Rapides Regional Medical Center is now home to the first hybrid operating room in the region.
The $2.8 million addition to the RRMC campus will allow cardiovascular surgeons, cardiologists, electrophysiologists and interventional radiologists to address a wide array of structural heart and vascular issues. The hybrid OR combines a heart catheterization lab with a radiology suite and an operating room, providing flexibility to optimize procedures in a surgical setting.
“This is just another way Rapides Regional Medical Center provides health care on a higher level,” said CEO Jason E. Cobb, F.A.C.H.E. “We have made a commitment to providing our community with the best heart care possible. The hybrid OR is further proof of that and we are excited for the possibilities it brings to patients who need cardiac health care.”
Among the procedures that will take place in the hybrid OR are TAVR (Transcatheter Aortic Valve Replacement), convergent ablation, which requires the skills of both a cardiovascular surgeon and electrophysiologist, to treat chronic atrial fibrillation, and select radiology procedures.
The immediate benefit of the hybrid OR for patients is it allows for surgical and endovascular procedures to be the performed in the same room. This eliminates the need to move patients from one room to another and maximizes surgical efficiency. It further reduces the need for multiple episodes of anesthesia and provides surgeons and cardiologists with enhanced options during procedures. And, if the need arises during an interventional procedure for traditional surgery, there is no need to move the patient.
“We’ve been told there is nothing else like this technology in the state,” said Cheryl Bordelon, R.N., B.S.N., C.P.A.N., director of perioperative services at Rapides Regional Medical Center. “It is state of the art.”
New procedures that will take place in the hybrid OR include:
- TransCarotid Artery Revascularization (TCAR). It is a hybrid approach to carotid revascularization that reduces the risk of stroke. It combines the protection of surgery with the benefits of a less invasive procedure.
- Minimally invasive heart implant designed to reduce the risk of strokes that originate in the left atrial appendage.
The hybrid OR is another layer of technology available to surgeons at Rapides Regional Medical Center. This includes two daVinci Xi robotic surgical systems and the only complete Brainlab neurosurgical system in Louisiana.
“In recent years, Rapides Regional Medical Center has made a strong commitment to providing the best surgical care in our area,” said Bordelon. “The hybrid OR is just the latest example. It provides our surgeons, cardiologists, electrophysiologists and interventional radiologists with the latest technological advancements that ultimately allows them to provide the best care possible for patients.”