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CHI FRANCISCAN HEALTH /// chifranciscan.org 2 Meet Our New Providers news briefs CHI Franciscan Health St. Clare Hospital 11315 Bridgeport Way SW Lakewood, WA 98499 P 1-888-825-3227 chifranciscan.org THORACIC SURGERY TEAM EARNS TOP QUALITY RATINGS FOR LUNG CANCER SURGERY Thoracic oncology surgeons at St. Joseph Medical Center have earned the elite three- star rating from The Society of Thoracic Surgeons (STS) for stage I lung cancer lobectomy (removal of an anatomic portion of the lung). It is the society's highest rating and only awarded to the top 5 percent of thoracic surgery programs in the United States. Thoracic oncology surgeons Baiya Krishnadasan, MD, and Nyen Chong, MD, perform a large volume of these operations at St. Joseph using minimally invasive techniques that can reduce pain and speed recovery times. The three-star designation reects results signicantly better than national average for 30-day mortality and length of hospital stay after lobectomy for lung cancer for the period from January 2012 through December 2014. CHI FRANCISCAN FIRST WITH NEW EPILEPSY TECHNOLOGY People living with medication-resistant epilepsy have new hope through a signicant advancement of vagal nerve stimulation (VNS) therapy. CHI Franciscan neurosurgeon Marc Goldman, MD, as placed the state's rst Aspire SR Generator in a young adult who has endured numerous seizures throughout most of his life. "About one-third of epilepsy patients have conditions that are resistant to drug treatments," said neurologist Seth Stankus, DO, of Franciscan Neurology Associates. "This new device automatically detects the steep climb in heart rate that precedes a seizure and stimulates the vagus nerve, which projects to the part of the brain implicated in seizures and can help prevent seizures from occurring. This is very exciting for our patients." The small FDA-approved device delivers mild, pulsed electrical signals to the vagus nerve to block seizure activity. Most patients experience a 50 to 90 percent reduction in seizures and report improvements in quality of life. To learn more, talk to your doctor or call Franciscan Neurology Associates at (253) 274-7505. 3-STAR RATINGS Society of Thoracic Surgeons DAVID TIMME, MD Otolaryngology Franciscan Ear, Nose & Throat Associates at St. Clare Lakewood 253 2747505 LEON PLOWRIGHT, MD Gynecology/Urogynecology Franciscan Urology Associates – Lakewood 253 9856134