Interventional Radiology Breaks New Ground

For more than a decade, Barry T. Katzen, M.D., medical director of Baptist Cardiac and Vascular Institute (BCVI) in Miami, Fla., has pioneered the integration of surgical and interventional procedures.
Dr. Katzen and his team continue to show that surgical procedures in an angiographic environment can be accomplished with the same degree of efficiency as in an operating room (OR).

“The specialties of interventional radiology and vascular surgery bring more to each other when we work together,” suggested Dr. Katzen. “Procedures that help drive this relationship include aneurysms of the thoracic aorta and abdominal aorta. Having an environment where we can use a surgical option allows us to think out of the box for individualized patient solutions.”

An Integrated Solution
In 2008, Philips Healthcare and Skytron entered into a collaborative agreement to provide comprehensive, integrated solutions for the cardiovascular environment. Dr. Katzen seized the opportunity to refine the surroundings. Based on a well-coordinated plan from Philips and Skytron, Room Two underwent a significant upgrade aimed at enhancing hybrid functionality.
“One of the great advantages of the new room design is it’s so spacious that we can all operate and function very effectively without being in each others’ way. Information can be transferred to the head of the bed — to the anesthesiologist — down to where we’re working very easily,” said James F. Benenati, M.D., medical director of the Peripheral Vascular Laboratory.

A Room that Works
The surgical team at BCVI has appreciated the changes made. Dr. Katzen believes the upgrade has created a better environment for all involved. Recently, they encountered an excellent example of how successfully the teams can combine surgical access with an interventional solution. A patient presented with critical narrowing of an artery to the brain and chest, and a narrowing of that same artery in the neck. “It was a very complex situation,” recalled Dr. Katzen, “but we combined our skills. The surgeons removed the plaque in the neck with an endarterectomy, and we used that same access to go down and stent the chest.”
This type of coordinated procedure may save precious time for patients and assures that they can benefit from the collaborative talents of surgeons and interventional radiologists.
Installation with Minimal Impact
“We’re a busy lab and taking a room down for a period of time is always an inconvenience,” said Dr. Katzen. “The one thing everybody remarked upon was how fast this upgrade was accomplished.”
In two and a half weeks, Philips and Skytron, working closely with the
implementation team at BCVI, completed the staging and upgrade. The new room reflected the input of interventional radiologists, surgeons and anesthesiologists. Each group helped define the clinical specifications, making it a truly multidisciplinary environment. Furthering the Hybrid Model Room Two now stands as one of the most advanced hybrid angiography suites in the country. Drs. Katzen and Benenati and their surgical colleagues continue to break new ground in minimally invasive cardiovascular care.
As Dr. Benenati put it, “We do a lot of very sophisticated and challenging cases, and certainly image optimization and system ease of use play a critical role in allowing us to take on these cases. This new room is on the forefront of hybrid design.”
This case study was supplied by Philips Healthcare and Skytron.