to fight too hard to acquire equipment when I could convince the hospital’s CFO of their necessity and/or purpose. Fundraising also played a significant role in financing. Donations came from grateful parents and parent associations, as well as foundations, or from fundraising campaigns organized by the ward team itself.
What makes neonatology so special in the clinical setting, and why do you think Löwenstein’s solutions fit so well in this context?
Pediatrics is certainly a special field within medicine, and treating sick newborns is even more so. Even when treatment protocols are well established, new ideas are always needed to improve them further. In intensive care, which is a large part of neonatology, you have to adapt to changing situations every single day. This requires many people with very different skills. In the case of ventilation, for example, these are the technicians and engineers who have knowledge of human physiology. In a way, they always felt like part of the team.
Please complete the sentence, “My first thought when I hear Löwenstein Medical is ...
… Dialogue at eye level.”
Professor Schlößer, thank you very much for the interview.
