Hackensack Meridian JFK University Medical Center unveils new hybrid operating room

State-of-the-art facility at Edison campus combines advanced imaging and surgical technologies, allowing for minimally invasive image guided procedures

Hackensack Meridian JFK University Medical Center in Edison opened its brand new hybrid operating room, a state-of-the-art facility that combines advanced imaging and surgical technologies in one place.

Traditional open surgical procedures can now be performed with a minimally invasive approach that will result in improved patient outcomes.

“Hackensack Meridian Health is ahead of the curve when it comes to innovation and transforming health care,” Robert Garrett, CEO, Hackensack Meridian Health, said. “JFK University Medical Center is pushing the boundaries of medicine to create real change in patients’ lives by creating a hybrid operating room suite to provide exceptional care and a great patient experience.’’

“The new hybrid operating room at JFK University Medical Center is a major breakthrough for our surgeons and our patients who need surgical intervention,” Amie Thornton, president and chief hospital executive, JFK University Medical Center, said. “It allows multiple surgical specialists to work alongside each other, performing minimally invasive endovascular procedures, and complex aortic procedures in the state-of-the-art operating room. This approach can save valuable time when a life is on the line.”

In the past two decades, hybrid operating rooms have emerged as the new standard of care for cardiovascular minimally invasive surgeries, and they are now being considered for many other specialties in the hospital.

“With the advanced imaging capabilities of the hybrid OR, we are now able to combine both open surgery and minimally invasive procedures in a much more succinct manner while reducing both radiation and contrast exposure to the patient and staff. This new operating environment will certainly facilitate our surgeons, radiologists and interventionists to address much more complex vascular pathologies. Hence, a myriad of additional procedures can now be performed in a more streamlined fashion and ultimately increasing both case volume and OR throughput,” Dr. Geoffrey Wong, division chief of vascular surgery, JFK University Medical Center, said.

The minimally invasive approach allows patients typically to experience a shorter recovery time following a procedure in a hybrid OR. Additionally, patients typically have a shorter length of stay at the hospital because they didn’t have a traditional open surgical procedure.