MDNews - Greater Kansas

USING ROBOTIC-ASSISTED TECHNIQUES Because Dr. Peterson deals with complex cases, he is among those at the forefront of using new techniques in robotic her- nia surgeries. "As our robotic-assisted capabilities have expanded, so has our ability to perform even the most complex cases with the robot leading to shorter hospital stays, less pain, less narcotic use, quicker recoveries and less overall cost." In 2018, Dr. Peterson started using the relatively new eTEP technique using the da Vinci robotic system. He studied the eTEP technique with Igor Belyansky, MD, at the Anne Arundel Medical Center in Annapolis, Maryland, who has refined the technique. "The eTEP procedure has been around for a while and surgeons have been doing it laparoscopically," Dr. Peterson says. "The problem is it's difficult to reproduce, it's technically very demand- ing and, ergonomically, it's very painful for the surgeon. Using the robot has allowed us to standardize the approach to make it reproducible in different scenarios and be used for all different types of hernias. Knowing the eTEP approach is a passport to access any part of the abdominal wall." "Under Dr. Peterson's leadership, we have developed a first- class team and program that is drawing patients from all over Kansas," adds Robyn Chadwick, St. Teresa's Senior Executive. "Many are patients who previously have undergone surgical hernia or abdominal wall surgeries elsewhere without success and now need the highly specialized care that we are staffed and equipped to provide to have a successful outcome." CONTRIBUTING TO QUALITY CARE Another factor that sets the hernia surgery program at St. Teresa apart from other programs is its participation in the Americas Hernia Society Quality Collaborative, Dr. Peterson says. Information on all ventral and inguinal hernia surgical patients treated at Ascension Via Christi Hernia Center is entered into the AHSCQ patient registry. Follow-up data from patients is collected and submitted at regular intervals through the five years following their surgery. More than 340 participating surgeons in academic and private practice settings in the U.S. contribute patient-centric data to the AHSQC registry, which has more than 50,000 hernia surgery cases in its database. As a participant in the collaborative, Dr. Peterson and his team can review longitudinal patient outcomes and get information that can help with best practice decisions on patient safety and care. "We want to continue to be our best for the people who feel they have nowhere else to go for their hernia or abdominal wall problem," Dr. Peterson says. "These are hard and intimidating problems for patients and surgeons alike. We want to be the resource that changes their lives for the better." Referrals and consultations are available. To make a referral or consult with Dr. Peterson, call 316-613-4707. n KANSAS' ONLY CYBERKNIFE CENTER Ascension Via Christi's CyberKnife Center — which offers noninvasive lifesaving and time-saving cancer treatment through highly precise, intense-dose radiation treatment — is expanding and getting an upgrade.  With its new upgraded CyberKnife robot, which will be operational this summer, Ascension Via Christi's radiation oncology team will be able to treat 16 to 20 patients per day as compared to the eight or nine it treats with its current robot. The Ascension Via Christi CyberKnife Center, the only one in Kansas, already ranks as one of the busiest U.S. centers for stereotactic radiosurgery for tumors outside the brain or spine. Medicare data places it at 32 out of more than 850 centers, according to Accuray, the high-tech sys- tem's manufacturer. In addition to helping keep up with patient and physician demand, it also will allow the team to further contribute to research on stereotactic ablative radiotherapy, says David Bryant, MD, Medical Director of Radiation Oncology for Ascension Via Christi's Wichita hospita ls. CyberKnife The Hernia Center of Excellence recognition includes the Ascension Medical Group Via Christi clinic connected to St. Teresa, which is staffed and equipped for even the most complex hernia surgeries. It takes a team to achieve Center of Excellence status for Hernia Surgery. David Bryant, MD M D N E W S . C O M /// M D N E W S G R E AT E R K A N S A S ■ 2 0 2 0 1 3

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