UPMC Horizon unveils advanced operating room suites for minimally invasive surgery

Hermitage, PA — UPMC Horizon recently opened two state-of-the-art surgery suites at its Greenville campus for performing a broad range of advanced minimally invasive procedures such as bariatric (weight loss) surgery, colon surgery, and hernia repair.

Known as OR1™, the suites use the latest in electronic control systems to seamlessly integrate devices and environmental components of the operating room, including overhead mounting systems, lighting, operating room tables, endoscopic equipment, cameras, image capture systems and information networks. OR1™ brings all of these technologies under the direct control of the surgical team.

OR1™ suites are designed to maximize the benefits of minimally invasive surgery, facilitating faster patient recuperation, shorter hospital stays and reduced costs.

Minimally invasive procedures offered at UPMC Horizon include:

• appendectomy, the removal of the appendix
• cholecystectomy, the removal of the gallbladder
• colon resection, the removal of portions of the large intestine
• gastric banding, gastric bypass, and sleeve gastrectomy, all bariatric surgery procedures
• inguinal hernioplasty, the repair of inguinal hernias
• nissen fundoplication, a treatment for gastroesophogeal reflux disease (GERD) or hiatal hernia
• ventral hernia repair

By integrating state-of-the-art operating room devices into a single touch-screen interface, the OR1™ system brings more patient information to the surgical team. UPMC Horizon is the first medical institution in the county to develop a fully integrated surgery suite employing these technologies.

“UPMC Horizon is committed to providing our community access to sophisticated minimally invasive surgery capabilities utilizing the most contemporary endoscopic devices and a fully integrated operating environment,” says Joel Yuhas, UPMC Horizon president. “With our commitment to technology and using OR1™ suites, we continue to demonstrate UPMC Horizon’s role in setting the standard for surgical care in our area.”

The new OR1™ surgical suites were developed and installed by Karl Storz Endoscopy-America, Inc., an affiliate of Karl Storz GmbH & Co. KG. From inception to finish, a team of Karl Storz design engineers worked closely with UPMC Horizon to design and implement the integrated surgical suite.

Based in Tuttlingen, Germany, Karl Storz GmbH & Co. KG has pioneered the development of endoscopic technology for minimally invasive surgery for more than 50 years, with an emphasis on visionary design, precision craftsmanship and clinical effectiveness.

Contact: Erin Palko, public relations manager, 724-589-8107