MDNews - Greater Boston

new ICU set to open In Late 2013 an imPortant Factor in the continued growth of the St. Elizabeth's surgery program has been the $25 million investment the medical center made in the development of a brand-new, 24,000-square-foot Intensive Care Unit (ICU) that is scheduled to open early this month on the fifth floor of the William F. Connell Pavilion. The new ICU will allow St. Elizabeth's to increase the efficiency and quality of care for both preoperative and postoperative critically ill patients. It will offer state-of-the-art amenities and have 23 patient rooms, including four isolation rooms, for the 2,500 patients that come through its doors each year. "The old units had many constraints and smaller rooms," says Rae Allain, MD, Medical Director of the ICU. "The new rooms are much larger, have private bathrooms and are designed to be more comfortable for visitors." The new ICU will replace the dated physical environments home to the three existing ICUs, as well as integrate the nursing staffs of those three ICUs, which focused on cardiac care, the medically ill and surgical recovery. "This is providing us with an opportunity to bring together all of our experienced caregivers, who are often dealing with complex Frank Pomposelli, MD, Chair of Surgery and vascular surgeon, St. Elizabeth's Medical Center and challenging patients," Dr. Allain says. "By combining forces in a single, large, multidisciplinary ICU, we can cross-pollinate our expertise and experience while providing opportunities for "St. Elizabeth's is fortunate to have a small hospital feel with the capabilities of a big hospital. Our patients always remark about the kindness and helpfulness of our staff, and I think they appreciate that longstanding commitment to compassionate, personalized care." There is no denying the success of St. Elizabeth's surgery program. The medical center has among the fastest growing programs of its kind in the region, having seen double-digit growth in the past year, with the cardiac and vascular surgery programs growing between 50 and 75 percent. Key to that success has been a wide array of minimally invasive surgical offerings and technologically advanced procedures performed by renowned physicians. Both factors have been crucial to the medical center's ability to grow its volumes and have led to outcomes that are as good as, if not better than, most other hospitals in the region. St. Elizabeth's outcomes for coronary bypass and revascularization are among the best in New England. "We have the busiest robotic surgery program in Boston and one of the busiest in New England," Dr. Pomposelli says. "Our surgeons perform a large volume of minimally invasive procedures, including cardiac surgical procedures, such as robotic mitral valve repair. For us, it is not a marketing tool. We understand that these procedures have to be performed with a high degree of expertise and care to be certain patients have excellent outcomes. All robotic surgery is closely monitored by our robotics committee, and new operators are mentored caregivers to stretch their boundaries." The new rooms will have booms, which will come down from the ceiling, equipped with electrical and data outlets with attached computer monitors. This should reduce the need for rolling carts. There will also be more space to accommodate equipment such as respirator attachments and dialysis machines. "The space will benefit clinicians, caregivers and patients alike," says John Unterborn, MD, Vice Chair for Educational Affairs and Internal Medicine Residency Program Director. "We will have room to chart and work efficiently. There will also be sling lifts for nurses to help move patients more safely and effectively than moving them manually, which will help to improve both the staff and patient experience." Reinforcing the ICU is an innovative eICU connection, a 24/7 offsite monitoring system that will be staffed by medical professionals who can support the caregivers in the ICU. This will help ensure patients are cared for at all times, even when on-site caregivers are down the hall. In preparation for the new ICU opening, St. Elizabeth's has been engaging in cross-training for the last few months so ICU nurses can maintain their individual subspecialties while also being prepared to collaborate with their peers. "Everyone sees the benefits of collaboration, and the nurses are fully embracing the opportunities to do so now that the three separate ICUs have been integrated into one," Dr. Unterborn says. The ICU will most assuredly allow the medical center to provide better care for its most critically ill patients. mdnewS.com ■ MD News Greater Boston |7

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