An EU-funded project has led to the construction of a new surgery wing at the Álvaro Cunqueiro Hospital in Vigo, north-west Spain. The new wing features two operating theatres, four endoscopic surgical towers and other advanced medical equipment.
New surgery wing at Álvaro Cunqueiro Hospital improves healthcare in Vigo, Spain
- 19 September 2020
The project has boosted the hospital’s reputation as a unique, modern, efficient and safe structure, with advanced surgical facilities. These provide the population and healthcare professionals with a technological level appropriate to what the city and the region need.
The new surgery wing has improved the quality of healthcare for the residents of Vigo and the surrounding area. The modern medical equipment has increased operational safety, reduced surgery-related pain and, consequently, recovery time. This allows patients to return to their daily lives more quickly.
It has enabled surgeons to work more efficiently, which has reduced waiting times for procedures and allowed the operating rooms to be used more frequently.
Surgical imaging, touch screens and voice command
The new surgery wing features an integrated operating room and a hybrid one. Both rooms work have a centralised computer-based system that lets surgeons control devices such as lights, surgery and endoscopy columns and ceiling-suspended arms via touch screen or voice-activation.
Each room has endoscopic towers for different surgical fields: two are for general surgery, one for urology and the fourth for endoscopic procedures.
The hybrid operating room has an advanced 3D-imaging system that requires significantly smaller doses of radiation as opposed to traditional imaging systems. This makes procedures less invasive, safer and allows surgeons to perform heart and vascular procedures on higher-risk patients.
An integrated image capture and digitisation system in each room lets surgeons to work interactively with other areas of the surgery wing, providing them with real-time access to all patient-related information and resources such as medical records or imaging tests from endoscopies, X-rays and ultrasound scans.
Useful clinical information from the surgeries is collected in electronic records and made available for healthcare training and education. This boosts the hospital’s reputation for surgical training nationally and internationally.
Reducing recovery time and increasing surgical efficiency
The two advanced operating rooms have led to more laparoscopic surgeries. Because these are less invasive, they reduce the patient’s recovery time.
The improved healthcare services are expected to benefit over 400 000 patients in the area. The project has helped overcome the region’s lack of medical technology which previously forced residents to seek medical care elsewhere.
Today, due to its solid reputation, technological advancement and surgical efficiency and confidence, people from outside the region come for treatment at the Álvaro Cunqueiro Hospital.
Total investment and EU funding
Total investment for the project “Purchase and installation of equipment for the new Hospital of Vigo “Álvaro Cunqueiro” is EUR 45 829 485, with the EU’s European Regional Development Fund contributing EUR 36 663 588 through the “Galicia” Operational Programme for the 2014-2020 programming period. The project falls under the priority “Jobs, Growth and Investment”.