Multi-functional medical facility with diagnostic, therapeutic and interventional capabilities

Abstract

A multi-functional medical facility permits emergent diagnostic imaging assessment, image guided therapeutic interventions, and open surgical procedures within the complex. The concept of bringing diagnostic and therapeutic imaging and operative equipment to the critically ill patient or the patient undergoing non-emergency, elective surgery, instead of bringing the patient to the equipment is a major clinical advantage that should improve efficiency, outcome and survival. An important economic advantage is that the components can be used separately and independently of each other, thus enabling them to also be used for routine emergency room (ER) work.

Description

CROSS REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS [0001] The present application claims benefit of U.S. Provisional Application No. 60 / 651,323 filed Feb. 9, 2005.BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION [0002] 1. Field of Invention [0003] The invention relates generally to a multi-functional medical facility that includes adjacent rooms set up for imaging patients, such as for diagnostic imaging and image-guided interventional procedures, and for performing surgical procedures. [0004] 2. Description of Related Art [0005] Hospitals and other medical care facilities typically include separate facilities for performing patient imaging and administering emergency services. Thus, when a critically ill or injured patient is admitted to an emergency room, it is necessary to transfer the patient to a different location to perform imaging. For example, the patient can be transferred to computed tomography (CT) and radiographic imaging suites for diagnostic studies, or to fluoroscopic and angiographic suites for di...

AI Technical Summary

Benefits of technology

[0007] In one aspect, a multi-functional medical facility is provided as a diagnostic and therapeutic emergency room (ER) complex that permits emergent diagnostic imaging assessment, image guided therapeutic interventions, and open surgical procedures. The concept of bringing diagnostic and therapeutic imaging and operative equipment to the critically ill patient, or the patient undergoing non-emergency, elective surgery, instead of bringing the patient to the equipment, provides a major clinical advantage over current methods that should improve efficiency, outcome and survival. An important economic advantage is that the components can be used independently for routine ER work. Moreover, the cost of the complex can be paid back quickly since the equipment is used to more efficiently process a greater number of patients compared to conventional approaches.

[0009] The facility can further include a transport mechanism for transporting the patient to each of the areas, which can be adjacent to one another. The transport can move the same patient table to each area to minimize patient discomfort.

Problems solved by technology

However, the idea of bringing the critically ill patient to the diagnostic and therapeutic imaging and operative equipment is disadvantageous in terms of efficiency as well as patient outcome and survival.

For example, oftentimes the patient is too ill to be moved and, when the patient can be moved, time is wasted, potentially resulting in an increase in patient morbidity or mortality.

Moreover, additional personnel are needed to move the patient and time is unnecessarily wasted.

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