UMC Health System - Physician Notes

CONTINUED FROM PAGE 5 as percutaneous interventions for acute stroke and aneurysms, and stereotactic radiosurgery for tumors using the latest Varian TrueBeam™ platform that supersedes the older and less versatile CyberKnife® and Gamma Knife® systems," Dr. Felton said. "Neurosurgical expertise for our Level1 Trauma Center, although resource-demanding, is vital to the region and an important service to the community that our group exclusively provides, but our passions are our subspeciality training," Dr. Felton explained. Genevieve Lapointe, M.D., is fellowship trained in endoscopic skull base surgery (for example, pituitary tumors and meningiomas), cerebrovascular disease (for example, aneurysms and AVMs), as well as stereotactic radiosurgery. Benedicto Baronia, M.D., has fellowship training in skull base surgery, cerebrovascular and pediatric neurosurgery. Dr. Felton is the only fellowship-trained minimally invasive spine surgeon in the region, and he also focuses on complex adult deformity/adult degenerative scoliosis and revision surgery in a combined neuro/ortho program with Michel Diab, M.D., Texas Tech Physicians, who maintains an extremely busy orthopedic pediatric scoliosis practice. Drs. Felton, Lapointe and Baronia completed seven-year general neurosurgery residencies prior to completing any additional fellowships, allowing them to treat all general neurosurgical conditions including tumor, vascular, functional and degenerative pathologies. UMC's designation as a Level I Trauma Center means it is "capable of providing total care for every aspect of injury— from prevention through rehabilitation," according to the American College of Surgeons, and the neurosciences group offers a comprehensive list of elective and referral-based patient services. Two Medtronic StealthStation S7 workstations and intraoperative CT allow neuronavigation during all spine and cranialprocedures. "ink of neuronavigation as GPS for your brain and spine, making each procedure as safe as current technology allows for every patient specific to his or her anatomy," Dr.Felton explained. e neurosurgeons perform microsurgery utilizing two state-of-the-art ZEISS OPMI® PENTERO® microscopes, which allow integration of neuronavigation and microangiography into relevant procedures; furthermore, patients are monitored intraoperatively with continuous neurophysiologic technology, adding yet another layer of safety. "UMC is currently planning to complete the region's only dedicated Neuro Intensive Care Unit — an exclusive offering within a 350 mile radius between Albuquerque and Dallas," Dr.Felton said. "e implementation of a Neuro ICU has been proven to be the most significant factor in determining favorable outcomes in critically ill stroke and neurosurgical patients and is considered the standard of care. As such, once the Neuro ICU is established, essentially all neuro patients in the region in need of ICU monitoring should be treated at UMC — including aneurysms, brain tumors, isolated head injuries and stroke." e neuroscience services available at UMC are extensive and continue to grow. As the region's only Level 1 Trauma Center affiliated with Texas Tech Health Sciences Center, UMC offers effective, quality care and provides a standard that not only meets, but exceeds national and international benchmarks. CONTAC T UMC HEALTH SYSTEM AT 806.775.8200 FOR MORE INFORMATION ABOUT NEUROSCIENCE SERVICES. This group of physicians at this location is the future of Lubbock, and the region, as far as clinical neurosciences is concerned — that includes neurosurgery, interventional neurology, neuroradiology, and neurocritical care and anesthesia. The present and future of neurosurgery is here." JASON FELTON, M.D., HE AD OF NEUROSURGERY, UMC HE ALTHSYSTEM 6 PHYSICIAN NOTES /// SPRING 2017

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