News Release
OXNARD, Calif. – July 10, 2023 – Finding and treating lung cancers early is critical to saving lives. Now doctors at Dignity Health – St. John’s Regional Medical Center (SJRMC) have the most advanced robot available to diagnose lung cancers earlier and less invasively.
“Early stages of lung cancer are difficult to diagnose and often go undetected due to its location deep within the lung,” states Dr. Raj Bhatia, ICU Medical Director and Pulmonologist at St. John’s Regional Medical Center. “The ability to diagnose, stage and start treatment in days instead of weeks is a game-changer in improving patient outcomes.”
With its ultra-thin and maneuverable catheter, the Ion robot, made by Intuitive, is capable of navigating deep into the peripheral areas of the lung, through smaller airways, where the robot allows doctors to perform minimally invasive lung biopsies with exact precision and provide real-time information about whether the tissue is cancerous.
Lung cancer is the third most common cancer in the United States but more people die from it than any other type of cancer. And every four weeks that lung cancer goes untreated it progresses to the next stage which can be the difference between a cure or resorting to palliative care to keep a patient comfortable.
“When I first came to this hospital a little over a year ago, I realized there was a relative shortage of lung cancer care options in Ventura County,” says Barry Wolfman, President and CEO of St. John’s Regional Hospitals. “Once the need was recognized, we invested in new technology and brought together leading pulmonologists, surgeons and intensivists to ensure we could meet the needs of our communities so that patients don’t have to leave the area to receive the best possible care.”
During the robotic-assisted bronchoscopy, a doctor uses a controller with a display to navigate a 3.5-millimeter size catheter along a pre-planned path through the lung airways. With its ability to maneuver 180 degrees in any direction, the Ion is capable of reaching all 18 segments of the lung. Once the targeted area is reached, a flexible needle is used to biopsy the suspect tissue.
For more information, please visit https://www.dignityhealth.org/central-coast/locations/stjohnsregional
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About Dignity Health St. John’s Regional Medical Center and St. John’s Hospital Camarillo
Dignity Health-St. John’s Regional Medical Center in Oxnard and St. John’s Hospital Camarillo in Camarillo comprise the largest non-profit acute care provider in Ventura County. Founded 110 years ago, St. John’s Hospitals are nationally recognized for quality care, safety and service. Both hospitals are supported by an active philanthropic Foundation to support new programs and services, as well as to advance the community’s access to health care. Learn more at DignityHealth.org/StJohnsRegional or DignityHealth.org/StJohnsHospitalCamarillo.
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