September 18, 2001: Allegheny General Hospital (AGH) announced today the opening of its Minimally Invasive Surgery Center, a state-of-the-art facility created exclusively for the practice and development of advanced minimally invasive surgical procedures.

"Endoscopic technology and microsurgical instrumentation have advanced so significantly over the past decade that the gold standards of surgery for practically every indication are rapidly changing from invasive, 'open' procedures to minimally invasive techniques that involve very small incisions, cause minimal pain and scarring and require much shorter hospital stays and recovery time. This new facility will greatly enhance our ability to meet the growing demand for minimally invasive surgery and to continue advancing the frontier of this specialized field at AGH," said Rodney Landreneau, M.D., AGH thoracic surgeon and Director of the hospital's minimally invasive surgery program.

Designed by Karl Storz Endoscopy, the world's preeminent manufacturer of endoscopic technology, AGH's Minimally Invasive Surgery Center houses a revolutionary, fully integrated and computerized operating room suite. Replicated at only a handful of U.S. hospitals, Storz's acclaimed OR1 system affords surgeons and nurses unprecedented, centralized control of virtually every vital technology in the operating room, including endoscopic video, cameras, light sources, surgical insuflators, electrosurgical scalpels, room temperature and table positioning.

Linked electronically to other departments in the hospital, OR1 also allows the AGH surgical team to electronically summon a patient's diagnostic images or medical records, consult directly with off-sight radiologists and pathologists and transmit real-time audio and video of procedures to conference or class rooms virtually anywhere in the world for the purpose of medical education.

"The ability to consult with an off-site radiologist or pathologist and at the push of a button be simultaneously reviewing with them the patient's anatomy through the endoscope or image on a CT scan is a monumental advancement in the practice of surgery that will invariably translate into better outcomes. The idea that such consultation and collaboration can take place between doctors regardless of the distance between them is remarkable," said Robert Keenan, M.D., Director of AGH's Division of General Thoracic Surgery.

The unique level of integration in the OR1 suite stems from the Karl Storz Communication Bus (SCB), a computer module stationed outside the operating room that provides centralized control of up to 31 separate medical devices inside. With the exception of the surgical table, OR1's specialized equipment is built into three overhead booms suspended from the ceiling, eliminating the congestion typical of conventional operating rooms. Instrumentation inside OR1 is manipulated by the surgical team via a touch panel that is also suspended, at eye level.

A computer control center adjacent to the operating room enables the team to preprogram medical device settings to meet the precise needs of individual surgeons or requirements for different procedures. Complete system set up occurs instantly, at the touch of a button.

"OR1's design improves patient care efficiency by streamlining the surgical process and promoting quick operating room turnover. The facility also enhances our capability for sharing vital information about the patient's care with referring physicians. The software allows us to create an operative report as we go along, including dictated findings and key images, that can be sent via email to the referring physician for his record," Landreneau said.

According to Keenan, the key component of OR1 is the unparalleled quality and sophistication of Karl Storz's endoscopic technology - miniature video cameras that allow the surgeon to see inside the body through small incisions. Among a number of advanced features, Storz's OR1 endoscopic instrumentation includes specialized lense filters that black out the room's ultraviolet light, resulting in crisper images on the flat panel display screens.

"As the field of minimally invasive surgery has evolved, it has become clear thataside from the surgeon's skill, there is no more important element in the success of these procedures than the optical technology that allows you to precisely visualize microscopic operative fields. Karl Storz is widely recognized throughout the medical community for the superiority of its endoscopic technology and together with the stellar credentials of our medical team, it is this partnership that truly distinguishes our center," Keenan said.

Over the past decade, AGH surgeons have been among the nation's leaders in the field of minimally invasive surgery, performing, among other things, the state's first minimally invasive heart valve replacement and the city's first minimally invasive heart bypass surgery, laparoscopic kidney removal for transplantation, laparoscopic gastroesophageal reflux surgery and minimally invasive esophageal, lung and colon cancer resections.

In addition to Drs. Keenan and Landreneau, two nationally renowned specialists in the treatment of thoracic disease, AGH's Minimally Invasive Surgery Center offers access to leading specialists from a wide spectrum of clinical disciplines, including neurosurgery, orthopaedic surgery, cardiothoracic surgery, general surgery, gynecology, urology, colorectal surgery and gastroenterology. Surgeons at the Center have accumulated some of the largest clinical experience in the world for using minimally invasive procedures to treat cardiovascular disease, lung cancer, esophageal cancer, emphysema, colon cancer, gastroesophageal reflux disease, spine injuries, prostate cancer, breast cancer, abdominal hernia, obesity and gallbladder disease, among others.

Source: Allegheny General Hospital

Primary Contact Information:

Name: Dan Laurent
Phone: 412-359-8602
Company: Allegheny General Hospital
E-Mail: dlaurent@wpahs.org