Imaging devices such as mobile C-arms, ultrasound, and endoscopy have been used in the operating room for some time and they have become the standard of care for many operations. However, new trends in surgery – such as complex transcatheter techniques – require high-powered, integrated equipment. This requires integrated operating rooms (OR), also known as hybrid rooms, where all OR equipment and personnel (e.g. heart-lung machines and perfusionists), anesthesia, and surgical intensive care are readily available.

Pediatric hybrid operations, hybrid coronary revascularization, transcatheter or valve replacement and repair, or endovascular repair of the aorta are all examples of new procedures that are ideally performed in a hybrid operating room. The hybrid operating room facilitates a whole new spectrum of surgical therapies and will therefore become an essential resource of every cardiovascular center. Stanford University, for example, is already including catheter techniques intro the training of cardiovascular surgeons and within only the next two years, the majority of German heart centers will have started planning for a hybrid OR.

Cardiac surgeons around the world emphasize that cardiac surgery is moving rapidly towards hybrid procedures and that the change is now, not in five years. Siemens is ahead of this trend in surgery and offers a complete portfolio of high-end angiography systems for imaging in the OR environment. The semi-mobile AXIOM® Artis U system is optimal for smalls ORs. The Artis zee® portfolio offers floor-mounted, ceiling-mounted and biplane solutions for high-end imaging and flexibility. The flagship innovation Artis zeego® based on robotic technology, offers flexible patient access, outstanding 3D imaging capabilities, and its variable iso-center makes the system an ideal imaging system for the OR.