A hybrid OR solution designed for innovative care
Together with CHU de Québec in Canada – the region’s leading specialist center for brachytherapy – Getinge helped design a hybrid OR solution in their new, state-of-the-art cancer facility that promotes treatment precision and supports a smooth workflow.
Brachytherapy is a precision-oriented treatment and can be very challenging for both patients and oncologists. For example, in the case of prostate and gynecological cancer treatment, a patient must remain stable during treatment — when a catheter with a long needle is inserted — which can last up to five hours.
Martine Lefebvre, Brachytherapy Coordinator, Radio-oncology at CHU de Québec in Canada, is thrilled to have a new option that allows for greater stability and enhanced workflow when treating her patients.
“The biggest challenge is maintaining patient stability throughout the various imaging modalities,” Martine said. “With our new customized PILOT Patient Transfer System and Magnus operating table from Getinge, we never have to move the patient from one table to another. They are completely stable throughout the procedure which mitigates risks, ensures the precision of our treatment and supports a smooth workflow.”
When Martine Lefebvre and other healthcare professionals from CHU de Québec first approached Getinge for assistance, they each had different needs, including anesthesia and radio-oncology. Martine had a blank canvas, so she thought to design three hybrid operating rooms (ORs) that matched the various needs of brachytherapy treatment. From ensuring the highest level of patient care to optimizing the efficiency and workflows of the surgical team, the hybrid solution needed to ensure all needs of the patient and members of the surgical team were met.
“Already from the start we turned to PILOT, which was originally designed for neurosurgery with focus on the head,” Martine said. “We needed to move the focus to other parts of the body. I did a lot of research, and with the support from Getinge, realized that with key adjustments and the addition of a new custom stirrup accessory to the Magnus OR table, it would be possible to design what we needed.”
Martine, along with Dr. William Foster, Radio-oncologist at CHU de Québec, an anesthesiologist, a physicist, and an OR nurse, visited Getinge’s Experience Center in Germany to collaborate closer with the Getinge team and pretest possible solutions.
“When you see the plans on paper, it’s quite difficult to envision the details,” Dr. Foster said. “So going there, sitting with the team and discussing both the technical and practical issues in the OR was very helpful. By the time we left Germany, we knew we were on the same page and that we could see the project through.”
Fast forward five years, and the fully customized hybrid OR solution for CHU de Québec’s new, state-of-the-art cancer facility is up and running. Dr. Foster, Martine, and the rest of the brachytherapy treatment team are already encountering the great benefits.
“On top of stability, a key issue in brachytherapy is planning time, which is directly related to the imaging modalities,” Dr. Foster said. “Now, with a faster workflow, we can do an MRI scan throughout the patient’s treatment, giving us updated images daily. It would be difficult to do this in our old facility because it would prolong the procedure, but now, it’s so easy to move the patient from one room to the other that we can optimize our treatment planning.”
The PILOT Transfer System and custom Magnus operating table were linked with several other Getinge products and solutions, including the Tegris OR integration system, Volista surgical lights, and Moduevo boom.
“For us, the insight-driven collaboration yielded room and workflow design calibrated to the exact needs of our team — and furthermore, the precise needs of brachytherapy treatment,” Martine said.