October 7, 2008 – Philips contributes cardiovascular X-ray systems to hybrid surgery suites by STERIS Corp. to treat patients requiring minimally invasive cardiovascular surgical procedures, or those needing open surgery, within a single operating suite. The combination of Philips cardiovascular X-ray systems and STERIS HD 360° Suites technologies and design services will create flexible hybrid operating rooms engineered to optimize workflow and streamline the room planning and installation process. According to Philips, clinical staff will benefit from a more tailored and intuitive environment that has the potential to increase the efficiency of procedures for healthcare professionals. This move is in response to a trend toward hospitals moving away from inpatient procedures to more same-day and minimally invasive surgery. During the past 20 years there has been a huge growth in outpatient surgery, with more than half of patients today leaving the hospital on the same day as their operation. There has also been a major rise in the use of catheter-based treatments instead of open vascular work for all cardiac procedures. This shift means hospitals today need to reconfigure their operating rooms so they can adapt easily to different surgical procedures and accommodate a wide range of current and future surgical technologies. For new facilities and renovation projects, Philips will provide interventional X-ray equipment and specialized imaging tables and STERIS will supply specifically designed HD 360° Suites for hybrid surgical rooms featuring: LED surgical lighting and visualization systems, integrated OR technology, and pendant (equipment management) systems. This will enable surgical and diagnostic teams to carry out a vast range of image-guided interventional radiology procedures including cardiovascular, vascular, cardiac surgery, neurosurgery and orthopedics. For more information: www.steris.com and www.philips.com