Business, Government Legal News from throughout WVMon General opens new Orthopedic Center to better serve patients

By CATHY BONNSTETTER

For The State Journal

MORGANTOWN — Mon General Hospital unveiled its new orthopedic center last week and opened it to patients Jan. 30. The $8.7 million, state-of-the-art center includes new operating rooms and patient rooms all designed for ease of use and comfort.

The four new operating rooms, designed with equipment from the STERIS Corp. of Mentor, Ohio, include LED Surgical Lighting and Visualization Systems. Surgeons can choose from seven different lighting settings, and each one is shadow free.

"These LED lights offer the most illumination allowed in an operating room," said Tim Maus, STERIS Corporation account manager. The lamps will last 10-15 years."

            The operating rooms include surgical tables designed for surgical efficiency and patient comfort, as well as equipment manager systems that come down from the ceiling on arms, called booms that organize operating tools in one spot and maximize space.  Each room sports two, large flat screen monitors to view X-rays and the procedures.  Physicians and staff said they were thrilled with the lighting and organization. The size of the rooms — 600 square feet or nearly double that of the old ones — also was a huge hit.

            "You have a lot of X-ray equipment involved with surgeries," said Mon General physician Matthew P. Darmelio. "It is going to be so much easier to move around. I think the booms are the best part of everything — all the equipment coming down from the ceiling. We made due for 14 years in those smaller rooms."

Mon General Hospital has seven board certified orthopedic surgeons, the largest group of orthopedic surgeons in the state. The hospital completes about 3,600 orthopedic procedures annually, from same-day surgeries to total joint replacements.

"The old operating rooms were good for same-day surgeries," said Kassie Guzik, orthopedic center operating room tech. "Other surgeries need so much more equipment, and those rooms were just not built for that."

The new center, which is located in the hospital's South Tower, has easy outside access and its own parking lot. In addition to the four new operating rooms, the center has space for two more operating rooms, an eight-bed post-anesthesia care unit and 13 new pre- and post-operative care rooms.

"Patients usually come in about an hour before their anesthesia," said Cindy Beabout, orthopedic center registered nurse. "These new, private rooms have televisions and expanded call stations that allow patients to even dim the lights. We're hoping all those amenities make the time go a little faster."

The center was build in response to the area's demographics.

"Over the past five years we have experienced a 20 percent increase in the number of orthopedic procedures being performed at the hospital," Mon Health System President and CEO Darryl Duncan said in a release. "This trend is expected to continue as more baby boomers reach retirement age. With room to expand built into the center, we expect to be able to meet the region's orthopedic surgery needs for many years to come."           

The dedicated orthopedic center translates to shorter wait times for patients needing this type of surgery.

Even without the new facility, Mon General orthopedic surgeons and staff brought superior care to their patients. In fact, Mon General was named a Blue Distinction Center for Knee and Hip Replacement by Highmark Blue Cross Blue Shield West Virginia, a national honor.

"According to our surveys, our patient satisfaction level is wonderful," said Kathy Sankovich, vice president of patient care services at Mon General. "Being on the cutting edge with this state of the art equipment is going to take it to the next level."

The old orthopedic space in the hospital, located on the second floor, will be converted into an endoscopy center and will open later this summer.