High-tech new operating rooms ready for patients

Two new, high-tech operating rooms were unveiled at Fresno Heart & Surgical Hospital this month, providing ideal amenities and features for minimally-invasive surgeries.

Each suite features a surgery system that includes 40-inch, high-definition plasma screens and three video displays. Touch-screen technology allows the operating room staff to display current EKG, blood pressure and heart rate information as well as prior imaging studies for comparison. The monitors also have picture-in-picture capability so physicians can see both the laparoscopic view (from outside the organs) and endoscopic view (from inside the organs) at the same time.

Special overhead surgical lights are designed to emit minimal heat and reduce shadows. Cameras inside the overhead lights and hand-held wands inserted into the body capture video and still images that are displayed on the operating room monitors for immediate evaluations.

For teaching purposes, cameras allow surgeries to be shown to physicians around the world. Surgeons can view pathology reports and imaging from patients’ files at remote locations.

Such features are designed to allow surgeons to perform operations in less time, shorten the time patients are under anesthesia and maximize outcomes.

“Minimally invasive surgery is becoming the gold standard in surgical care and the latest  technology in the new operating suites helps Fresno Heart & Surgical Hospital and its physicians stay at the forefront of health care services,” said Dr. Keith Boone, who specializes in bariatric and general surgery.

The new surgery suites are designed for such minimally-invasive procedures as bariatric weight-loss surgery, gall bladder and hernia repairs, GERD (gastroesophageal reflux disease) surgery and select cardiac procedures.

Construction of these suites is part of an $8.3 million expansion project at Fresno Heart & Surgical that has been mostly completed. New surgical recovery rooms opened this fall, and a 144-seat education center is expected to be completed by November.

The new operating rooms allow the hospital known for its hotel-like atmosphere and customer service to perform up to 2,400 more surgeries a year, doubling its previous numbers.

“These new operating rooms help meet the needs of the community, as the existing operating rooms are at capacity as a result of the hospital diversifying its surgical services in addition to its foundational cardiac services,” said Wanda Holderman, Fresno Heart & Surgical CEO.

This story was reported by Eddie Hughes. He can be reached at eddieh@communitymedical.org.

Wednesday, September 17, 2008