Swedish is the first hospital in Colorado to offer robotic assisted technology that will help detect lung cancer earlier and improve outcomes.

Englewood, CO, June 13, 2020 --(PR.com)-- HCA Healthcare/HealthONE’s Swedish Medical Center joins a select group of hospitals in the nation and is the first hospital in Colorado, to introduce robot-assisted bronchoscopy. The new technology improves accuracy and precision of lung cancer biopsy, enabling surgeons the ability to diagnose lung cancer earlier than ever.

The robot features an ultra-thin, easily maneuverable catheter that can move 180 degrees in all directions, allowing doctors to navigate through small and tortuous airways to reach nodules in any airway segment within the lung. The system’s flexible biopsy needle can also pass through very tight bends via the catheter to collect tissue in the peripheral lung, enabling a more precise biopsy and easier surgical experience for patients.

Most lung nodules are small and harmless. But over time, some nodules can grow and even become cancerous. Suspicious nodules larger than 8 millimeters may need to be biopsied. Previously, there were several options for testing a lung nodule, including with a needle inserted into the lungs, with a camera placed in the mouth (traditional CT-guided bronchoscopy) or with chest surgery. But nodules at the outer edges of the lungs are hard to reach with these older methods. With robotic bronchoscopy, a highly maneuverable robotic arm is able to get to these distant areas.

“This new technology allows us to reach places that we could not get to before,” said Ellen Volker, MD, interventional pulmonologist at Swedish Medical Center. “The robot helps direct me to these tiny airways. I can diagnose and stage lung cancers in one outpatient setting in a minimally invasive way.”

The robot-assisted bronchoscope is the newest robot added to the comprehensive Surgical Robotics Institute at Swedish Medical Center and the Sarah Cannon Cancer Institute at Swedish Medical Center. To learn more, or to schedule an appointment, contact our lung cancer nurse navigator at 303.788.5166 or visit SwedishHospital.com/lung

About Swedish

Swedish Medical Center, part of HCA Healthcare’s HealthONE, is located in the south metro Denver area where it has been a proud member of the community for more than 110 years. An acute care hospital with 408 licensed beds, annually Swedish cares for more than 200,000 patients with a team of approximately 2,000 dedicated colleagues, 300 volunteers and 1,400 physicians. Swedish serves as the Rocky Mountain Region’s referral center for the most advanced stroke treatment, and was the state’s first Joint Commission certified Comprehensive Stroke Center. Swedish also serves as the region’s neurotrauma and orthopedic trauma provider and is the south metro Denver area’s only level I trauma facility with a dedicated burn and reconstructive center. More about the advanced technologies and treatments offered at Swedish Medical Center can be found at SwedishHospital.com.

Contact Information:
Swedish Medical Center
Kara Hamersky
(303) 817-5708
Contact via Email
www.swedishhospital.com

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