Highlighting Advances in the Medical Sciences at
Chesapeake Regional Medical Center
Interventional radiology
Chesapeake General is wireless
Hyperbaric and wound treatment
Innovative implant relieves patients’ pain
Interventional radiology: on the forefront of technology
Interventional radiology (IR), a subspecialty of radiology, is one of the fastest growing subspecialties in medicine today. Physicians who specialize in this evolving medical field use such image-guided technology as MRIs, CT scans, X-rays and ultrasounds to navigate small catheters and catheter-based instruments, thus reducing the need for large incisions or general anesthesia.
Angioplasty was one of the first IR procedures. Today, there are dozens and the list is growing fast. IR procedures, like UFE and vertebroplasty, pose less risk, require less recovery time and less intensive sedation, and are more cost-effective than more conventional surgeries. Sometimes, these procedures are the only viable option for critically ill patients unable to tolerate a surgical procedure.
Interventional radiologists use cement to decrease spinal pain
Vertebroplasty is a safe and effective minimally invasive procedure that can fix spinal fractures caused by osteoporosis, cancer or benign tumors. Doctors essentially use cement to stabilize fractured vertebrae, significantly reducing back pain and repairing a spinal fracture.
“The procedure is usually successful at alleviating the pain caused by a compression fracture,” said Dr. William Marshall an orthopedic radiologist who performs the procedure in the medical center’s interventional radiology suite. Radiologist Dr. Sanjay Patel also performs the procedure.
“Vertebroplasty patients feel significant relief almost immediately,” said Marshall who noted that many of the patients also regain lost mobility.
The procedure is done on an outpatient basis and is usually completed within two hours. It requires no major surgical incision and can be done under local anesthesia.
For more information on vertebroplasty, call 312-5282.
Chesapeake General is wireless
Now, when patients head to the hospital to have a baby or undergo joint replacement, they don’t have to leave their laptops, and the World Wide Web, behind.
Chesapeake General Hospital now offers wireless Internet access throughout most of the facility. The free wireless connection is available in patient rooms, the Intensive Care units, and the hospital’s main lobby. Laptops that have wireless capability can be used on the hospital’s wireless connection through cghguest.
Hyperbaric and wound treatment offers innovative techniques for healing
Sometimes the body just doesn’t want to heal. Diabetics, those with poor circulation or the immobile have particular difficulties.
Sometimes, a slow-to-heal wound needs extra attention to mend. At Chesapeake Regional Medical Cetner Wound Healing and Hyperbaric Medicine Center, staff members do just that with a variety of treatments.
“The ultimate goal for us is to heal wounds in a timely manner and prevent recurrence,” said Lana Meeks, wound care coordinator. “We use such cutting-edge techniques as nutritional management, compression therapy and infection management to promote healing.”
They also use a healthy dose of fresh air.
The center is one of few hospitals in the area that uses hyperbaric, or oxygen-filled, chambers to promote healing for a range of wounds – from diabetic ulcers to radiation-related injuries. The chambers provide a 90-minute dose of 100-percent oxygen under pressure to patients who have wounds that need attention. This oxygen is circulated through the blood stream to promoting healing.
It was one of the lifesaving techniques, for instance, used to treat the only survivor from the Sago Mine tragedy in West Virginia during 2006.
At Chesapeake Region’s center, the staff includes five specialists in wound care and hyperbaric medicine. The center is open Monday through Friday from 7:30 a.m. until 4 p.m. For more information about wound healing or hyperbaric treatment, call 312-6510.
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Physicians at CGH test innovative implant to relieve patients’ pain
The constant pain in her neck and numbness in her left arm made Susan Middlebrook’s life miserable.
“My pain and numbness rendered me incapable of picking things up, and really functioning,” said Middlebrook, a Suffolk resident.
After intense physical therapy and research about her options, Middlebrook sought out two orthopedic surgeons at Chesapeake Regional Medical Center who provided her with renewed hope for a new life.
In 2005, Drs. David Goss and Michael Barnum of the Spine Center of Chesapeake were two of the first physicians in the country to receive FDA approval to test an innovative spinal implant at Chesapeake General Hospital. The Globus Medical Secure-C artificial cervical disk replacement was just the medicine Middlebrook needed.
The surgery takes one to two hours and requires a minimal incision, according to Goss. Once placed, the implant provides patients with an alternative to cervical fusion.
“We place the Globus device between the affected cervical disks, giving the patients freedom of movement while relieving their pain. Patients feel relief within days,” said Barnum.
The two physicians, who are partners, decided to participate in the study “because we wanted to give patients a different option,” said Barnum, “one that could potentially produce more positive and comfortable results than cervical fusion.”
Two years after surgery Middlebrook’s neck pain and numbness is gone. “I would tell anyone with this option not to hesitate,” she said. “It changed my life for the better and increased my range of motion.”
Now that the testing is complete, the results are being analyzed by the FDA. The data from the trial is expected to support regulatory approval to commercialize the device.
For more information about the procedure, contact Kathy Laurent at 819-7177, ext. 104