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Guests and faculty tour the new ORs during the unveiling event held on March 9.

Methodist University Hospital (MUH) leaders celebrated the advent of springtime early by unveiling the new $10 million operating room renovation.

Fully integrated and voice-controlled, the operating rooms are the only ones in the Memphis area that allow surgeons to conference in several other rooms in the hospital or with any other equally-equipped facility in the world.

Standing before a large crowd gathered in the hallway of the 10th floor, vice president of operations at MUH Vic Perini described the event as "the end of one journey and the beginning of another." With board and state approvals secured in early 2005, the hospital held its first formal planning session in March 2005.

Visitors, guests and staff witnessed the ribbon-cutting ceremony on March 9, during which the Rev. Gary Gunderson, senior vice president of health and welfare ministries, led the consecration of the new OR rooms.

MUH CEO Cecilia Wilson Sawyer described the newly renovated area of the hospital as "the most technologically advanced in the entire Mid-South region." Guests toured the suites during the afternoon, getting a firsthand view of the designs and technology.

After 18 months, the OR now has six rooms that are designed to handle minimally invasive ENT and spinal surgeries, minimally invasive laparoscopic surgeries and one cystoscopy suite. Susan Roltsch, director of OR services, worked closely with a team of physicians at MUH and spent months traveling to other facilities in order to research and gather the best design ideas available. "We made site visits to California and Pennsylvania looking for solutions about how to make this a premier facility for patient care," said Roltsch.

For surgeons such as Dr. Martin Fleming, who performed many surgeries in the old OR spaces, the new OR space is vastly different. "The most noticeable difference is the (incredible) size," said Fleming.

Each room is approximately 680 square feet, allowing for a more efficient flow of people and resources. The hospital contracted with Stryker® Endoscopy and Stryker® Communications to incorporate the technology into the hospital network. Real time information can be transmitted to remote galleries and the capturing and storage of electronic data has been greatly improved.

Digital routing allows surgical images, audio notes, and other patient data to be directly downloaded to a secure patient file on the server. Using Sidne® HD, surgeons have direct control over surgical devices by using verbal commands. Two-way video and audio connections will allow residents to interact with the operating surgeon.

The new layout of the rooms is key. "One of the biggest complaints we heard from surgeons was that nurses were forced to leave the OR repeatedly to retrieve basic supplies," said Roltsch.

The result is that the nurses have a dedicated area, and basic equipment such as blanket warmers is now located in the OR. A separate area has been created for the anesthesiologists.

"The most important change is that now the sterile field is located on the other side of the room. Other than the surgeons, there is no reason for anyone else to be moving in and out of this area," said Fleming.

Fleming believes the rooms are better than anything he's ever worked in and he thinks that MUH and the surgeons have succeeded in working together to find the best design solutions possible.

For Roltsch, that collaboration was vital. "We visited the best ORs in the country and we worked in partnership with physicians to create a premier facility," she noted.

The OR renovation also represents MUH's ongoing commitment to develop a teaching center of excellence. "With the operating rooms, our residents can observe what is taking place both inside and outside of the patient at the same time," said Perini. The setup will allow surgeons to teach residents and surgeons from around the world.

Dr. Allen Sills believes the renovation offers greater meaning beyond the actual surgeries. "Adding to the life of others is the best thing we do," he said. "Thousands of lives will be impacted by the work done here."

With the completion of the renovation, MUH now has 20 operating rooms with 10 fully renovated. At this time, six of the rooms are ready for surgery. Local construction firm S. Haining Webster & Co. managed the renovation working alongside the TRO Jung|Brannen architectural firm.

MUH is part of Methodist Le Bonheur Healthcare, an integrated delivery system in Memphis, Tenn. Methodist Healthcare operates seven hospitals, a home health agency, ambulatory surgery centers, and outpatient clinics.

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