Heart care services expand with new hybrid operating room at Ascension Columbia St. Mary’s Hospital Milwaukee

Milwaukee, Wis.— Ascension Columbia St. Mary’s Hospital Milwaukee is expanding its services with the addition of a new hybrid operating room, representing a $5.2 million investment. The new hybrid operating room, which combines a traditional operating room with an image-guided interventional suite, can quickly convert from a cardiac catheterization lab to a surgical room as needed. Physicians will perform a variety of cardiovascular, neurosurgical and interventional radiology procedures in the hybrid operating room. Cardiovascular procedures will include minimally invasive valve replacement, arteriogram, angioplasty and complex endovascular stent procedures.

Columbia St. Mary’s Foundation supported this expansion of care with donors’ generous gifts of $400,000 toward the purchase of surgical devices, imaging technologies and software.

“We’re excited to provide these specialized services to our patients and are deeply grateful for the outpouring of support from community donors,” said Kelly Elkins, president, Ascension Columbia St. Mary’s Hospital.

A multi-disciplinary Structural Heart Team is leading Ascension Columbia St. Mary’s transcatheter aortic valve replacement (TAVR) program. This is a dedicated team of interventional cardiologists, cardiothoracic surgeons and specialized support staff who work together to provide innovative, multispecialty care to patients with life-threatening valve disorders and structural heart defects.

Transcatheter aortic valve replacement is a less invasive procedure available for people who need their aortic valve replaced and are at intermediate or greater risk for open heart surgery. The first TAVR procedure at Ascension Columbia St. Mary’s Hospital Milwaukee was completed successfully on February 20, 2019.

“The development of our cardiovascular service line allows us to provide the right care at the right place and time for our patients,” said Bernie Sherry, Ministry Market Executive, Ascension Wisconsin, “It is part of Ascension Wisconsin’s strategy to develop Ascension Columbia St. Mary’s as our tertiary center and bring new and expanded services to the communities we are privileged to serve.”

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About Ascension Wisconsin

Ascension Wisconsin (ascension.org/Wisconsin) operates 24 hospital campuses, more than 100 related healthcare facilities and employs more than 1,300 primary and specialty care clinicians from Racine to Eagle River. Serving Wisconsin since 1848, Ascension is a faith-based healthcare organization committed to delivering compassionate, personalized care to all, with special attention to persons living in poverty and those most vulnerable. As such, Ascension Wisconsin provided more than $292 million in community benefit, including care of persons living in poverty in Fiscal Year 2018. As one of the leading non-profit and Catholic health systems in the U.S., Ascension operates 2,600 sites of care – including 151 hospitals and more than 50 senior living facilities – in 21 states and the District of Columbia.