The highest in high-tech

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When Tobey Hospital's original operating rooms ushered in a new era in surgery in the 1940s, "high tech" meant the newest scalpel.

Technology in Tobey's new surgical wing means fiber optic wands that help surgeons "see" inside the body through an incision the size of a finger nail, high-tech instruments activated by voice as well as touch and computers that sit at the operating table and instantly show a patient's lab tests or x-rays.

Rayford Kruger, MD

"Tobey's new ORs will be the most advanced anywhere for performing minimally invasive surgery, which is the standard," said Rayford Kruger, MD, a general surgeon at Tobey.

The new wing will have two rooms — called "I-suites" — that are fully equipped with the latest technology for general surgery, gynecology and orthopedic surgery. More than two miles of cable snakes through the ceiling and instrument panels in each room, connecting to surgical instruments with computerized cameras. Surgeons operate through tiny incisions, with the surgical field displayed on a video screen.

"Removal of a gallbladder used to require an eight-inch incision," Dr. Kruger said. "Today I can operate through one-inch incisions and the patient goes home that same day."

"Our surgical volume has grown tremendously and we've already been providing these new procedures," said John Schueb, MD, Chief Anesthesiologist and President of the Tobey Medical Staff. "Our new suites will make things much more streamlined and efficient. The best technology will be available right here."

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