Hospitals & Healthcare Systems Cardiology Surgery

 News Release - September 22, 2006

Palmetto General Hospital Unveils New Heart Institute

Center is One of the Most Revolutionary Cardiac Facilities in South Florida

HIALEAH, Fla.--(HSMN NewsFeed)--Sept. 22, 2006--Palmetto General Hospital unveiled today the opening of its new "Heart Institute at Palmetto General Hospital," which will bring the conventional operating room into the digital age.

"The Heart Institute will serve as one of the most advanced cardiac facilities in South Florida, and boast two new 'smart' operating rooms and a leading-edge 10-bed cardiac intensive care unit," said Ana Mederos, Palmetto General Hospital's chief executive officer.

The two "Smart ORs," which are the only such advanced cardiac facilities south of Tampa, are fully integrated, voice-controlled operating rooms that will provide surgeons with comprehensive access and control of critical devices along with networked digital documentation and telemedicine capabilities. Gone are the hundreds of feet of equipment cables found in conventional cardiac ORs. Instead, these rooms are specially designed to be completely wireless for maximum efficiency and patient safety.

In addition, instead of dictating instructions to nurses, cardiac surgeons at Palmetto General Hospital will now give simple verbal commands to Sidne®, a voice-recognition network that will turn on lights, raise or lower the surgical table, instruct cameras to zoom in and out, take pictures and perform a variety of other functions.

Upon completion of a surgical procedure in the "Smart OR," Palmetto General Hospital patients will recuperate in one of Florida's most leading-edge cardiac Intensive Care Units. The 10-bed unit, with individual rooms for each patient, is wired to the ORs via television monitors so that nurses can begin preparing for a patient's arrival before he/she ever leaves the operating table.

The ICU also operates on a revolutionary "universal bed" concept, whereby patients spend their entire stay in the same bed instead of facing the disruption of changing rooms and floors. Other technological features include two-way video and audio connections to allow other doctors to interact with the operating surgeon, as well as observe a variety of camera views and electronic patient data simultaneously.

"We are committed to offering our patients advanced technological methods that will result in quicker recovery times, shorter hospital stays and even better patient care," said Mederos. "This state-of-the aRT Technology enables us to offer our South Florida community an absolutely unparalleled cardiac facility."

Palmetto General Hospital, part of the Miami-Dade/Broward Health Network, is a 360-bed acute-care hospital at 2001 West 68th St. in Hialeah, Fla. The hospital has served the medical and health care needs of Northwest Miami-Dade and Southwest Broward counties for more than 30 years. Palmetto General Hospital offers a broad range of services, including adult and pediatric emergency rooms. Palmetto General Hospital is fully accredited by the Joint Commission on the Accreditation of Healthcare Organizations, the nation's oldest and largest hospital accreditation agency. To learn more about Palmetto General Hospital, visit www.palmettogeneral.com.

Miami-Dade/Broward Health Network, part of Tenet Healthcare Corporation's (NYSE: THC ) Florida operations, comprises seven acute care hospitals with approximately 2,516 beds and numerous related health care services.

Source: Tenet Healthcare

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