A higher vision for the O.R.

The Boston Globe‘s top innovators this year included the doctor behind the new Advanced Multimodality Image Guided Operating (AMIGO) Suitee at Brigham and Women’s Hospital. The Boston Globe commended Dr. Ferenc Jolesz for his vision on this project, which aims to reduce complications in patients when surgery is combined with imaging.

In this groundbreaking clinical research facility, an operating room is linked to adjacent imaging suites, enabling the patient to remain static while the machines—including a 33,000-pound MRI—move from one chamber to another in the midst of a surgical procedure.

Based on a simple diagram, the design allows the complexity of the equipment requirements to be rigorously organized without compromising patient safety and staff work flow. Circulation is simplified and merged with work space in order to maximize team space and observation space. Visibility is a priority for patient safety, teaching and staff work flow. The procedure rooms are configured to meet the equipment requirements and to allow ample space for additional movable equipment and large surgical teams. The flexible OR, generous space for teamwork and observation, and provisions for additions of future equipment allow a robust environment for experimentation. Close collaboration with radiologists, surgeons from multiple specialties and biomedical engineers led to a space with equal potential for use by neurosurgery, oncology, cardiothoracic, cryotherapy and endoscopy.

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To read the full article by The Boston Globe, click here.