Health Signs - Summer 2012 - (Page 3)

State-of-theArt Surgery Washington Hospital is one of only three in the U.S. to have a BodyTom portable CT scanner Washington Hospital recently opened a new surgical suite that features a BodyTom portable CT scanner, making it one of only three hospitals in the entire country to have one. As advances in technology continue to dramatically change the way surgeries are performed, Washington Hospital is on the forefront when it comes to state-of-the-art surgical equipment. The hospital recently opened a new surgical suite that features a BodyTom portable CT scanner, making it one of only three hospitals in the entire country to have one. “The new operating room is really the operating room of the future,” says Sandeep Kunwar, M.D., a neurosurgeon who specializes in minimally invasive brain surgery and is co-medical director of the Gamma Knife Program at Washington Hospital’s Taylor McAdam Bell Neuroscience Institute. “It’s very unusual for a community hospital to be on the leading edge with this type of equipment. But Washington Hospital is committed to the patient-first ethic, and having the best technology available today means we can provide world-class care to our patients.” The BodyTom portable 32-slice CT scanner provides three-dimensional images of the body right in the operating room. Before the arrival of the BodyTom, the patient had to be taken to the radiology department to have a CT scan. But now these scans can be taken in real time during the surgical procedure and the high-resolution images are displayed on huge monitors in the operating room. “It’s the very first of its kind on the West Coast,” says Moses Taghioff, M.D., medical director of Peri-Operative and Strategic Surgical Services at Washington Hospital. “In our totally futuristic operating room we are able to obtain a CT scan almost instantly to help locate a small brain tumor.” Now during delicate brain and spine surgeries, patients don’t have to be moved in order for surgeons to get a threedimensional view of what is happening inside the body. For A Sandeep Kunwar, m.D., a neurosurgeon and co-medical director of the Gamma Knife Program at Washington Hospital’s Taylor mcAdam Bell Neuroscience Institute, says having a state-of-the-art operating room allows Washington Hospital physicians to provide world-class care to patients. example, when removing a brain tumor, neurosurgeons can see during the operation whether they have removed the entire brain tumor while they are still in the operating room rather than waiting until afterward to perform a CT scan. equipment standing on the floor is the operating table and CT scanner, both of which are mobile. On the Leading Edge Washington Hospital has a history of being on the leading edge of medical technology. For example, five years ago the hospital purchased the very first Leksell Gamma Knife Perfexion unit in the country, according to Taghioff. The Gamma Knife allows surgeons to remove brain tumors without opening the skull. He says that a few years ago a team of surgeons from Washington Hospital went to the Ronald Reagan UCLA Medical Center to see the futuristic operating room there. Hospital administrators were determined to bring that same technology to Washington Hospital. “What we witnessed was pure magic,” Taghioff says. “Now we have those capabilities right here in Fremont. We can perform the most delicate and precise brain and spine surgeries with minimal risk to the patient. We have come a long way since I started at Washington Hospital in 1973. We have state-of-the-art technology at our fingertips and now this amazing operating room, as well as some of the best surgeons in the country. We have become a world-class medical institution.” • GPS Tracking “The BodyTom works with the Brain Lab Neuro Navigation system,” says Jan Henstorf, M.D., an orthopedic surgeon who specializes in minimally invasive spine surgery and current past chief of the medical staff at Washington Hospital. “Similar to a GPS used in a car, surgical instruments have a tracking device on them so surgeons can navigate through the brain and spine using the threedimensional imagery.” The two programs talk to each other and immediately show us images, Henstorf adds. “Just as you can see your car moving on the map, we can see our instruments inside the body, but with much higher resolution and clarity. While your car GPS is accurate within a few feet, this is accurate within a fraction of a millimeter.” Henstorf says the ability to navigate inside the body is not new technology, but being able to see 3-D images during surgery is state-of-the-art. “This is a huge step forward,” he adds. The new operating room also uses Global Care Quest, a clinically integrated system that allows surgeons to see lab results, X-rays, CT scans, angiograms and other relevant information on large monitors during surgery so surgeons can make informed decisions. All of the equipment is on booms that come down from the ceiling, allowing them to be easily maneuvered to meet the individual needs of the patient and surgeon. The only How Can we Help You? To learn more about the services offered at Washington Hospital, and how our cutting-edge technology can help your health, visit whhs.com. Summer 2012 3 http://www.whhs.com

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of Health Signs - Summer 2012

Health Signs - Summer 2012
High-tech care: WHHS is on the cutting-edge when it comes to technology
Learn what the future holds for Washington Hospital Healthcare System
Pediatricians at WHHS are working to give kids a healthy start in life
Find out how to tell if it’s heartburn or something more serious

Health Signs - Summer 2012