Construction at VGH to transform Operating Room (OR) 1 into a state-of-the-art hybrid OR is on schedule and nearing completion. In November, Vancouver Coastal Health’s first hybrid OR will open for its first case.

A combination — or hybrid —of an interventional radiology suite and a leading-edge operating room, the VGH hybrid OR will support image-guided surgery and save critical time when life is hanging in the balance.

“The hybrid OR will be equipped to match our world-class surgical expertise and will help us provide the highest quality care for the most complex cases in BC,” says Dr. Stephen Ho, Radiology.

The future of surgery

Supporting advanced and minimally invasive techniques for the diagnosis and treatment of vascular and cardiac diseases and conditions, the hybrid OR represents the future of surgery.

“Less invasive image-guided procedures are replacing open vascular surgery and the hybrid OR will provide us the optimal environment and technology to perform these procedures for even better patient outcomes,” says Dr. Keith Baxter, Vascular Surgery.

September 2016: Our new hybrid OR will be ready for installation of imaging and ceiling-mounted booms soon.

Thanks to sophisticated real-time imaging in the hybrid OR, many patients undergoing minimally invasive procedures can expect faster recoveries, less surgical scarring, less pain and shorter hospital stays.

The hybrid OR will benefit a wide range of patients, including those suffering from blocked arteries and veins, and aortic aneurysms. Patients who’ve experienced complex trauma will benefit as well. Equipped to provide head-to-toe imaging at the surgical table, the hybrid OR will protect precious, life-saving time for critically ill and emergency trauma cases.

“In trauma, time is life and the hybrid OR will reduce the time to get definitive care because we won’t have to transfer patients back and forth between the OR and Radiology,” explains Dr. Naisan Garraway, Trauma Services.

Design features and benefits

This illustration depicts our future hybrid OR as seen from the control room.

Reflecting input from all disciplines destined to work there, the new hybrid OR’s features include:

• A robotic-assisted C-arm with interventional X-ray imaging capable of producing real-time high-definition imaging while exposing patients and staff to less radiation. Easy to manoeuvre, the C-arm enhances ergonomics, enabling the surgical team to work more safely, comfortably and efficiently.

• Flexible radiation shielding on ceiling-mounted booms and, for added protection, surgical teams will be equipped with new dosimeters recording radiation exposure in real time.

• Enhanced lighting and large high-definition monitors, including surgical lights and monitors on ceiling-mounted booms, for improved visualization and flexibility.

• Ceiling-mounted anesthesia and equipment booms to reduce clutter and tripping hazards. To accommodate different patient positions on the surgical table, one anesthesia boom will be installed at each end of the surgical table.

• Nursing desk facing the operating field.

• A control room for the C-arm operator with a window and clear sightline to the radiologist at the surgical table.

Learn more

Meet the architects of our future