Butler County Health Care Center surgey area was reconstructed in 2013. The new 3,500 square-foot space includes two operating rooms, a new recovery room, decontamination, clean/sterile processing, and staff locker rooms.

The operating rooms are equipped with surgical equipment booms, several video monitors and a video integration system. The video integration system allows the surgeon to choose which video images he or she wishes to view on which monitors. Previous PAC's images may be placed on a video monitor within a split screeen with a live view of the patient, or the video images from the laparoscopic camera image can be viewed on multiple monitors if necessary. The system can also be upgraded to allow for the use of telemedicine during a case if the need arises.

The operating rooms were designed to accomodate a variety of surgical cases and to help reduce turn-around time between cases, allowing more cases to be scheduled between visiting specialists and the local physicians.

Our surgery department provides surgical services on both an inpatient and outpatient basis. Patients scheduled for surgery are asked to come in a day or two prior to their procedure to complete any necessary paperwork and receive pre-op instructions from a registered nurse. The surgery department works cooperatively with the recovery room, the sterile processing unit, and anesthesia department. The day of surgery, patients report to the nurse's station, where care is coordinated throughout their stay.

Some surgeries that are routinely performed on an outpatient basis include:

• Tonsillectomy
• Insertion of eartubes
• Knee scopes
• Carpal tunnel surgery
• Laparascopic gall bladder surgery
• Laparascopic - GYN
• Hernia repair
• Upper gastrointestinal endoscopies
• Colonoscopy
• Appendetomy

Surgical procedures requiring a longer stay in the hospital include:

• Partial or total knee surgery
• Total hip replacement surgery
• Hysterectomy - laparoscopic and open
• Bowel resection
• Cesarean section