September 17, 2009, ST. LOUIS – The final piece of the nation’s largest operating room renovation project is now complete with the installation of Barnes-Jewish Hospital’s “Hybrid OR,” allowing both vascular and cardiac surgical procedures to be done in one single room for patients.

At 800 square feet, the Hybrid room is the size of two regular operating rooms in Barnes-Jewish’s Cardiothoracic OR in the Southwest Tower and will be home to many unique cardiovascular cases.

“It really brings the best of both worlds of cardiac surgery, vascular and medicine together in one room,” says Colleen Becker, RN, director of perioperative services at Barnes-Jewish Hospital. 

(View image of Hybrid OR)

Cases previously performed in the cardiac catheterization lab that may be better suited to an operating room setting will now be performed in the Hybrid OR.

“While some procedures can be done in cardiac catheterization labs, that’s not a surgical environment with the same type of sterile environment, so to bring the collaborative care into this area is innovative,” says Colleen Becker, RN, director of perioperative services at Barnes-Jewish Hospital.  “If we need to convert to surgery for a full surgical case, we can do that as all of the staff, equipment, materials and supplies are present .

The Hybrid room is distinguished by a green light across the top of the walls creating a virtual crown molding of light.  It helps with one of the room’s innovations in fixed fluoroscopy, imaging providing real-time, moving radiologic images.

“That means we can get very definitive images of blood vessels, heart valves, parts of the heart and parts of the patients vessels all through their abdomen, legs, or neck,” says Becker.  “Physicians can get a much clearer, more definitive image of what they’re looking at and can do diagnosis and treatment together in that room.” 

Also, more minimally invasive procedures can be performed in the room.

“For example, abdominal aneurysm repair in the past historically were large procedures with open incisions, these patients now it’s through a stick in an artery at the top of the leg,” says Becker.  “This room allows patients to have the same procedure, only much less invasively.”  Some cardiac valve replacement surgeries can also be performed with a minimally invasive approach in this operative suite. 

The renovation of operating rooms at Barnes-Jewish began in 2005.  It’s estimated the Hybrid OR will see about 350 cases annually.