Ochsner Health renovated a 9,000 square foot space that is part of The Gayle and Tom Benson Cancer Center and added a radiation oncology suite for patients to undergo brain surgery. The renovation included the installation of a Gamma Knife, which uses radiation and computer-guided planning to treat brain tumors, vascular malformations and other abnormalities in the brain. A Gamma Knife weighs up to 21 tons. The radiation source for the instrument, Cobalt-60, has a half life of 5.27 years, and the hospital will need to replace 10 percent of it every year to maintain its productivity.
“We needed a customized hatch solution for the size of the opening. BILCO really fit the bill and was able to accommodate the varying sizes that we looked at. The size of the hatch grew in design as we completed the design phase.”
– Ryan Kersten, Project Manager for Woodward Design+Build
Project Snapshot
• A unique piece of medical equipment, a Gamma Knife, was installed at the Ochsner Medical Center in New Orleans. The device is used to help fight brain cancer and there are only approximately 300 in use around the world.
• The device was installed through a customized 12-foot x 9-foot roof hatch manufactured by BILCO.
BILCO Roof Hatches
• BILCO roof hatches are often installed in applications in which hospitals and other businesses need to access equipment from the roof for maintenance or removal.
• The hatches are weather-tight, which was of particular importance in this application. They are engineered with compression spring operators to provide smooth, easy one-hand operation regardless of size, and automatic hold open arms lock the covers in the open position.
For more information: bilco.com
