Sentara Norfolk General Hospital has opened a new high-tech operating room with the latest technology that is saving and improving lives of people with vascular disease. This Hybrid Vascular OR (operating room) is the first of its kind in southeast Virginia. Surgeons and Cardiologists at Sentara Heart Hospital are first to begin enrolling and performing trial cases in the AtriCure DEEP AF feasibility trial. The first procedure in the country was performed in a new, state-of-the-art hybrid operating room at Sentara Heart Hospital.
“Hybrid” simply means combining different components together. That’s the concept for developing the Hybrid Vascular OR. Advanced imaging equipment is combined with the technology used for less invasive vascular procedures and the surgical technology required for more invasive, open surgeries to create one operating room where vascular surgeons can perform the full range of vascular treatments – from simple to complex.
Hybrid Vascular Operating Room - Philips Allura FD20 & Skytron LED Surgical Lights
This uniquely designed operating room is much larger than most. The fully-equipped sterile operating room coupled with the skills of the board certified fellowship-trained vascular surgeons and the vascular-trained technicians and nurses, makes it possible for a seamless conversion from a minimally invasive procedure to an open surgery, should the need arise. The Hybrid Vascular OR offers lifesaving advantages for people suffering with vascular disease. The hybrid surgical environemnt allows cardiac surgeons to work more collaboratively with cardiologists, in real time, to offer the greatest depth and breadth of cardiac services in one location.
The Hybrid Vascular OR also allows surgeons to perform less invasive surgery for more people who have complex vascular conditions that can lead to loss of circulation, heart failure and even death, including:
Blockages or clots in veins or arteries
Abnormal narrowing or bulging arteries (thoracic aortic aneurysms, abdominal aortic aneurysms)
High resolution X-ray and CT imaging gives vascular surgeons the ability to see in unprecedented detail what needs to be repaired.
The Hybrid Vascular Operating Room is equipped the latest advanced technologies such as the Philips FD20 CT systems and ceiling mounted LED Surgical Lights and Equipment Booms from Skytron.
The DEEP AF trial, which received approval from the Food and Drug Administration in September 2010, is designed to evaluate the safety and efficacy of a dual epicardial/endocardial procedure (DEEP), or hybrid procedure, to treat atrial fibrillation patients with persistent and long-standing persistent atrial fibrillation. Sentara Heart Hospital is one of only six national centers awarded participation in this pivotal trial. Other medical centers included are Stanford Medical Center, Vanderbilt Heart Institute, University of Virginia, Texas Heart and Baylor.
