Over 22,000 operations are conducted annually at the North Estonia Medical Centre's Operating Centre, with about 30% being emergency operations. The Operating Centre, located at the hospital's new X-block, consolidates the hospital's entire surgical activity.
The modern Operating Centre includes 18 operating rooms – two of which are reserved for emergency operations – and a recovery ward. Planned and emergency surgical operations are conducted across a wide range of fields: orthopaedics, neurosurgery, urology, gynaecology, general surgery, oncological surgery, otolaryngology, cardiosurgery and vascular surgery, thoracic surgery, plastic and reconstructive surgery, and oral and maxillofacial surgery.
Operating rooms
Operating rooms are grouped into four by duration of operations.
- Group I - emergency operations
- Group II - abdominal cavity and otolaryngology operations
- Group III - orthopaedic and neurosurgical operations
- Group IV - cardiosurgery, vascular surgery, thoracic surgery operations
Operating rooms are of equal size, 49-52 m2, and are specially equipped as required for each field. Seven of the operating rooms are for endoscopic operations. All of the operating rooms are equipped with new LED operating lights, providing longer lasting and more natural light; we use a laminar ventilation system to provide a clean air curtain around the operating area which filters the operating room.
The Operating Centre uses a metallic modular wall solution, with stainless steel wall panels that provide better sound insulation and shield radiation. The construction allows for easy installation and disassembly, giving the hospital the capability of quickly adding necessary new devices to the operating rooms or moving existing equipment around. Additionally, the walls and flooring of the operating rooms were selected based on the highest hygienic standards.
A touch-sensitive screen can be used to control devices, and the operating room can broadcast its activities via the Internet and communicate with the hospital's conference hall or with parties outside the hospital.
The centre has a full floor available for its activities, spanning 2,257 m².
The Operating Centre is a training base for both University of Tartu and Tallinn Health Care College students.