Facility and Labs

The surgical facility is contiguous with the UofL Research Resources Center and consists of two spacious 650-square-foot operation rooms with a large viewing window. A zoom camera resides within the handle of surgical light in each operating room. Two high-definition, 45-inch flat-screen monitors with recording capabilities are housed within the surgical suites, providing the ability to remotely observe surgical procedures in conference and lecture rooms within the CII and provide internet broadcasting capabilities for intercontinental teleconferencing and easy viewing of physiological data during surgical procedures.

Leading-edge anesthesia, surgical and monitoring equipment offers rapid and accurate data acquisition. A fully equipped instrument and equipment processing area with steam and ethylene oxide sterilization adjoins the surgical suites, along with a gas plasma sterilization area. The facility has the most advanced imaging technologies currently available, including a 3D ultrasound with live color imaging and an open, multi-angular digital fluoroscope for angiography techniques currently only performed in human patients. 

Sterile surgical supply rooms, pathology, tissue-handling facilities and a full-service diagnostic laboratory provide additional support necessary for research and clinical trials. This, in addition to the expertise provided by highly qualified professionals from medical, engineering and veterinary disciplines allows for comprehensive research and data collection capabilities. 

The RRF continually seeks to provide unparalleled quality of laboratory animal care, thereby minimizing the potential for animal distress and its negative impact on research data. The CII team strives to complete pre-clinical trials in the most appropriate animal models in an expedient and responsible manner prior to testing in humans. Ultimately, this will have a profound impact on the current treatments and quality of life for human cardiac patients. 

In December 2009, the Cardiovascular Innovation Institute completed construction on a translational research cleanroom. The purpose-built room has a highly controlled sterile filtered airflow designed to minimize dust and contamination potential and aid in complete cleaning of the space from ceiling to floor. The CII cleanroom suite is maintained under the current Good Manufacturing Practice (GMP) regulations of the FDA and provides researchers and clinicians with a facility to produce regulated products for clinical use. The cleanroom suite affords the opportunity to translate both cell and bio-hybrid (cells combined materials) therapies from the research being conducted at the CII into clinical practices. 

Other state-of-the-art technologies utilized