A glimpse of the new surgical suites

When we enter surgery, we probably aren’t admiring the room around us. Yet how that room is designed can make a big difference to the surgeon performing the operation.

Is it cramped? Does it have adequate lighting? How good are the infection control measures? Can the surgeon get the information he needs when he needs it?

Operating room design has come a long way in support of the more complex surgeries of today. And in February, Bigfork Valley Hospital will begin using two new surgical suites that offer the best that modern technology has to offer.

They are “state-of–the-art, world class operating rooms,” explained Dr. Dan Baker, orthopedic surgeon at Bigfork Valley, and designed with an eye to giving patients a medical experience of quality care close to home.

What makes an operating room state-of-the-art?

· It’s wired. The Bigfork Valley surgical suites have access to the Internet via a flat plasma wall-mounted screen. Through the new PACS (picture archiving and communication system) being installed in the hospital’s Diagnostic Imaging department, relevant images can be called up as needed.

· It’s efficient. Old operating rooms often had cables crossing the floor and lighting that had a limited range of movement. These rooms have been redesigned with booms extending from the ceiling that allow 360 degrees of movement. These booms hold gases for anesthesia, vacuum and CO2 outlets, and monitors, surgical equipment, electrical outlets and screens. The booms allow connections to be made with ease for minimally invasive surgery.

· It’s sized amply. Orthopedic surgery in particular has a need for extra space for the specialized instruments used. Bigfork Valley has one of the largest operating rooms in the region. Along the walls are cabinets for heating blankets and fluids, and a computer-ready documentation station for surgical nurses.

· It’s surgeon-friendly. Not only are the instruments close at hand, but the flat screens to follow laproscopic and arthroscopic procedures can be pulled down right at the surgeon’s eye level, pointed out Dr. Baker. Those procedures allow the surgeon to see the operation from inside the body using tiny cameras.

There are also infection control measures that are built into the design of the surgical area. Access is restricted into certain areas to those dressed in surgical attire, and card readers allow the locked doors to be opened only by those who are authorized to be there. Used instruments are sterilized in a separate suite and routed in a one way direction through the processing area. The air exchange system exceeds industry standards.

If spinal or general anesthetic is used, patients will be monitored in a post anesthesia care unit, while day surgery patients with local anesthetics will return to the day surgery unit before leaving the hospital.

Along with a central nurses’ station and the six prep/recovery rooms, there are two procedure rooms, including one for endoscopy. The entire surgical floor is planned for patient flow and maintaining sterile/substerile environments. Adjacent to the day surgery unit is a comfortable family waiting room.

The surgical area will be open to the public only during the Grand Opening on February 18.