Technology Abounds at Inova Alexandria, Inova Mount Vernon Hospitals
New surgical tools can improve outcomes
Operating rooms at Inova Mount Vernon (IMVH) and Inova Alexandria (IAH) hospitals are becoming more technologically advanced. These innovations allow doctors to be more accurate in performing surgeries and result in faster patient recovery. Here are the latest examples:
O-Arm Imaging Tool. IAH added a new surgical imaging device to help both doctors and patients in the operating room (OR). The O-Arm, coupled with navigation software, is replacing the previous C-Arm in spine and cranial cases. “What it does is create a complete 360-degree image,” says Karen Wastler, Senior Director of Perioperative Services at Inova. “This means less operating and anesthesia time for the patient and less radiation exposure for both the patient and operating staff in the room.” IMVH received an O-Arm last year.
da Vinci® Surgical System. Jeffrey Coster, DPM, and Pratik Desai, MD, along with the leadership team at Inova, were instrumental in bringing the da Vinci® surgical robot to the IAH OR. The latest Xi® model is extremely useful for kidney, prostate, colorectal and general surgeries. “The device offers significant dexterity and manipulation of its arms inside the body,” Wastler says. “A surgeon’s arm just cannot match the dexterity and degree of rotation offered by the robot, which makes the da Vinci tool a great asset to the OR.”
Laser Trials at IAH. IAH’s surgical partner and Section Chair for Urology, John Klein, MD, requested laser trials for newly diagnosed urologic issues. “We’re trialing a few different laser procedures to decrease surgery time, have less tissue manipulation and have better ways to avoid more invasive procedures, one of which is the removal of renal calculi, or kidney stones,” Wastler explains. “During this process, we renovated the Cystoscopy Room — another way we are looking toward the future in medical advancement.”
Robotic Precision in the Inova Operating Room
Learn more about robotic-assisted technology at Inova.