Shepley Bulfinch, an architecture firm with offices in Boston, Houston and Phoenix, designed a new hybrid operating room at Bridgeport Hospital, a member of Yale New Haven Health. The 1,500-square-foot hybrid operating room (OR) combines integrated technology and sophisticated imaging facilities into an operating theatre that will be used for cardiac, vascular and thoracic surgery.

Located on the third floor within the existing operating suite at Bridgeport Hospital, the new hybrid OR combines two existing operating rooms, an associated scrub room, and a storage room to accommodate the new facility. Previously, heart surgery, vascular surgery and thoracic surgery were performed in two separate operating rooms, but the new hybrid OR can now accommodate either or all of these procedures in the same space. The integrated imaging capabilities enable minimally invasive surgery, supplanting the need for high-risk, major open surgeries. This is less traumatic for the patient and allows staff to monitor the success of the surgery in real time, thereby cutting down on both procedure and recovery time.

A GE Discovery 740 System provides high-quality imaging and complete workspace freedom to the hybrid operating room. This equipment demanded a number of unique design requirements, including special attention paid to the flooring which had to be extremely accurate in terms of materials and leveling. During construction, the hospital’s blood bank was relocated as the team from Turner Construction worked from below to ensure all specifications were met.

This project was completed in one-and-a-half years and on a limited $5 million all-in budget. The new facility, which includes new solid surface walls and epoxy painted ceilings to mitigate hospital acquired infections, is scheduled to open for surgeries following a month-long simulation training with hospital staff that began on April 24. The new OR is to be called the Elizabeth M. Pfriem Hybrid Operating Room Suite.

The project team included Bard, Rao + Athanas (BR+A) (mechanical, electrical, plumbing, fire protection); Spiegel Zamecnik & Shah Inc. (structural engineer); and Turner Construction (construction manager).