The Saint John Regional Hospital’s new Hybrid Operating Room will be among the largest and most advanced in Canada – with your help.

If you or someone you love has ever needed heart surgery, you know how life-changing – and life-saving – it can be.

At the Saint John Regional Hospital, our cardiac teams perform thousands of procedures every year, helping patients across New Brunswick and beyond. But they’re doing it in operating rooms that weren’t built for today’s technology or tomorrow’s needs.

That’s about to change.

With your help, we’re raising $6.5 million to build Atlantic Canada’s most advanced Hybrid Operating Room. This next-generation space will transform how heart surgeries are performed and how quickly patients can get the care they need.

What is a Hybrid Operating Room?

A Hybrid OR blends a traditional operating room with advanced imaging technology, allowing surgeons to see inside the body in real time while performing minimally invasive procedures. That means fewer and smaller incisions, faster recovery and better outcomes.

Wayne Long, a grateful heart patient, said it best:

“It’s like having a full workshop and the hardware store all rolled into one – right there in the OR. When someone’s life is on the line, you don’t want to be running down the hall for tools. You want everything right there, ready to go. That’s what a Hybrid OR makes possible.”

Digital image of the interior of a surgery room in a hospital without any people

This kind of innovation isn’t just about upgrading equipment – it’s about expanding our ability to care for more patients, more efficiently. Right now, cardiac teams are borrowing time and space from other departments to perform procedures that should be done in a Hybrid OR. That means delays for patients – sometimes weeks instead of days – and wear and tear on equipment that wasn’t designed to be moved around.

And as Dr. White explains, the nature of cardiac surgery itself is
evolving:

“More and more of what we do to treat heart patients is done as a heart team – surgeons, interventional cardiologists, electrophysiologists working together. A Hybrid OR is the building block we need to keep up with that evolution.”

A Purpose-Built Space That Sets a New Standard

The hospital has already designated a space for the Hybrid OR as part of its redevelopment. It will be located on the first floor – right at the centre of the hospital, close to the new intensive care unit and Department of Surgery.

And this won’t be just any operating room.

At 2,000 square feet, this purpose-designed surgical hub will be nearly twice the size of the average Hybrid OR. It will include an operating room, control room, data room, equipment storage, and a permanent robotic imaging system at the heart of the space. By comparison, the Hybrid OR at QEII Health Sciences Centre, launched in 2022, is smaller and used only for vascular surgeries.

Ours will be the most advanced suite in Atlantic Canada – and the only one equipped for both cardiac and vascular cases. It will increase surgical capacity at the Heart Centre by 20%, with immediate impact on cardiac care and future benefits across other specialties.

Why It Matters to You

This investment positions our hospital to lead, not just keep pace. Here’s what a Hybrid OR means for you and your loved ones:

• Shorter recovery times thanks to less invasive proceduresFewer surgeries – many complex cases can be handled in one visit
• Faster access to care by freeing up space in other operating rooms
• Lower risk of complications due to greater precision and adaptability
• Reduced hospital stays, which means lower costs and more available beds
• Improved staff efficiency, allowing care teams to focus on what matters most
• Streamlined workflow – less complex cases can move through the system more quickly
• Adaptability – surgeons can revise treatment plans mid-procedure and convert to open surgery if needed

Janine Doucet, Clinical Director of the Cardiac Care Program, puts it this way:

“We live in an era of rapid advancements in cardiac technology. A Hybrid OR puts those advancements in the hands of our skilled clinicians – leading to better outcomes and more efficient care.”

A Shared Resource for a Growing Region

The New Brunswick Heart Centre performs over 4,300 cardiac interventions every year. At any given time, 20 to 30 patients are in the hospital waiting for urgent surgery, with another 100 waiting at home. And those numbers are growing.

A recent agreement means our hospital will now serve patients from Prince Edward Island who need vascular surgery – adding 200,000 people to our catchment area. Without a Hybrid OR, we simply don’t have the space or tools to keep up.

Dr. White explains:

“Despite a large increase in the volume of procedures we do every year, our wait list sits at 150 patients. We need more resources to help more people in a timely fashion.”

You Make Exceptional Care Possible

This project is more than bricks, mortar and equipment – it’s about giving people in our region access to the best care possible, right here at home. With your support, we can build a surgical suite that matches the skill and dedication of our care teams. We can reduce wait times, improve outcomes and bring the very best care home to New Brunswick.

Every gift matters. Whether you choose to give monthly, make a leadership gift, or include the hospital in your will, you’re helping shape the future of health care in our province.

Let’s bring the future of surgery home – together.