St. Cloud Hospital Able to Save Lives Thanks to new Robotic Biopsy System

(KNSI) – CentraCare St. Cloud’s new robotic bronchoscopy system is already helping to save lives. The Ion Endoluminal System was first used in April.

Dr. Ramakanth Pata says lung cancer is one of the deadliest forms of the disease because it is often discovered at an advanced stage. He adds that every cancer starts as an individual nodule, usually less than a centimeter in size. If it is located near a membrane that coats the lungs or the heart, it has traditionally been difficult to biopsy.

Dr. Pata says, “The risk of complication is around five to 10%. Fortunately, you know, we are able to deal with a complication. We put in a chest tube if needed. We’ll admit them for a couple of days and then discharge.”

Previously, many nodules were monitored through a series of scans to see if they were actively growing and threatening to spread. Being able to make that determination sooner, means treating the cancer at a time where it is likely to be survived.

Pata explains how the technology reduces complications to near zero. “Our lungs are covered with a membrane, it’s called pleura. If we reach that membrane, it can puncture the membrane and can cause a complication called pneumothorax, where the air can leak and the lung can collapse. The good thing about this technology is when I’m doing a procedure like a biopsy, it will warn me to be cautious.”

It creates a 3-D map of the lung, which guides an extra-thin catheter to the precise location of the nodule. The technology will also warn as you approach the pleura or the heart muscles.

Dr. Pata says he is one of two doctors at the hospital with training on the technology. The crew was flown to Georgia for practice with the system. He says finding cancer early improves survival rates. A pathologist is in the room to diagnose the nodule as malignant or benign and can tell doctors immediately what type of lung cancer they could be dealing with.

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