Inselspital is the first hospital in Switzerland to have a state-of-the-art operating theater that can be used on an interdisciplinary basis by all surgical specialties. Equipped with all the latest imaging technology, it will be possible to carry out quality checks during complicated operations.
From mid-February 2017, three new operating rooms with integrated computed tomography (CT) and magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) will be available to all surgical departments at the Intensive Care, Emergency, and Surgery Center (INO) at Inselspital. Together with the hybrid operating room, which allows intraoperative angiography, they form a surgical area that is unique in Switzerland.
Project in two phases
The «Operating Room with Imaging» project was implemented in two phases. The hybrid operating room (phase 1) has been in operation since September 2013. With the opening of the high-precision operating room (phase 2), the range of imaging modalities is supplemented and completed by CT and MRI.
The high-precision operating room is used by neurosurgery, orthopedics, visceral and maxillofacial surgery, ENT surgery, and urology, each in close collaboration with neuroradiology, radiology, and anesthesia. The flexible and economical multi-room concept of the high-precision operating room enables the participating disciplines to achieve significant synergies in the use of cost-intensive imaging.
«With the realization of the high-precision operating room, Inselspital is taking on a pioneering role and further strengthening its position in cutting-edge medical care for patients, translational research, and collaboration with industry partners,» said Medical Director Prof. Andreas Tobler, MD.
Greater safety and better outcomes for patients
«With intraoperative tomographic and three-dimensional imaging and the associated navigation techniques in high-precision operating rooms, surgeons can perform image checks directly during the operation—rather than afterward—and take corrective measures if necessary,» explains Prof. Jan Gralla, MD, director and chief physician of the University Institute for Diagnostic and Interventional Neuroradiology. There are many complicated operations where image control of the progress of the operation is useful.
«Because we now have all three major imaging techniques available for all surgical disciplines, we can, for the first time, move to performing these checks during surgery throughout the hospital. This is a paradigm shift,» says Prof. Andreas Raabe, MD, Clinic Director and Chief Physician at the Department of Neurosurgery.
Increased competitiveness
The high-precision operating theater is much more than just the construction of three additional operating rooms. It is a flagship project that shines far beyond the canton's borders. The importance of such pioneering projects was also emphasized by Health Director Pierre Alain Schnegg in his speech. He opened the high-precision operating theater together with Holger Baumann, Chairman of the Executive Board, Prof. Andreas Tobler, Medical Director, Bernhard Leu, Director of Infrastructure, and Prof. Andreas Raabe, Director and Chief Physician at the Department of Neurosurgery.
Videos
The following videos are both in German.