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Feb 18
1

Nevada Donor Network Leverages Groundbreaking Technology to Achieve Rare Heart & Lung Recoveries

By | Medical Innovations and Technology, Press Release

NDN successfully recovers heart after circulatory death for transplant; coordinates its first Ex Vivo Lung Perfusion (EVLP) to prolong viability of lungs for transplant    

Recently, Nevada Donor Network (NDN) successfully reached two pivotal milestones reflective of the team’s dedication to maximizing the gift of life and health through organ, eye and tissue donation. Leveraging groundbreaking technology in transplantation recovery, the organ procurement organization (OPO) coordinated the recovery of a lifesaving heart for transplant after circulatory death; and coordinated its first Ex Vivo Lung Perfusion (EVLP) to prolong the viability of lungs for transplant.  

Thanks to a heroic Nevadan, NDN is the first OPO in Region 5 (Nevada, Arizona, California, New Mexico, and Utah) of the United Network for Organ Sharing (UNOS), and among the first in the nation to recover a heart for transplant from a Donation after Cardiac and Circulatory Death (DCD) donor. A DCD donation is possible after the heart stops beating; most commonly, donation occurs when a person’s brain has completely and irreversibly stopped functioning, called Donation after Brain Death (DBD).

“Organ donation is possible only when someone has died under certain medical conditions and after all lifesaving efforts have been exhausted,” said Nevada Donor Network Vice President of Clinical Affairs Darren Lahrman.  “DCD is only possible after a family’s decision to transition their loved one to comfort care. Until recently, this type of donation has yielded kidneys, livers and lungs for transplant, which makes DCD donation rare. A grateful recipient in the Midwest is alive today thanks to another family’s generosity.”

Because of another donor hero, the NDN team coordinated their first Ex Vivo Lung Perfusion (EVLP) which has given the gift of life to a grateful recipient who can breathe again. EVLP is an innovative therapy that perfuses nutrients into donated lungs outside of the body to improve organ quality and transplant outcomes. EVLP allows lungs that would previously have been considered unsuitable safe for transplant. Without it, donated lungs must be transplanted within six hours. With this innovative technology, NDN facilitated a second chance at life for someone on the other side of the country.  

“First and foremost, we extend our sincere gratitude to the heroic donors and courageous families whose

generosity has made the gift of life possible for others,” said Nevada Donor Network President & CEO Joe Ferreira. “It is our tremendous honor to facilitate and maximize these lifesaving gifts on behalf of those we

humbly serve. With more than 113,000 people on the waiting list nationwide, including 644 Nevadans, it is our duty to ensure we save and heal as many lives as possible. We proudly share our milestone achievements in hopes it inspires the donation community and the world to consider what is possible.”  

NDN is the only Nevada-based federally designated 501c3 not-for-profit organ procurement organization also responsible for facilitating tissue and cornea donation statewide.  For more information, please visit www.NVDonor.org. 

 

 

 

Feb 28
0

Patient Engagement at the Forefront of openDoctor Partnership With Steinberg Diagnostic

By | Medical Innovations and Technology, Press Release

SDMI continues to fulfill its mission of an ‘Exceptional Patient Experience’ with scheduling automation

As the first in Las Vegas to partner with openDoctor, Steinberg Diagnostic Medical Imaging (SDMI), a leading outpatient radiology practice, continues to be at the forefront of technology.

openDoctor’s industry-leading platform will interface with SDMI’s RIS system to automate patient calls, proactively communicating with patients. After an initial rollout in what is forecasted to be a long-term partnership, the service will be fully deployed for real-time online scheduling capabilities. The service will be fully deployed at all eight SDMI locations across all modalities such as CT, MRI and mammography.

SDMI was founded on the principle of practicing great medicine by putting patients first. “We have upheld these principles since our start in 1988,” says Dr. David Steinberg, SDMI CEO. “SDMI is consistently the first to introduce new technology to southern Nevada and that doesn’t stop at the equipment in their facilities. Through regular workflow analysis and staff education, SDMI is able to identify patient needs and implement innovative options like openDoctor.”

“We look forward to seeing how this partnership with openDoctor can help patients interact digitally with our practice, all while providing the type of back-office automation required to compete in today’s market,” says Rachel Papka, chief health informatics officer, SDMI.

“Consumer awareness of digital health tools is now at an all-time high, combined with strong consumer expectations for the convenience offered in everyday industries,” says Joseph Marino, CEO of openDoctor. “The changing healthcare landscape, like declining reimbursements and increasing pricing transparency, are forcing outpatient centers to better cater to healthcare consumers while reducing administrative costs. We are excited to provide a solution to tackle these current challenges for SDMI.”

About Steinberg Diagnostic Medical Imaging Centers:

In 1958, Dr. Leon Steinberg came to Las Vegas to help Sunrise Hospital build the first radiology center in southern Nevada. Through the experience in the hospital setting, he saw a need for a more patient-friendly option for medical imaging and aimed to build such a practice so with his son Dr. David Steinberg and Dr. Mark Winkler as his partners, Dr. Leon opened the first SDMI office in 1988. Their standards of excellence in patient care and technology have brought national and international recognition from the medical imaging and health care communities. Today, that commitment to deliver top-notch care wrapped around a positive patient experience has never been stronger. With more than 30 years under their belt, the number one priority in this family-owned business is to make sure that we treat every patient like a beloved member of our family.

About openDoctor:

openDoctor is a cloud-based platform bridging the gap between complex scheduling environments of healthcare organizations and a consumer-friendly online experience. The openDoctor white-labeled solution helps healthcare systems and radiology practices maximize patient engagement through real-time online scheduling, appointment reminders, digital registration, online payments and other digital tools.

Feb 25
0

MountainView Hospital Acquires High-Tech System for Brain and Spinal Surgery

By | Medical Innovations and Technology, Press Release

Latest technology allows surgeons to perform more brain and spinal surgeries with greater imaging and precision.

MountainView Hospital has acquired the latest system in neurosurgery technology that allows surgeons to perform brain and spinal surgeries with targeted precision. MountainView is the first in the state with this integrated system, and one of 30 in the United States.

Synaptive Medical’s BrightMatterTM system and Modus VTM robotic arm are highly detailed imaging, navigation and robotic platforms. The technology is used to operate on brain tumors, aneurysms, vascular lesions and skull-based issues. The high-powered digital robotic microscope and light source can also be used in minimally invasive spine surgery. MountainView recently performed its first spine procedure, and separately a brain procedure, using the new system with Dr. Scott Glickman, neurosurgeon.

“The addition of modern, refined technology is a huge step for neurosurgery at MountainView Hospital,” said Dr. Glickman. “We have better access to enriched data that allows us to explore multiple surgical approaches to create the best operative plans for every case.”

This new system enables surgeons to approach each surgery with a personalized plan. The surgeon can view patient anatomy in 3-D, making it possible to perform complex procedures on unreachable areas or tumors of the brain with less invasive approaches and more precision. The technology also automatically maps and highlights all tracts before and during surgery for optimal surgical planning.

Using an attached camera, the automatic positioning system follows the physician’s tools, showing an image of the patient’s brain with unprecedented detail before and during surgery. Sensors assist the doctor with surgical instrument alignment for optimal movement throughout the brain, ultimately minimizing the possibility of damaging tracts that are associated with key brain functions such as movement, speech and vision.

The new robotic addition allows surgeons to perform less invasive procedures with more precision. For patients, less invasive procedures may lead to reduced complications and faster recovery times.

“We are excited to be able to provide for our community when it comes to improving the quality of our patients’ lives,” said Jeremy Bradshaw, MountainView Chief Executive Officer. “By acquiring new surgical technology systems, we are taking another step in caring for our patients and providing the latest technologies that could improve their outcomes.”

Photo: Dr. Scott Glickman (center) performs a spine case using the latest in surgical technology for spine surgery.

About MountainView Hospital:

MountainView Hospital is a state-of-the-art, full-service medical facility located in the heart of northwest Las Vegas. With a dedicated and talented staff of employees and outstanding physicians, MountainView Hospital is recognized for high patient satisfaction and for providing quality and compassionate care to our community since 1996, including most recently The Leapfrog Group’s Grade A for fall 2018, and was named a Top Teaching Hospital in 2018.  MountainView features nationally recognized programs including a top cardiovascular and thoracic center and the renowned Las Vegas Institute for Robotic Surgery. The Sunrise Health Medical Education Consortium, based at MountainView, trains the next generation of physicians and surgeons for our community.

 

MountainView is a member of the respected Sunrise Health System consisting of Sunrise Hospital, Sunrise Children’s Hospital, Southern Hills Hospital and several surgery, diagnostic imaging, urgent care center and hospital based emergency rooms, offering a complete range of specialized and technologically advanced services.

 

MountainView Hospital, 3100 N. Tenaya Way, Las Vegas, NV 89128

Nov 23
0

High-Tech Approach to Anatomy at the School of Medicine

By | Education, Innovation, Medical Innovations and Technology, Press Releases, Recent Releases

UNLV’s new School of Medicine takes innovative approach to teaching human anatomy with interactive imaging technology.

Editor’s Note: The UNLV School of Medicine recently opened its enrollment process and in less than 10 days received more than 650 applications — more than half from Nevada residents or students who have ties to Nevada.

For generations, dissecting cadavers has been a seminal moment for medical students. It’s the way that human anatomy was brought to life, so to speak.

“I can still vividly see and smell the cadaver I worked on 46 years ago,” says Barbara Atkinson, founding dean of the UNLV School of Medicine. But she also found it limiting as a teaching tool. “I wanted to see so much more of the body than one small section. I wanted to see how the whole body fit together.”

UNLV School of Medicine students will learn anatomy using virtual anatomy tables, large interactive touchscreens. Primed with a library of clinical images — X-rays, MRIs, CT scans, pathology slides and all the other diagnostic tools at a physicians disposal — the virtual anatomy table can display body images in a wide variety of perspectives. It can show a specific organ and rotate it in three dimensions. It can offer a cross-sectional of the right half of a brain, explore a branch of the circulatory system or zoom-in to a tumor cell.

And unlike those cadavers, the table is fully interactive. Faculty and students control the image by simply touching or dragging one or more fingers across the screen.  A student can view successive horizontal sections of the body cavity and its internal structures by dragging three fingers down the table. In a similar way, students can virtually slice through an anatomical structure ‒ in essence, dissecting it.

Supplementing the images are lessons that guide the students through the anatomy, basic anatomical concepts, and descriptions of specific features. So when students display an anatomical structure, they can immediately identify what it is and what it does.

But perhaps most important, says Dr. Ellen Cosgrove, vice dean for academic affairs and education, the virtual anatomy experiences are built around challenging clinical cases, where understanding human anatomy is key to solving the clinical case.

An Improved Way of Learning Anatomy

Virtual anatomy presents several distinct advantages over the traditional approach to gross anatomy:

Realistic: It prepares students for how they will interact with anatomy as physicians. Cosgrove explains, “Today physicians use so many different imaging procedures to diagnose their patients. Virtual anatomy gives students a sense of anatomy as they will actually experience it once they are practicing physicians.”

Repetition: Students can virtually dissect the body and repeat the process as many times as needed. By comparison, once tissue is removed from a cadaver, it’s gone.

Visibility: Students can view anatomical structures in a many different perspectives and angles including 2D cross-section and 3D rotation, which make body structures easy to display, even the hard-to-find ones in tightly confined areas of a human cadaver.

A Multi-Station Anatomy Experience

Students will receive two hours a week of intensive anatomy experience during the school’s scientific foundation phase. In addition to working with the virtual anatomy tables, students will use anatomic models and skeletons to further their knowledge. They also will observe cadavers professionally dissected by Emilio Puentadura, associate professor in the UNLV physical therapy department.

In short, UNLV School of Medicine students will experience a state-of-the art approach to learning that will prepare them for medical practice with a sophisticated, three-dimensional understanding of the structure of the human body.

Nov 02
0

Henderson Hospital Becomes First Hospital In The U.S. To Install Bacteria Fighting Operating Room Light Fixtures

By | Medical Innovations and Technology

Indigo-Clean™ light fixtures installed to help keep patients safe at newly built hospital

Henderson Hospital is the first hospital in the U.S. to purchase and install the Indigo-Clean™ operating light fixtures. Helping to keep patients safe by continuously disinfecting the environment, Indigo-Clean™ has been clinically proven to reduce harmful bacteria up to 70 percent beyond routine disinfection efforts.

Henderson Hospital, the newest acute care hospital within The Valley Health System, installed Indigo-Clean™ light fixtures in their operating rooms and recovering spaces, helping to proactively kill harmful bacteria before it enters the body.

“We are excited to be at the forefront of hospitals across the U.S. by providing this new, proven technology as another tool to help keep our patients safe,” said Sam Kaufman, CEO and Managing Director of Henderson Hospital. “Maintaining a safe, clean environment for our patients is our number one priority. Indigo-Clean™ safely, automatically, and continuously disinfects the environment, which means there is no need for room downtime when it’s in use.” He further added, “Because the Indigo-Clean system is automated, it doesn’t require a person to operate it which also reduces risk of human error. These concerns are particularly important in our Operating Rooms which are in constant use throughout the day.”

Indigo-Clean™, a patented, continuous environmental disinfection technology, is not UV light. It uses light-emitting diodes (LEDs) to generate visible white light that also contains a narrow spectrum of indigo colored light. The indigo color uses a wavelength of 405 nanometers (nm), which automatically and continuously disinfects the environment. Indigo-Clean features two modes of disinfection: White Disinfection Mode provides ambient lighting and continuous environmental disinfection while the room is occupied; When the room is not in use, the control system automatically selects Indigo-Disinfection Mode to provide maximum disinfection power.

Unlike other systems that require the room to be taken out of service and/or activated by a trained operator, Indigo-Clean™ is automatic which minimizes human error and room downtime. Partnering Indigo-Clean’s continuous environmental disinfection technology with current cleaning protocols leave the room cleaner and safer for the patients and staff.

“As an innovator in healthcare lighting and a leader in LED lighting, we are excited to bring healthcare providers, like Henderson Hospital, this effective, revolutionary environmental disinfection tool to bolster current cleaning methods, providing a safer environment for their patients,” said Cliff Yahnke, Ph.D., Kenall’s Director of Clinical Affairs for Indigo-Clean™. “We applaud Henderson Hospital for being an early adopter and look forward to seeing Indigo-Clean’s™ presence in other hospitals as healthcare providers continue to realize its benefits.”

The Valley Health System plans to install the Indigo-Clean™ light fixtures in additional facilities in the Las Vegas area over the next few months.

About Henderson Hospital
Henderson Hospital, opening in Fall 2016, will offer emergency, surgical, cardiovascular, and women’s health care, including maternity. For more information, visit www.hendersonhospital.com

May 11
0

Imaging Gets An Upgrade

By | Healthcare Innovation OPM, Medical Innovations and Technology

One alternative on the market today in Las Vegas is the upright MRI. The technology is another form of an open magnet with some twists and turns.  Lake Mead Radiology MRI technician Steven Torres, who works with the technology daily, said the unit has capabilities that surpass its closed-magnet rivals.“When you’re in the upright, it kind of pushes (the spine) down so you can see the compression, but when you’re laying down in other MRIs, it’s relaxed.”

Read more at the Las Vegas Business Press

May 11
0

Varian Training Worth $20 Million To Economy

By | Healthcare Innovation OPM, Medical Innovations and Technology

Varian has been in Las Vegas for more than 15 years. It manufactures, tests and ships 10 different models of its Linatron high energy X-ray linear accelerator equipment, used for cargo security and nondestructive testing. The unit can scan the contents of shipping containers in minutes and is in use at cargo screening installations at ports and border crossings worldwide.

Read more at the Las Vegas Business Press

Mar 22
0

Radiologists Play A Key Role In Modern Medicine

By | Healthcare Innovation OPM, Medical Innovations and Technology

Steinberg described the typical scenario this way: A family doctor sends a patient to a radiologist with an order to take an image and read it and explain why the patient is losing weight, in pain, or can’t swallow.  “The radiologist frequently tells you what’s wrong or that we see nothing,” Steinberg said. “We take the mystery out of pain and label it. It’s terribly relieving. When you label something, they lose the fear of the unknown. The radiologist defines the mystery whether it’s cancer or nothing found. It’s exciting and fun.”

Read More At Las Vegas Review Journal

Feb 13
0

Comprehensive Cancer Centers of Nevada Adds Pulmonary Division

By | Advancements/New Physicians/Management, Healthcare Innovation OPM, Healthcare Tourism OPM, Medical Innovations and Technology, Medical Tourism, Specialty Clinics/Research Facilities

LAS VEGAS — Comprehensive Cancer Centers of Nevada (CCCN) announced today the addition of a Pulmonary Division to its practice, adding to its multidisciplinary practice and offering more services to patients, especially those with lung and bronchus cancer – the leading cause of cancer deaths in Nevada. Beginning June 1, 2015, The Lung Center of Nevada will join as the new Pulmonary Division at CCCN and will consist of two nurse practitioners and five physicians.

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