Is it time for the RAPTOR to evolve? with Drs. Andrew Kirkpatrick and Shane Smith

In this episode, we sit down with Dr. Andrew Kirkpatrick, trauma surgeon and critical care specialist based in Calgary, and Dr. Shane Smith, Lieutenant Colonel and vascular, trauma, and general surgeon at Western University.

Dr. Kirkpatrick was a key pioneer in the development of the RAPTOR (Resuscitation with Angiography, Percutaneous Techniques, and Operative Resuscitations) suite in Calgary, one of the earliest and most influential hybrid trauma resuscitation environments in North America. Together, we explore the evolution of RAPTOR/THOR (Trauma Hybrid Operating Room) concepts and how they are reshaping the management of severely injured patients.

We discuss the core benefits of these hybrid environments—most notably the ability to deliver definitive hemorrhage control faster by combining operative and endovascular capabilities in a single location, while minimizing delays and risks associated with patient transfers.

We also examine an important limitation: without thoughtful, forward-looking design, these suites risk becoming outdated. Rapid advances in standalone angiography and interventional technologies can outpace earlier-generation RAPTOR builds, highlighting the importance of flexibility and future-proofing when investing in these high-resource systems.