Duke Hospital adds 160 rooms for critically ill patients

But it’s the 160 critical-care rooms that represent the reason why the facility was built.

Sowers said patients and families helped design the new rooms. They are much larger than rooms in Duke North, which was built 30 years ago, and include space for a loved one to stay around the clock.

Families also suggested larger waiting rooms, private family zones, natural light and outdoor greenery.

“They felt that was part of the healing process for them,” Sowers said of patient input on the design.

Surgeons and medical staff asked for larger operating rooms - there are 18 of them. A new inter-operative MRI can serve either of two operating rooms by moving on ceiling rails. It’s especially helpful for patients with brain tumors.

“They can have their surgery, have the immediate MRI during the time of operation, and then see at that moment if they need more of their brain operated on,” said Dr. Lisa Pickett, general and thoracic surgeon.

The pavilion brings together the latest in surgical imaging and family- and patient-centered health care, and it marks the final phase of Duke's efforts to meet complex medical needs in the community.

“For the first time, for the world-class care that we deliver here, we now have a facility that will match that world-class care,” Sowers said.