The Benefits Of Hybrid Surgical Suite

It is a known fact that 40,000 newborns in the United States alone are born with congenital heart defects every year (Fact Sheets). With this number increasing, it is highly likely that a student in a general biology class would know someone who was born with a heart defect (Fact Sheets). Because of these developing numbers, cardiac surgeons and cardiologists collaborated with special engineers in order to make a groundbreaking operating room that would be tailored to specific child heart defects. With this collaboration, they designed Hybrid Surgical Suite (HSS) for minimally invasive pediatric cardiovascular surgery. The HSS treats several different heart defects using minimally invasive techniques that can then be spread across the world
One primary operation conducted in the Hybrid Surgical Suite is to treat a disease named Hypoplastic Left Heart Syndrome (HLHS) which is a birth defect that alters the natural blood flow throughout the heart. It occurs when a baby is developing inside the uterus and the left side of the heart does not mature properly. In babies that experience HLHS, the left side of the heart is unable to pump oxygen-rich blood to the body. This is a major concern due to the fact that over time, it can lead to the liver, brain, and other organs damaged as a result of not gaining the oxygen needed to maintain homeostasis. The surgery conducted increases “blood flow to the body and bypass the poorly functioning left side of the heart” (Facts about Hypoplastic Left Heart Syndrome). This surgical operations acclaimed to be quite difficult in normal operating rooms because the instruments are too large for the infant’s heart. In some cases, the baby’s heart can be the size of about a walnut hence why it would be complicated. In previous years before the HSS, if a child was diagnosed with HLHS, it would be very problematic for the doctors to complete the surgery safety. When this surgery was handled in an ordinary surgical suite, it would result in further error as a result of not being properly equipped with the correct surgical machines. But now with the Hybrid Surgical Suite, cardiologists and cardiac surgeons are able to have a much less stressful experience while conducting these surgeries. One of the key reasons why this operation is simpler is by using a stent. Created in 1986, bares resemblance to a Chinese finger trap (Figure #1). The surgeon inserts it into the problem area by using minimally invasive techniques. It will then open to allow better blood flow throughout the child’s heart (Figure #2). By doing this, the cardiologist is regaining the heart’s ability to maintain the body’s homeostasis to ensure a healthy childhood for