Behind the Scenes of a Modern Heart Surgery Suite

Summary Paragraph

St. Elizabeth Healthcare has opened four operating rooms dedicated exclusively to heart surgery. Learn how their specialized layout supports clinical teamwork, patient safety and individualized treatment options, including totally endoscopic, minimally invasive and robot-assisted techniques.

Key Takeaways

• All four new rooms can accommodate open and less-invasive techniques.
• The layout accounts for cardiopulmonary bypass, imaging, anesthesia and bedside access.
• Clear sightlines and organized pathways can support communication and coordination.
• Surgeons can recommend a method based on the individual patient rather than the availability of a particular operating room (OR).
• The investment enhances an established cardiac surgery program at St. Elizabeth.

Why the Specialized Setting Matters

Very few patients pay attention to the layout of the operating room. Yet the environment where care takes place plays an important role in how clinicians communicate, reach the patient and utilize the many resources required for the procedure.

Heart surgery brings several specialized care team members to the bedside at the same time. Surgeons, anesthesia providers, perfusionists, nurses and surgical technologists each need a clear view, reliable access to the patient and enough room to reduce disruptions while managing their responsibilities.

This reflects the thinking behind the new rooms at St. Elizabeth. Rather than adapting a multipurpose OR for each case, the physical setup is aligned with the demands of heart surgery from the start.

A Place for Every Critical Function

Many heart operations depend on cardiopulmonary bypass, also known as the heart-lung machine. This equipment temporarily maintains circulation and oxygen delivery while the surgeon works on the heart. A perfusionist manages the system and continuously monitors the patient during this phase of care.

Because the machine connects directly to the patient, its position cannot be an afterthought. It requires dedicated utilities, sufficient working area and an unobstructed path to the bedside.

This is one reason a room built around heart surgery looks and functions differently from a standard OR. The heart-lung machine is not simply rolled into an available opening. Its location is part of the operating plan.

Other resources also need an intentional home. Transesophageal echocardiography, or TEE, provides ultrasound images that help clinicians evaluate the heart during an operation. Surgeons may use vein-harvesting tools when they need a blood vessel to create a new route around a blocked coronary artery. Monitors, instrument tables, anesthesia stations and supply areas must remain accessible without obstructing movement or visibility.

When teams thoughtfully arrange these elements, clinicians can spend less time navigating physical barriers and more time focusing on the patient and the task at hand.

Four Rooms Ready for a Broad Range of Care

The cardiac surgery program at St. Elizabeth has developed minimally invasive options for valve disease, coronary artery disease, rhythm disorders and other complex conditions. Depending on the individual treatment plan, surgeons may use an open technique, a smaller-incision method, a totally endoscopic approach or robot-assisted surgery.

Each of the four new rooms includes the infrastructure to accommodate all these treatment pathways.

For patients, this versatility supports individualized care. Surgeons can recommend the method that best fits the diagnosis, anatomy and long-term needs without being limited by where the operation will take place.

“What excites me most is the opportunity these suites create for more patients to benefit from the procedures we perform every day,” says Mario Castillo-Sang, MD, Medical Director of Cardiac Surgery at St. Elizabeth. “All four rooms are capable of supporting totally endoscopic and robotic procedures, giving us the ability to offer these treatments to more patients.”

Supporting Less-Invasive Heart Surgery

Some surgical techniques require a considerably different setup. These new spaces were designed as flexible environments that can be easily reconfigured for operational efficiency.

During totally endoscopic cardiac surgery (TECS), the surgeon performs the entire operation through a 2.5 cm incision while viewing a magnified, three-dimensional image from a 3D 4K endoscope. Dedicated high-definition monitors provide both the surgeon and assistant with magnified views of the operative field that mimic direct vision and enhanced depth perception. The camera system, large displays, specialized instruments, bedside access and bypass components must function together. Because all four ORs include this technology, the team can perform totally endoscopic procedures in any of the new suites.

Robot-assisted heart surgery relies on another configuration. The da Vinci system combines an immersive console with wristed instruments that translate the surgeon’s hand movements in real time. The console, patient cart and robotic arms require sufficient clearance while clinical staff maintain direct access to the patient and the heart-lung machine.

Planning for these requirements within all four units supports the continued growth of minimally invasive heart surgery at St. Elizabeth without restricting any one OR to a single technique.

Designed Around Teamwork and Patient Safety

The significance of the new cardiac ORs isn’t found in a single machine, monitor or piece of equipment. Exceptional heart surgery depends on far more. It requires a coordinated care team working together throughout every stage of care.

The benefit is not the room by itself. It is what the setting helps the people inside it do: communicate clearly, preserve staff sightlines to the patient, coordinate complex responsibilities and respond without unnecessary physical obstructions.

The true purpose of these four rooms is the care they support. When someone in our community needs heart surgery, an experienced team and dedicated resources are ready for them, right here at St. Elizabeth. A consultation with one of our cardiac surgeons can help you better understand your diagnosis, treatment options and next steps.

Medically reviewed by Mario Castillo-Sang, MD, on 9/30/2026.