Broward Health Medical Center (BHMC) has just completed construction of its hybrid operating room, a high-tech addition that offers patients and physicians the benefit of a “one stop shop” for cardiac and minimally invasive procedures.By combining the capabilities of a traditional operating room, an interventional radiology department, and a cardiac catheterization lab, the Hybrid OR offers a unique diagnostic and operative environment with the most advanced imaging technology. The 1,600 square foot room – double the size of a traditional operating room – offers physicians greater mobility and provides the flexibility for equipment to be moved into and around the room as needed.
The Hybrid OR allows physicians and surgeons across different specialties, including cardiologists, anesthesiologists, cardiac surgeons, and radiologists, to work together in the same room. It contains state-of-the-art surgical equipment to enable the delivery of “the safest, most effective care for patients,” said Dr. Kenneth Herskowitz, medical director of cardiovascular and thoracic surgery at BHMC.
Physicians will be able to integrate images taken while a procedure is being performed with information from a patient’s previous images. Having imaging and surgical capabilities in the same space eliminates the need to transfer patients to different areas within the hospital for treatment.
The new Hybrid OR accommodates diagnostic tests and a full range of invasive and non-invasive therapeutic procedures. In the future, the room will also be utilized by other clinical services including trauma
