Royal Philips Electronics said it will showcase the latest version of Hybrid Operating Room (OR) suite in partnership with Maquet, at the Arab Health 2011 expo which opens today.

The Philips/Maquet Hybrid OR Suite is customized for customer needs and designed using an advanced 3D architectural planning tool that provides a 3D visual of possible room configurations.

From high-quality, high-resolution, multi-modality advanced 3D room planning software (supporting confident decision-making), to surgical tables, lighting and other equipment considerations; the full scope of equipment combinations is assessed, said a statement from Royal Philips.

On display at the show will be the Allura Xper FD OR Table which integrates the Philips Allura Xper angiographic X-ray system with the Maquet Hybrid OR solution including hybrid table, it stated.

Also shown are HeartNavigator, OR lights, monitors, and radiation protection walls. The Hybrid OR Suite is a simple, one–room solution combining facilities for both minimally invasive and open surgical procedures, the company added.

Globally, hospitals are moving towards more same-day and minimally invasive surgery, such as catheter-based cardiac treatments, which are often less costly and less strenuous for patients.

Clinicians recognize the advantages of minimally-invasive procedures for certain procedures and patients, which may include shorter patient recovery times, greater patient comfort and faster patient throughput.

Therefore hospitals today increasingly require their operating rooms to be flexible and adaptable to accommodate both minimally invasive as well as open surgical procedures, and to include the latest technologies, the statement said.

Since different interdisciplinary teams may need to operate in the same room over the course of a day, the key to success of a Hybrid OR is its cross-purpose functionality. All elements for both image guided and open surgical procedures must be well integrated and easy to access, it added.

“Philips Healthcare is committed to addressing physicians’ needs and improving patient care,” said Diederik Zeven, general manager of Philips Healthcare Middle East.

“Providing highly-flexible hybrid operating rooms meets both these requirements, so we are delighted to be working closely with our colleagues at MAQUET to achieve this goal,” he remarked.

The Hybrid OR Suite, he said, meets this growing need for multipurpose functionality and minimally invasive interventions to address a spectrum of cardiac conditions, both structural and degenerative.

It provides a solution that combines the equipment needed to perform both open and endovascular cardiac procedures within the same room.

"The Hybrid OR concept is a significant breakthrough in facilitating procedural collaboration between specialties, with hybrid OR procedures being coded by payers as a single procedure to encourage clinicians to make the best choice for the patient without the need for cost considerations."

"Surgeons and interventionalists believe that this concept will enable them to provide a wider range of treatments, improve care and reduce procedure costs," Zeven added.-TradeArabia News Service