Fresno Heart & Surgical expansion on track

Fresno Heart & Surgical Hospital's two new high-tech, minimally-invasive operating suites are expected to be completed in September.

An $8.3 million expansion project at Fresno Heart & Surgical Hospital is on track for completion this year, with new surgery recovery rooms and additional operating suites opening in the coming weeks.

Construction began in March to add two advanced-technology, minimally-invasive operating suites, a 144-seat education center, more space and beds to the surgery recovery area and to redesign existing pharmacy space to meet new regulatory requirements.

The new eight-room recovery area is already completed, with finishing touches on the operating suites expected in September. The education center construction is also under way.

The new operating rooms will allow the hospital known for its hotel-like atmosphere and customer service to perform up to 2,400 more surgeries a year, doubling its previous numbers, said Wanda Holderman, Fresno Heart & Surgical’s chief executive.

There has been an increased need for operating room time, said Julie Cleeland, Fresno Heart & Surgical’s director of business development and marketing.

“These new operating rooms will help meet the needs of the community as the existing operating rooms are at capacity as a result of the hospital diversifying its surgical services in addition to the foundational cardiac services,” Holderman said.

A 144-seat education center where the publc can attend seminars and educational sessions on surgical procedures will be completed this year.

The new surgery suites are designed for minimally-invasive procedures such as bariatric weight-loss surgery, gall bladder and hernia repairs, GERD (gastroesophageal reflux disease) surgery and selected cardiac procedures. Each room features a high-tech surgery system that includes 40-inch, high-definition plasma screens and voice-controlled computers and equipment.

Cameras inside the overhead surgical lights and hand-held wands inserted into the body will capture video and still images that are displayed on the operating suite monitors for immediate evaluations. Surgeons will also be able to view pathology reports and imaging from patients’ files at remote locations and teleconference with doctors elsewhere for immediate second opinions in rare cases.

Such features are designed to allow surgeons to perform operations in less time, shorten the time patients are under anesthesia and improve outcomes, Holderman said.

For those interested in learning more about the latest in minimally-invasive surgery, the education center will host seminars, education sessions and medical lectures.

This story was reported by Eddie Hughes. He can be reached at eddieh@communitymedical.org.

Thursday, July 31, 2008