CHATTANOOGA, Tenn. – Erlanger Health System is the second in the country to acquire a powerful imaging system that enables patients to have minimally invasive procedures to correct their vascular problems.
The new addition provides a hybrid suite where doctors can perform both traditional open surgeries and minimally invasive procedures. The suite uses a Discovery* IGS 730 imaging system from GE Healthcare. This digital imaging system moves across the floor along predefined pathways, guided by laser. By touching a few buttons, Erlanger’s surgery team can move the system to the table to get images of the patient’s anatomy, then move it out of the way, allowing room to position physicians, nurses, technologists, anesthesiologists and other personnel for surgery, with unobstructed access to their patient.
“Minimally invasive vascular procedures continue to grow due to the benefits of reducing patient risk and shortening hospitals stays,” said Chris LeSar, M.D., Erlanger’s Physician Leader for Vascular Surgery. ”These procedures require powerful imaging to help doctors guide the treatment device to exactly the right location. Until now, this caliber of imaging with the capability to move to different areas of the operating room was generally not available. The Discovery IGS 730 at Erlanger provides that capability.”
This new capability is important because some complex treatments require both minimally invasive methods and open surgery. With the Discovery IGS 730, both can be performed in the same room –without the need to transfer the patient between procedures.
Specific procedures for which this technology is well suited include:
- Repair of aortic aneurysms.
- Extraction of cardiac leads for implantable defibrillators.
- Other different minimally invasive treatments for vascular disease.
For more information about Erlanger’s new OR system and vascular treatment capabilities, visit www.erlanger.org or call (423) 778-7776.
About Erlanger Health System
Erlanger Health System is a non-profit, academic medical center affiliated with the University of Tennessee College of Medicine, and is a Level-One Trauma Center for adults. Children’s Hospital at Erlanger serves as the region’s only pediatric hospital. Erlanger is the only provider of tertiary care services for a four-state region encompassing southeast Tennessee, north Georgia, north Alabama and western North Carolina. Erlanger is recognized as one of the nation’s leading hospitals, and named by U.S. News and World Report as Chattanooga’s best hospital.
*Trademark of General Electric Company.
