The Record Special Sections Health Quarterly 07-28-2019 | Página 14

14 ❚ SUNDAY, JULY 28, 2019 ❚ THE RECORD
HEALTH QUARTERLY / ADVERTISING SECTION
Quality, Innovation
And Advanced Patient Care
New Technology and Treatments
By KATHLEEN MATHIEU
Special to Health Quarterly
W
ith a keen eye for quality,
hospitals in New Jersey are
offering innovative technology
and treatments, sometimes
participating in their development, as well.
RESETTING THE COURSE
IN PEDIATRIC LIMB CANCER
A procedure that eliminates the need
for amputation and follow-up surgery
in children afflicted with limb cancer is
available at Morristown Medical Center.
“The biggest technological advancement
in the last five to ten years in orthopedic
oncology has been the development of a
non-invasive, extendable internal prosthe-
sis that helps save the arms and legs of
children affected by a cancerous sarcoma,”
said orthopedic oncologist James C. Wittig,
MD, Morristown’s chairman of orthopedic
surgery.
Previously, these children would require
not only amputation, but possibly as many
as 15 more surgeries, their young lives
burdened by hospital stays, arduous recov-
eries and scarring. The threat of infection
persisted. “Imagine how discouraging it
was to work with a child for years and after
many surgeries the child loses a leg to an
infection anyway,” said Dr. Wittig.
Today, post-op care occurs in the doc-
tor’s office through the use of a circular
“donut” working in coordination with a
crank mechanism in the Stanmore proth-
esis itself. The 16-minute process stretches
the limb tissue four millimeters each time
without discomfort, risk of infection and
additional scarring. “Ninety-five percent
of children with sarcomas can have their
legs or arms saved as opposed to hav-
ing an amputation,” said the physician.
Furthermore, “the majority of children with
a sarcoma will be cured.”
THE ROBOT —
A REMARKABLE TOOL
Adults are benefitting from innovations
in orthopedic surgery, too. Orthopedic
surgeons Harlan Levine, MD, and Gregg
Klein, MD, were the first physicians at
Hackensack University Medical Center
to employ ROSA, Zimmer Biomet’s knee
robot. The doctors had been on the ground
in ROSA’s making as two of its eight sur-
geon developers.
ROSA, a robotic surgical assistant, helps
physicians achieve advanced accuracy and
efficiency in planning and performing total
knee surgery, said Dr. Levine. While knee
replacement has enjoyed advancements
over the years, “the fundamentals have
been very similar.” The ROSA system mar-
ries the static (what it looks like) with the
dynamic (how it performs) in the operating
room through the use of sophisticated
software, producing a personalized plan for
the surgeon’s review and implementation.
“The surgeon uses the robot to precisely
control where the implant will be placed,”
said Dr. Levine. “Where do you make the
cut? That is the question.” Superb planning
is paramount for superlative results. ROSA
has earned the doctor’s confidence. “I
believe this is an instrument that surgeons
can use to give patients an excellent knee
replacement.”
PHOTO COURTESY OF VALLEY HOSPITAL
Dr. Anthony Delfico performed the first
robotic partial knee replacement at Valley.
Orthopedic surgeons at The Valley
Hospital are offering the Mako Robotic-Arm
Assisted Surgical System, an advanced
option for partial knee, total knee and hip
replacements. The Mako robot is used to
formulate and execute the surgical plan.
The robot “was the first system that
allowed the use of robotics in total knee
and total hip replacement,” said Anthony
Delfico, MD, Valley’s director of orthopedic
surgery. Dr. Delfico, who performed the
hospital’s
first robotic
partial knee
replacement,
was instrumen-
tal in bringing the
system to Valley.
“We felt it is the
way to give our
patients the very
best care at this
time.”
Enhanced
precision affords
a better patient
experience and
outstanding
overall results, said
the physician. “I tell my
patients it is like hitting the bullseye every
time.” For example, less soft tissue damage
due to advanced visualization capabilities
means patients have less pain and are out
of bed sooner. The difference is quite note-
worthy, said Dr. Delfico.
TOMORROW’S
TREATMENTS TODAY
Clinical trials, heavily regulated studies
in which individuals receive treatments
unavailable commercially, are an important
part of care at Holy Name Medical Center,
said Ravit Barkama, MD, MPH, its direc-
tor of clinical research. “We have a robust
research program across many fields.”
Some of the possible benefits of clinical tri-
als include more effective treatment, fewer
side effects, a better safety profile and
reduced hospitalization, said Dr. Barkama.
“We are providing our patients with the
treatments of tomorrow.”
ADVANCING CANCER CARE
Sharyn Lewin, MD, Holy Name’s direc-
tor of gynecologic oncology, is the medical
center’s principal investigator for three
separate trials that are evaluating the safe-
ty and effectiveness of the immunotherapy
medication Keytruda used in combination
with certain other drugs. Patients include
those newly diagnosed with stage three or
four cancer and women whose cancer has
returned. The hope is for “durable remis-
sions and cures.”
PATIENT FOCUSED
Valley Health System has approximately
80 active clinical trials, said Taja Ferguson,
MPH, director of its Okonite Research
Center. “In each instance, we have a
question we are trying to answer.” All
PHOTO
COURTESY OF
HACKENSACK
UNIVERSITY
MEDICAL
CENTER
ROSA, Zimmer
Biomet’s knee robot
PHOTO COURTESY OF VALLEY HOSPITAL
Taja Ferguson, director of Valley Health
System’s Okonite Research Center, with
electrophysiologist Suneet Mittal, M.D., who
serves as the director of Cardiac Research.
things go back to quality care, explained
the administrator. “We focus on patient
care, and research is part of that.”
Suneet Mittal, MD, associate chair of
cardiovascular services for Valley Medical
Group, was on the steering committee
and Valley’s principal investigator for the
WRAP-IT trial, which evaluated an absorb-
able antibacterial envelope, the Medtronic
TYRX Absorbable Antibacterial Envelope.
The envelope, now approved for general
use, was developed to reduce infections
associated with cardiac implantable
electronic devices. The results showed a
40-percent reduction in infections.