HFAH Opens Hybrid Operating Room for Advanced Heart Procedures

Jackson, MI—Henry Ford Allegiance Health’s new, technologically advanced hybrid operating room combines the powerful imaging equipment of a cardiac catheterization lab with the specialized features of an operating room designated for open-heart surgery.

Highly specialized imaging equipment allows surgeons and interventional cardiologists to perform complex minimally invasive heart and vascular procedures guided by precise, real-time pictures of the heart and circulatory system. The hybrid operating room can also accommodate a change of clinical teams and approaches if a patient requires conversion from a minimally invasive procedure to traditional open-heart surgery.

“The enhanced imaging and surgical capabilities of the new hybrid operating room ensure complex cardiac patients receive optimal care in a single location. Previously, if a patient needed conversion from a minimally invasive cardiac procedure to open-heart surgery, it required transportation to an operating room.” said Henry Ford Allegiance Health Interventional Cardiologist Matthew Jonovich, MD. “Having a technologically equipped hybrid operating room eliminates the need for patient transfer, which can be lifesaving.”

The opening of a hybrid operating room was a critical step in creating Henry Ford Allegiance Health’s Structural Heart Program. The Program provides minimally invasive treatment for disease of the heart’s valves, muscles and walls—including heart valve replacement and repair. Also valuable for the performance of complex, minimally invasive vascular procedures, the Hybrid OR can accommodate repairs to aortic aneurysms and repairs and stenting of blocked carotid arteries.

To bring these essential services to local communities, Henry Ford Allegiance Health interventional cardiologists studied with experts from Henry Ford’s Center for Structural Heart Disease for nearly two years.

About Henry Ford Allegiance Health

Henry Ford Allegiance Health (HFAH) is a 475-bed health system in Jackson, Michigan. HFAH complements traditional acute care services with primary and community-based to support patients across the health continuum at every stage of life. With its Level II Trauma Center, Henry Ford Allegiance Health provides comprehensive care for severely injured patients. As a teaching hospital, Henry Ford Allegiance Health continually looks to the future with its Center for Health Innovation & Education and Graduate Medical Education program. Through its Health Improvement Organization (HIO), HFAH is also a national leader in forming community partnerships that innovatively address wellness and prevention needs across the region.

About Henry Ford Health System

Founded in 1915 by Henry Ford himself, Henry Ford Health System is a non-profit, integrated health system committed to improving people’s lives through excellence in the science and art of healthcare and healing. Henry Ford Health System includes six hospitals including Henry Ford Hospital in Detroit; Henry Ford Macomb Hospitals; Henry Ford Wyandotte Hospital; Henry Ford West Bloomfield Hospital; Henry Ford Allegiance in Jackson, MI; and Henry Ford Kingswood Hospital – an inpatient psychiatric hospital.

Henry Ford Health System also includes Henry Ford Medical Group: Henry Ford Physician Network; more than 250 outpatient facilities; Henry Ford Pharmacy; Henry Ford OptimEyes; and other healthcare services. Our not-for-profit health plan, Health Alliance Plan – HAP – provides health coverage for more than 540,000 people.

As one of the nation’s leading academic medical centers, Henry Ford Health System trains more than 3,000 medical students, residents, and fellows annually in more than 50 accredited programs, and has trained nearly 40% of the state’s physicians. Our dedication to education and research is supported by nearly $100 million in annual grants from the National Institutes of Health and other public and private foundations.

Henry Ford Health System employs more than 33,000 people, including more than 1,600 physicians, more than 6,600 nurses and 5,000 allied health professionals.