Better healthcare means bigger operating rooms at one of the largest hospitals in the Quad Cities. Today (WED), Genesis Medical Center showed a model of an operating room that's now under construction at the East campus in Davenport.
Chief medical officer, Doctor Joseph Lohmuller (LO-mull-er), says medical technology has changed dramatically, but his staff is still using operating rooms designed in the 70s.
"Literally, it's like we have to bring this in first, and that in, second, and that in, third, to get all that in the room. It just expands the length of an operation expands the length of an anesthestic, increases risk to patient, decreases efficiency."
The surgeon says one of the rooms is so small, it's been converted into a storage closet.
But the 12 new operating rooms and 4 procedure rooms will be 50 percent bigger, with higher ceilings, LED lights, adjustable video screens, and wireless equipment.
That means room for more doctors and nurses.
"So it's very typical we could have 8 to 10 people in an operating room; in our major trauma cases, we could have anywhere--we could have a dozen people. We could have multiple operating teams at a time working on a patient."
The new operating rooms will cost $60 million as part of the $140 million expansion now under way at Genesis Medical Center.
