A new £6.3 million state-of-the-art operating theatre opened at Royal Brompton Hospital will pave the way for new lifesaving treatments for patients with complex heart conditions.

The hybrid theatre, which was built with £4.2m funding from the Royal Brompton & Harefield Hospitals Charity, means patients will spend less time in the Chelsea hospital, benefit from shorter recovery time and experience less pain and scarring.

It allows doctors to carry out different procedures for a patient in the same session, meaning fewer hospital visits and painful operations.

The theatre, the largest of its kind in Europe, incorporates a the imaging capabilities of a catheter laboratory and has the most modern theatre equipment found anywhere in the UK.

Patients’ operations can also be planned in advance in unprecedented detail thanks to advanced imaging technology, operating table and integrated computer software.

The opening of the theatre came just days after the hospital welcomed stars from Made in Chelsea to donate presents to its charity appeal .

Royal Brompton & Harefield NHS Foundation Trust say it means less invasive operations for patients and give experts the opportunity to develop new ground-breaking techniques for complex heart disease.

Professor Tim Evans, medical director at the trust, said: “The hybrid operating theatre provides our specialist teams with the latest cutting-edge technology and means current and future patients will benefit from pioneering treatments.

"It supports our ongoing commitment to deliver a multi-disciplinary approach to patient care and offer world class specialist treatments that are not widely available elsewhere.

“Despite the current financial pressures being felt across the NHS, investing in high-quality patient care remains an absolute priority for our hospitals. We are extremely fortunate therefore to have the support of the Royal Brompton & Harefield Hospitals Charity , without which the building of the hybrid theatre would not have been possible.

“We are grateful to the charity and its supporters for providing two thirds of the funding for this exciting new facility that will benefit hundreds of patients every year.”