Outpatient Surgery Magazine

Basics of Blocks - April 2014 - Subscribe to Outpatient Surgery Magazine

Outpatient Surgery Magazine, providing current information on Surgical Services, Surgical Facility Administration, Outpatient Surgery News and Trends, OR Excellence and more.

Issue link: http://outpatientsurgery.uberflip.com/i/291534

Contents of this Issue

Navigation

Page 84 of 130

8 5 A P R I L 2 0 1 4 | O U T P AT I E N T S U R G E R Y M A G A Z I N E O N L I N E guidance is all about safety and efficiency, about seeing precisely where I'm at in real time. Breathe easier Some doctors reserve image guidance for revision or more complex sur- geries where the anatomy has changed (see "Criteria for Image-Guided Surgery"), others argue why ration a device that helps you make more informed decisions in the OR? Let me stress that navigation is by no means a replacement for experience. Navigation is a tool to help with surgery, not a teacher and not a mentor. Here's a perfect case in point. Recently I performed a sinus surgery on a patient with chronic sinusitis, who as a result of a prior surgery over a decade ago had a skull base defect. Before I looked into the nostril, I knew to stay away from the defect between the brain and sinus because we had mapped that region and I could see it clearly on the monitor. Using image guidance while operating, you'll know exactly where you are — and where not to go. I see the septum and a very large turbinate that's blocking the nasal cavity. I shrink the turbinate down so he can breathe better and remove the polyps that are blocking the sinus openings. Thanks to image guidance, my patient can breathe clearer and I can breathe a little easier. Certainly, you'll spend extra time and costs setting up image-guided sinus surgery, but I ask myself this: If my loved one were having sinus surgery, you want the best technology out there. Sometimes only I'll use image guidance at the end of a case to make sure I removed everything I wanted to. For efficiency's sake Here are a few tips on using image guidance efficiently. • Ease of setup. It takes my staff and me no more than 3 minutes to S U R G I C A L N A V I G A T I O N OSE_1404_part2_Layout 1 4/11/14 10:58 AM Page 85

Articles in this issue

Archives of this issue

view archives of Outpatient Surgery Magazine - Basics of Blocks - April 2014 - Subscribe to Outpatient Surgery Magazine