Construction of an integrated surgical suite in a military treatment facility

The OR has long existed as a highly specialized and distinct entity within a hospital. Recent technological advances have allowed the OR to be seamlessly integrated with the larger hospital and, in a virtual sense, with the world. The modern, integrated OR can enhance patients' surgical experiences, improve surgeons' control of OR technology, and increase OR efficiency by reducing surgical times. The Naval Medical Center in San Diego, California, is one of the first military health care systems in the southwest to build a fully integrated, voice-controlled OR. The renovation project transformed 12 ORs into fully integrated surgical suites.