MDNews - Mid Hudson

October/November 2017

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M D N E W S .C O M /// M D N E W S M I D H U D S O N ■ 2 017 1 5 VASSAR BROTHERS MEDICAL CENTER A ll of Hea lth Quest's hospita ls attract accomplished physicians to their medica l sta•s due to factors including an excellent nursing sta•, first-class patient amenities and an institutiona l commitment to supporting surgeons with advanced tools and technologies, says Nicholas Rena ldo, MD*, board-certified orthopedic spine surgeon and Medical Director of Spine Surgery at Vassar Brothers Medical Center. "I've lived in the Hudson Valley for six years," Dr. Renaldo says. "My work centers around Vassar Brothers, and I am a lso on the medica l sta• at Northern Dutchess Hospita l. Over that time, I've seen a lot of resources committed to orthopedic and spine surger y, a llowing us to increase the number of ser vices we provide, o•er minima lly invasive surgeries and perform complex operations." For instance, Vassar Brothers recently acquired Medtronic's O-arm System, an intraoperative imaging system. "These types of devices represent a significant investment, but they a llow us to perform larger and more complicated surgeries," Dr. Renaldo says. "From the orga- nizational standpoint, Health Quest has supported us not only on the technological side, but on the inpatient side. They care for patients well and dedicate extensive resources to them. Or thopedic hospita l rooms a re more private, for exa mple. Hea lth Quest has invested more resources at the bedside, including a full-time orthopedic clinica l coordinator. Patients coming in for elective procedures have a great experience; a ll their needs are met." "The orthopedic surgeons on the medical sta• at Vassar Brothers Medical Center care for adults with conditions such as herniated discs, spina l arthritis causing stenosis of the spine, and spina l fractures," he says. "This care involves numerous minima lly invasive procedures, such as kyphoplasty, in which cement is injected into broken vertebrae in people with osteoporosis. This is performed through a needle incision and ta kes only 10 to 20 minutes." Spine surgeons at Vassar Brothers a lso perform microdiscectomy to relieve leg pain from herniated discs. "The surgery is performed through an incision less than 1 inch long," Dr. Renaldo says. "The procedure takes less than an hour. Patients are soon ambulatory, and the procedure produces good results. We are highly successful with cervica l fusions, disc replacements and surgery for pinched nerves in the neck, as well." Spotlight: Surgical Mapping TO V ISUA LIZE MINIM A LLY invasive spine procedures, surgeons require ways to see inside the body. This is especially true for spine surgeons, as the vertebrae can move along many planes — arching forward and backward, bending side to side, and rotating. An accurate proce - dure must be precisely aligned in three dimensions. To that end, Health Quest has invested in advanced imaging. One device, the O-arm System by Medtronic, allows continuous intraop- erative imaging. A rounded gantry circles the body, allowing a full-circle image to be obtained in seconds. The system allows 2- or 3-D imaging, displaying large areas in clear detail on a 30-inch digital flat screen. Before surgery, the physi- cian designates navigation points, which he or she can confirm against live imaging. Because bodies have great variety and tolerances in some surgeries are very tight, accurate, real-time imaging with the ability to correct preoperative maps against any shift during the procedure is crucial. The imaging system allows physicians to track the movement of their instru- ments, as well, visualizing the surgical tools in relation to the patient's anatomy. In this way, Health Quest's spine surgery patients benefit from highly precise procedures performed, as often as possible, through extremely small incisions. Dr. Renaldo reviews a spine surgical candidate's X-ray. PHOTO © JOHN HALPERN

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