Theatres
There are 23 active operating theatres within the theatres directorate at the Royal Stoke University Hospital. They cover a multitude of specialties including General Surgery, Specialist Surgery, Cardiothoracic Surgery, Trauma, Orthopaedics and Neurosurgery. Each area is staffed by a highly skilled workforce trained to provide expert clinical care to ensure your theatre experience is as pleasant as possible.
Approximately 30,000 patients a year, predominantly from Staffordshire and the surrounding areas, undergo surgery at the Royal Stoke University Hospital. The Theatre Directorate works closely with many other departments within the Trust, including Infection Control and Clinical Technology, in order to ensure each operating theatre is maintained to a high standard.
The Trust has made significant investment in its theatres and has purchased state of the art technology in order to provide cutting edge surgery. Specialty techniques such as key hole surgery to remove kidneys, prostrate laser surgery and key hole surgery for many bowel operations are now performed at the Trust.
The Theatre Directorate is also responsible for the safe post operative recovery of patients and this is provided within specialist bays adjacent to the theatre areas, with a dedicated paediatric area to allow specialist recovery for children.
Routinely family and friends are not allowed to enter the theatre areas, however in exceptional circumstances and where children are undergoing operations, relatives are allowed into the anaesthetic rooms and recovery bay to provide support and comfort.
The theatre department employs over 450 staff, comprising 40 Consultants and 350 theatre staff of multiple disciplines such as nursing and operating department practitioners, who all play a crucial role in your care.
Pictured: Mr Lognathen Balacumaraswami, Consultant Cardiothoracic Surgeon
Consultants at University Hospitals of North Midlands were amongst the very first to perform minimally invasive coronary artery bypass graft surgery. Normal bypass surgery involves opening up the chest to operate and stopping the heart with the aid of a machine.
This newer procedure involves making a small cut of about 2.5 inches between the ribs and using cameras and small instruments during treatment. The procedure was so ground-breaking that our consultants even helped to design how the instruments should actually be created. Recovery time for patients is two to three weeks as opposed to up to three months using previous techniques. The patient is then discharged and back at home within 72 hours.
Mr Lognathen Balacumaraswami, a Consultant Cardiothoracic Surgeon (pictured above), leads his team in this ground-breaking procedure.