JACKSONVILLE BEACH, Fla. – A newly renovated surgical pavilion will soon open at Baptist Beaches Hospital to better serve patients.
The $32 million pavilion is connected to the emergency room off South Beach Parkway. It's been under construction for the past two years and is due to open in the next few weeks.
Some of the state-of-the-art equipment that will improve surgical procedures includes smaller scopes for less invasive procedures and robotic aided surgeries that are designed to be more precise.
Seven new operating suites will replace the old operating rooms. Each room is 200 square feet larger than the old ones, offering more flexibility.
Small scopes, in-light cameras,and high-definition screens to help increase efficiency when it comes to surgical procedures, according to experts.
"They use a video and a scope and make tiny incisions as opposed to big, gaping incisions," said Shy Donaldson, Sales Representative for Stryker.
A penny can be used to demonstrate how the scope gives doctors a better visual during surgery.
"Everybody knows what a penny looks like, when you zoom in using the same technology the surgeons have access to, a lot of people don't realize the Lincoln memorial is inside the penny," Donaldson said.
Some of the new technology will give doctors hands-free control of the equipment inside the operating room by using voice commands.
Doctors can speak to change displays on the screen, control lights and cameras, and run through pre-operation screenings. Baptist Beaches also installed a da Vinci surgical robot in one of the suites. Doctors can operate on a patient from across the room by controlling several surgical arms at once.
Hospital President Joe Mitrick said the $32 million surgical pavilion was designed with the patient in mind.
"A lot of openness, a lot of windows and a lot of artwork as well to provide a healing, calming environment," Mitrick said.