Los Robles Health System performs first single anesthetic procedure for lung cancer treatment
When a suspicious lung lesion report came across the desk of Dr. Shahryar Ashouri, Hematology Oncologist, he immediately knew the patient needed follow-up. He reached out to Dr. Nels Carroll of the newly established Lung Cancer Program of Los Robles Health System. After meeting with the patient, Dr. Carroll set in motion a plan to offer a procedural technique that combines the diagnosis and treatment of cancerous lung nodules under a single anesthesia event. This is crucial since the outcomes are favorable when lung cancer is detected and treated in its earliest stages. On Thursday, June 27th, Dr. Tao He, Interventional Pulmonologist, and Dr. Nels Carroll, Cardiothoracic Surgeon, led a multidisciplinary team of dedicated Nurses, Respiratory Therapists, Radiology Technicians and Cytotechnologists at Los Robles Health System through this groundbreaking case.
For patients that meet criteria, this means that they will be prepped for robot-assisted navigation bronchoscopy. This procedure allows our interventional pulmonologist to use a minimally invasive endoscope to see inside the lungs, obtain a tissue sample for biopsy and enable earlier, more accurate diagnosis of small and hard-to-reach nodules in the periphery of the lung. The biopsy is then performed immediately and the results are provided to the team.
From there, if a cancerous lesion is found by the interventional pulmonologist, the thoracic surgeon and team proceed with the immediate surgical removal of the tumor using robotic-assisted surgery. This minimally invasive approach uses smaller incisions and stereoscopic visualization to improve the accuracy of surgery and accelerate recovery. If the biopsy doesn’t show a cancerous lesion, surgery isn’t necessary and the patient is able to avoid an unnecessary procedure.
Without a single anesthetic event, patients would have to schedule a surgical procedure weeks out. “A single anesthetic event can make all of the difference in a patient’s outcomes and eliminates weeks of stress, uncertainty and waiting. Lung cancer has the potential to advance quickly, and can rapidly shift from being curable to treatable to incurable — working with the highly trained specialists on our team allows us to do great things for our patients,” stated Dr. Nels Carroll, Cardiothoracic Surgeon at Los Robles Health System.
“Through the advancement in technology we are able to have a multidisciplinary team to help our patients during a very uncertain time. Through single anesthetic events, patients are often less stressed about the procedure and they are able to receive the treatment they need immediately, resulting in a shorter hospital stay and improved outcomes. That’s what it’s all about. “stated Dr. Tao He.