Overview:
Baylor Scott & White Medical Center at Uptown is a surgically-focused specialty hospital in Dallas, TX. The surgery center is a joint venture between Baylor Scott & White Health (BSWH), United Surgical Partners International (USPI), and local physicians.

Project:
Due to necessary technical requirements and strict industry regulations, hospital operating rooms are traditionally complicated to design and build. Proper airflow and lighting position to limit shadows and regulate temperature during procedures are a primary concern. For this specific project, the scope included an even greater challenge: The hospital was converting a space previously used to store sterile equipment into a new operating room. The Texas AirSystems team was tasked with finding a way to include all necessary ductwork and components in a prebuilt and crowded ceiling space.

Technical Solution:
With the selection of Price Industries’ Ultrasuite technology, the Texas AirSystems team was able to rearrange and work within the congested pre-existing ceiling space by installing a compact, minimal connections piece to fit and maintain air changes, airflows, and electrical requirements. The Ultrasuite is a customizable air distribution and lighting solution specifically engineered for hospital operating rooms. Featuring High-output LED lighting combined with precision equalized laminar airflow eliminates the traditional “light ring”, the Ultrasuite opens valuable ceiling space for surgical equipment while optimizing contaminant removal from the surgical zone.

In order to ensure the converted space would meet ASHRAE 170 requirements, the team coordinated the design with the OR boom manufacturers to supply an end product created with access panels for medical gas and other utilities above the ceiling. In addition, the sleek, modular nature of the Ultrasuite allowed for the entire ceiling system to be installed in just a week, nearly three times faster than the average industry OR buildout.

Summary:
With the overall goal of improving life safety metrics in mind, the Texas AirSystems team was able to meet the surgical center’s needs and collaborate with Price Industries to apply a compact, low-fixture OR solution via the Ultrasuite. Featuring larger monolithic surfaces, fewer fixtures, and fewer building utilities present in the space, the hospital’s newest operating room is now easier and faster to clean, meaning less OR downtime, and ultimately, safer operations for patients and healthcare workers alike.

Thanks to the new Price Ultrasuite technology, Baylor Uptown’s converted surgical suite is functional, efficient, and keeping safety at the forefront.