September 22, 2009 — At the Transcatheter Cardiovascular Therapeutics (TCT) annual meeting Royal Philips Electronics today announced it will integrate the MAQUET Magnus surgical table with Philips’ cardiovascular X-ray systems to create an efficient hybrid operating room environment for a full range of minimally-invasive and open surgical procedures.
Worldwide, there has been a shift away from open surgical procedures as hospitals increasingly move towards more same-day and minimally invasive surgery. As a result, over half of patients leave hospital on the same day as their operation. Catheter-based cardiac treatments have also seen a large rise in comparison with open vascular procedures. As a result, hospitals today require rooms for minimally invasive procedures that are flexible and easily adaptable, and are able to accommodate the full range of current and future surgical technologies.
The solution provided by Philips and MAQUET will offer a cost-effective response to this changing healthcare landscape by optimizing workflow and simplifying the room planning and installation process. The tailored, simplified work environment will help increase the efficiency of procedures and decrease the amount of time that the patient spends in hospital.
“As a global leader in providing X-ray solutions for minimally invasive cardiovascular procedures, we work closely with our customers to listen to and act on their feedback. One message that came back strongly was the need for hybrid operating rooms that offer greater flexibility,” said Bert van Meurs, senior vice president of cardiovascular X-ray at Philips Healthcare. “By integrating MAQUET’s Magnus table we can allow both minimally invasive procedures and open surgery to take place in a single space, simplifying the clinicians’ work environment.”
At TCT Philips also unveiled the 3D Heart Navigator interventional tool, which combines 3D CT images of a patients’ cardiac anatomy captured before a procedure into a single image with an overlay of the live X-ray fluoroscopy information. Clinicians attending TCT will be able to view a percutaneous aortic valve device implantation procedure using the 3D Heart Navigator solution that will be broadcast live from Catharina Hospital, Eindhoven, the Netherlands.
“The combined emergence of transcatheter valves and sophisticated interventional tools like Philips’ 3D Heart Navigator means that we’re able to have a major positive impact on the lives of a group of patients who we would’ve previously been unable to help,” commented Dr. J. J. Koolen, head of the department of cardiology, Catharina Hospital. “Replacing a valve in a beating heart is a very challenging procedure. By combining static 3D images with the live 2D image we get a much better understanding of the patient’s anatomy, helping us to achieve the best clinical outcome.”
The solution combining Philips’ Allura interventional X-ray solutions and MAQUET’s Magnus OR table, as well as the Philips 3D Heart Navigator Tool, are scheduled for commercial release in 2010. The live procedure from Catharina Hospital will be presented at 9:30 a.m. (PDT) Thursday, Sept. 24.