Design and conception of new interventional radiology areas

Abstract

The number of medical procedures performed through Interventional Radiology (IR) has increased considerably the last decades. As a result, new IR facilities are required to face the current and future challenges that the discipline could encounter. In front of this reality, the following project is proposed as a guide for the design of the novel IR areas, more specifically, for the design of those IR areas equipped with fixed fluoroscopy systems usually referred as Digital Intravenous Angiography Systems (DIVAS). Apart from an initial review of the current design trends and the organizations involved in it, this report proposes the ideal design of an IR area to achieve safe, efficient and satisfactory procedures. The design is accompanied by a description of its technical and legal requirements, a brief analysis of the resources involved in its implementation, several proposals for the reinvention of common spaces, the key aspects that must be considered when designing any IR area and examples to demonstrate how to apply the concepts developed. The whole project has been supported by Hospital Clinic de Barcelona and includes the necessities of all those individuals involved in IR, from hospital clinicians to patients or even technical engineers.