Presbyterian/St. Luke’s Medical Center – Surgery Expansion & Orthopedic/Spine Nursing Unit

A Right-Sized Renovation

The surgery expansion on the second floor of the hospital’s A Building comprised the addition of two state-of-the-art operating rooms for the surgical treatment of spine and orthopedic cases. The first floor of the addition was designed as shell space with the intent to house a future horizontal expansion of the adjacent central sterile department. The expansion also included the major renovation of 10 existing ORs, which were undersized and challenged by poor circulation within the surgical floor. We right-sized the ORs by capturing unused spaces that housed out-of-date sterilizers, while reworking the core to provide better circulation for surgery staff.

The pre-operative and PACU recovery renovation provides the hospital with 37 right-sized prep/PACU bays with services sufficient for both uses. This allows the bays to “swing” during the day to handle patient volumes depending on the daily surgery schedule.

Enabling ORs of the Future

We designed the new operating rooms to allow for the integration of three different vendors into the space, including Brainlab, whose smart OR technology is currently being used by the hospital for orthopedic/spine procedures, with the goal of treating cranial and orthopedic joint cases in the future. A first of its kind in the U.S., the groundbreaking CT scan system combines cutting-edge surgical navigation with interoperative, high-resolution imaging that provides real-time images of procedures, allowing surgeons to make immediate decisions, reducing the need for follow-up surgeries. Stainless steel wall panels were incorporated into the design to aid in infection prevention and to allow for future installation of services within the OR walls as new infrastructure needs arise.

A New Norm

The 11th floor patient room renovation was driven by a leading surgeon whose vision was to provide an amenity-level patient floor that would be a departure from the normal hospital aesthetic. Clean and contemporary, the new orthopedic/spine nursing unit provides 18 larger patient rooms along with support spaces. Two of the patient rooms feature adjacent “family rooms” replete with a lounge sitting area that allows family members to remain close to the patient while providing them with a space of their own. Unlike typical patient rooms, each room features a unified headwall and ceiling canopy. Smart technology is also provided in the rooms, allowing patients to control their TV, sound system and lighting components, and even order a meal, via an iPad.

Making the Hospital More Hospitable

The patient floor’s radial layout incorporates a centrally located, hotel-like concierge desk where staff receive and greet patients and their family members upon arrival. Enhancing the patient experience, a clean and soothing color palette of finishes further emphasize and reinforce the surgeon’s vision for the floor.

Signaling a New Era for P/SL

Presbyterian St. Luke’s commitment to executing these surgery and patient-floor upgrades has helped the hospital attract both top-tier talent and new clientele. Surgeons now have the opportunity to perform orthopedic and spine procedures using technology that no other U.S. hospital can offer, while patients can spend their critical post-surgery recovery time in a hospitality-like setting that provides a calming, healing touch.