People in Abbotsford and surrounding communities will benefit from improved access to advanced vascular and minimally invasive surgical procedures with a new hybrid operating room project planned for Abbotsford Regional Hospital and Cancer Centre.
The state-of-the-art hybrid operating room combines a traditional surgical suite with advanced medical imaging technology, enabling care teams to perform complex, image-guided procedures with greater precision and access to real-time information. The use of less invasive approaches supports faster recovery times, fewer complications and shorter hospital stays while creating new opportunities to expand specialized surgical services and innovative care in the Fraser Valley.
“Families across Abbotsford and the Fraser Valley deserve access to the best care when they need it,” said Ravi Kahlon, Minister of Health. “This new hybrid operating room will give health care teams advanced tools to treat complex conditions with greater precision and less invasive procedures. I am excited to see this investment bring much needed specialized care to our community, while helping patients recover sooner and spend less time in hospital.”
The first of its kind at Abbotsford Regional Hospital and Cancer Centre, the hybrid operating room provides care teams with an enhanced ability to guide needles, wires and catheters into small incisions in the skin and through blood vessels to perform procedures like angioplasty to open narrow or blocked arteries, endovascular aneurysm repair to fix complex aneurysms and thrombectomy to remove acute blood clots.
“The new hybrid operating room represents a significant investment in how we deliver specialized surgical care to people in Abbotsford and surrounding communities,” said Dermot Kelly, President and CEO, Fraser Health. “By combining advanced technology with surgical expertise, we can provide a streamlined, improved care experience in an environment that better supports the people who provide that care.”
Compared to traditional surgery, image-guided procedures can reduce recovery times and hospital stays, allowing most patients to return home from the hospital in 24 hours or less, rather than three to 10 days.
“The hybrid operating room will bring Abbotsford Regional Hospital and Cancer Centre to the forefront of vascular surgical care, expanding our capabilities and improving the experience for patients and providers,” said Dr. Husain Khambati, Co-Regional Head, Vascular Surgery. “Advanced imaging allows us to perform endovascular interventions with less radiation than older mobile C-arm fluoroscopy units by utilizing the latest generation of CT-mapping and bolus-chase technologies.”
Funded by an estimated $11 million provincial government investment, construction of the new hybrid operating room is expected to begin in 2027 and is anticipated to begin benefiting patients by the end of 2028. The hybrid operating room will also help attract and retain specialized physicians, further strengthening surgical services at Abbotsford Regional Hospital and Cancer Centre.
About Fraser Health:
We recognize that Fraser Health provides care on the traditional, ancestral and unceded lands of the Coast Salish and Nlaka’pamux Nations and is home to 32 First Nations within the Fraser Salish region.
Fraser Health is dedicated to serving all Indigenous people, and honours the unique cultures of the First Nations, Métis and Inuit living within the Fraser Salish region.
Our hospital and community-based services are delivered by a team of 50,000+ staff, medical staff and volunteers dedicated to serving our patients, families and communities.