Oklahoma Children’s Hospital OU Health Enhances Pediatric Cardiovascular Services

Oklahoma City — In an effort to help pediatric specialists provide the most advanced cardiac care to their patients, the Oklahoma Children’s Hospital Heart Center team has announced the opening of a state-of-the-art hybrid suite facility.

The new facility will provide a diverse range of interventional cardiology, electrophysiology and cardiovascular surgical services for infants, children and adults with simple to complex congenital heart defects and disease.

Arshid M. Mir, M.D., Oklahoma Children’s Hospital section chief of pediatric cardiology, explained that catheter-based procedures are associated with lower risks. They may be performed on the heart as well as great vessels. “Patients realize tremendous benefits with catheter-based interventions, including shorter hospital stays, reduced recovery time, less pain and no scarring.”

Today, congenital heart defects occur in approximately nine of every 1,000 babies born in the United States. As a result, it is a priority for the dedicated multi-disciplinary team of physicians, nurses, technologists and support staff at Oklahoma Children’s Hospital to be able to offer the latest and most advanced care and treatment services available.

Oklahoma Children’s Hospital is now home to the only hybrid suite in Oklahoma to offer this level of comprehensive cardiovascular care and treatment for congenital cardiac conditions in a single care setting. In the near future, the facility will also have the potential to offer highly specialized care and treatment applications in pediatric vascular interventional radiology and interventional neuro-radiology.

The next-generation biplane image-guided therapy system installed in the hybrid suite is equipped to provide low-dose x-ray exposure while providing superior image quality. Additionally, it provides a host of clinically significant functional enhancements, time-saving workflow efficiencies and numerous quality control improvements. It is also equipped to perform fusion imaging, which allows superimposition of images from CT/MRI on angiographic images, thus further lowering the radiation dose and amount of contrast administered during any given case.

To optimize functional capabilities of the hybrid suite, the biplane imaging system is integrated with an impressive array of state-of-the-art operating room equipment, as well as:

• Data and image integration software
• Ambient lighting features
• Patient-focused audio-video enhancements for calming and relaxation
• Specialized anesthesia, hemodynamic, electrophysiology, cardiac mapping, cardiac ablation, cardiac perfusion, cardiovascular ultrasound and cardiovascular surgical systems

These specialized systems are designed to provide patients and their families with the level of superior service experiences, and high-quality clinical outcomes they should expect and deserve.

 “Our patients, physicians and staff alike can benefit from the low-dose x-ray levels, superior imaging, and the unparalleled set of enhanced clinical technologies and operational improvements this hybrid facility provides,” said Phil Farley, administrative director of the Oklahoma Children’s Hospital Heart Center. “It will also provide our Heart Center team with the ability to perform a variety of complex diagnostic, interventional and surgical procedures more safely and efficiently, which translates to our patients spending less time under anesthesia, and on their way to recovery and going home to their families much sooner.”

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OKLAHOMA CHILDREN’S HOSPITAL OU HEALTH

At Oklahoma Children’s Hospital OU Health, pediatric staff blends years of training with education, research and technology to improve the lives of children throughout the region. The obstetric emergency room at Oklahoma Children’s Hospital is a regional referral center for the state, and the neonatal intensive care unit provides the highest level of newborn care in Oklahoma. Oklahoma Children’s Hospital is also home to the only 24/7 pediatric emergency room in Oklahoma City. With a family-centered approach to healing, Oklahoma Children’s Hospital offers resources from pet therapy to child life specialists who help families cope with hospitalization and illness. From advanced surgical services to general pediatrics, oncology care and more, Oklahoma Children’s Hospital provides cutting-edge research and treatments through hospital-based and outpatient services. To learn more, visit oklahomachildrens.org.

OU HEALTH

OU Health is the state’s only comprehensive academic health system of hospitals, clinics and centers of excellence. The flagship academic healthcare system is the clinical partner of the University of Oklahoma Health Sciences Center, one of the most comprehensive academic and research campuses in the country. With 10,000 employees and more than 1,300 physicians and advanced practice providers, OU Health is home to Oklahoma’s largest doctor network with a complete range of specialty care. OU Health serves Oklahoma and the region with the state’s only freestanding children’s hospital, the only National Cancer Institute-Designated OU Health Stephenson Cancer Center and Oklahoma’s flagship hospital, which serves as the state’s only Level 1 trauma center. OU Health’s oncology program at OU Health Stephenson Cancer Center was named Oklahoma’s top facility for cancer care by U.S. News & World Report in its 2020-21 rankings. OU Health also was ranked by U.S. News & World Report as high performing in these specialties: Colon Surgery, COPD and Congestive Heart Failure. OU Health’s mission is to lead healthcare in patient care, education and research. To learn more, visit ouhealth.com.