Institut Curie now equipped with an 11-room operating suite
Increased capacity, cutting-edge facilities and an entire room given over to interventional radiology: after two years of work on the Paris site, Institut Curie’s new operating suite is ready to go.
“The transformation is instantly noticeable: the screens, operating tables and high-tech equipment all illustrate the technological expertise that lies at the heart of these [...] new rooms. The premises are brighter and more spacious than before, ensuring comfort is maximized for patients and professionals alike,” explains Prof. Pierre Fumoleau, CEO of the Institut Curie Hospital Group.
11 rooms compared to the initial six, 2,700 m2 spread over a single floor compared to the 1,200 m2 previously accessible: the new operating suite is now one of France’s biggest and will allow Institut Curie to welcome in more patients than ever before. “Over 12,000 people currently undergo operations at the Paris site every year. This figure includes 5,000 breast cancer patients, 800 ENT tumor, digestive, gynecological and ophthalmological interventions, 200 skin cancer procedures and 180 sarcomas and other complex tumors. Not to mention the 2,000 implantable port insertions,” says Prof. Nathalie Cassoux, head of the surgery department.
Over and above its size, its “integrated” aspect makes it an impressive feat. The suite brings together all surgery-related spaces in a single unit: patient intake areas, operating rooms, recovery rooms and staff changing rooms. Access is not permitted to unauthorized personnel, meaning the premises are fully insulated from the outside world and completely protected from external factors such as risk of infection. This integrated structure makes for a more seamless and fluid experience, bringing patients peace of mind and easing working conditions for the professionals who no longer find themselves dashing between different rooms and floors.
The new operating suite is designed to provide patient care in optimal conditions. The new structure cuts waiting times to a minimum and drastically improves comfort levels, including for outpatient surgeries, which now account for around half of all surgeries carried out. These patients can undress in the dedicated unit before being chaperoned on foot by a porter to the suite.
Designed and fitted out by the company Maquet, the rooms are flexible spaces: the walls and ceilings are fully modular, meaning work can be carried out without disrupting services. Each operating room is equipped with a Tegris video system that allows staff to display images on large wall-mounted or suspended screens. This means a surgeon can access a patient’s medical records and imaging results throughout the surgery.
Cameras film operations and are linked to surgical microscopes to allow the nurses and anesthetists to follow the procedure in real time. These images can be channeled to external screens such as in lecture halls, allowing them to be used in an educational setting.
“This large-scale, highly ambitious project is part of the MC21 plans and cost a total of $10m,” clarifies Prof. Thierry Philip, Chairman of Institut Curie’s Management Board. This new operating suite was opened as part of a wider $170-million investment plan financed internally by Institut Curie. The goal is to fully renovate all the institute’s research and care buildings and build new units on the three sites (Paris, Saint-Cloud and Orsay) by 2022. This intensive real estate program is in turn a part of the MC21 establishment project aimed at developing the oncology services of the future by turning Institut Curie into a world-leading Comprehensive Cancer Center.
