First Hybrid Surgery Performed for Complex Cardiac and Vascular Procedures at Appleton Medical Center
ThedaCare-affiliated physicians performed the first surgery in the new ThedaCare hybrid surgical suite on the campus of Appleton Medical Center on October 6. The high-tech operating suite is used for vascular surgery, interventional cardiology, and cardiac surgery.
According to Bill Boyd, ThedaCare director of perioperative services value stream, surgeons are able to more efficiently perform vascular and cardiac procedures on patients, especially in complex cases when new discoveries are made in the midst of a planned procedure. “Sometimes a patient may need teams from both traditional surgery and the cardiac catheterization lab. The hybrid approach means that we’ll be able to address each of the patient’s needs during one session with all of the necessary leading edge surgery, imaging and interventional equipment in one place.”
Dr. Alexander Tretinyak, vascular surgeon with Fox Valley Surgical Associates, said, “We are several generations in to the practice of minimally invasive surgeries to treat conditions like aortic aneurysm. There are more and more sophisticated grafts and types of aneurysms we can treat, and they require higher and better levels of imaging. The hybrid OR is a sophisticated way to see the anatomies that will help us best treat our patients.”
Dr. Cherian Varghese, MD, interventional cardiologist with Appleton Cardiology, said, “A hybrid OR is a marriage of high-end imaging normally only found in a catheterization lab with a fully functional operating room. We are able to perform multiple types of procedures in the same space without having to move the patient.”
The $6 million hybrid surgery suite is on the northwest corner of the Appleton Medical Center campus between the existing Groth Surgery Center and the Appleton Heart Institute.
For more than 100 years, ThedaCare™ has been committed to finding a better way to deliver serious and complex healthcare to patients throughout Northeast Wisconsin. The organization serves more than 200,000 patients annually and employs more than 6,800 healthcare professionals throughout the region. ThedaCare has seven hospitals located in Appleton, Neenah, Berlin, Waupaca, Shawano, New London and Wild Rose and 35 clinics in 14 counties. ThedaCare is the first in Wisconsin to be a Mayo Clinic Care Network Member, giving our specialists the ability to consult with Mayo Clinic experts on a patient’s care. ThedaCare is a non-profit healthcare organization with a level II trauma center, comprehensive cancer treatment, stroke and cardiac programs, and a foundation dedicated to community service. Construction of ThedaCare Regional Cancer Center in Appleton is underway. For more information, visit www.thedacare.org or follow ThedaCare on Facebook and Twitter.
