Integrating Image-Guidance into the Cardiac Operating Room

Abstract

In a specially-designed suite integrating advanced angiography equipment (Advantix, GE, Milwaukee) and standard operating room (OR) facilities, 562 interventions were performed in the course of 3 years. Of these, 83 were cardiac operations, 62 radiologic-guided cardiac interventions and 93 cardiac angiographies. The introduction of angiography into the OR allowed hybrid procedures, combining surgical and interventional coronary revascularisation. Animal studies were performed in the same suite, developing minimally-invasive procedures, as well as robotic surgery. Future cardiac suites will probably contain equipment for short-bore fast-pulse sequence MRI and robots.

Key Words:

• minimally-invasive surgery
• atrial septal defects
• cardiac intervention