January 11, 2023 – Holy Cross Health has announced the acquisition of the Ion endoluminal system which is designed to address a challenging aspect of lung biopsy by enabling physicians to obtain tissue samples from deep within the lung.
“The system’s design allows us to biopsy much smaller and more peripheral lung nodules that were previously difficult to access,” said Felix Hernandez, MD, a pulmonologist with the Holy Cross Medical Group. “The Ion system features an ultra-thin, ultra-maneuverable[1] catheter that allows navigation far into the peripheral lung, and unprecedented stability enables the precision needed for biopsy compared to manual techniques1.”
Bronchoscopy with Ion
During a bronchoscopy, the physician uses the controller to navigate to the target along a planned path. The catheter can articulate 180° in any direction to pass through small, difficult-to-navigate airways and around tight bends to reach all 18 segments of the lung1. Ion’s peripheral vision probe provides direct vision during navigation. Once the pulmonary nodule is reached, the catheter locks in place. The Flexision™ biopsy needle, a flexible biopsy needle compatible with Ion, then passes through the catheter, even when positioned in tortuous airways. After advancing around tight-radius bends of the catheter, the needle deploys into the target location on a straight path.
Biopsy with Ion
Ion’s Biopsy Marker feature lets physicians systematically track multiple biopsy attempts and helps visualize different biopsy needle trajectories. If real-time confirmation of a representative tissue sample is available, the physician can redirect subsequent biopsy attempts into the confirmed target area. 1 The Ion system is designed to fit easily into a bronchoscopy suite and integrate with existing technologies. Ion leverages existing imaging technologies with radial EBUS, fluoroscopic, virtual and live views of the lung unified in a single heads-up display.
Mark Doyle – Holy Cross Health President and CEO
“We are truly thrilled to be a leader in this field and look forward to continuing to bring South Florida minimally invasive robotic-assisted options,” said Holy Cross Health President and CEO Mark Doyle.
Ion is built on more than two decades of leadership in robotic-assisted technology by Intuitive, the maker of the da Vinci surgical system. The Ion endoluminal system allows for more precision, more reach, more stability1 — and more answers.
For more information on minimally invasive biopsy at Holy Cross Health visit HolyCrossRobotics.com.
About Holy Cross Health
A member of Trinity Health, Fort Lauderdale-based Holy Cross Hospital, dba Holy Cross Health, is a full-service, non-profit, Catholic, teaching hospital operating in the spirit of the Sisters of Mercy. Holy Cross has been recognized for eight Types of Care and ranked #8 in the Miami-Fort Lauderdale metro area in U.S. News and World Report’s 2022-23 Best Hospital rankings. Holy Cross Health has also received a fifth consecutive “A” Leapfrog Hospital Safety Grade, a national recognition for protecting patients from harm and preventable harm and error. Through strategic collaborations and a commitment to being a person-centered, transforming, healing presence, the 557-bed hospital offers progressive inpatient, outpatient and community outreach services and clinical research trials to serve as our community’s trusted health partner for life. Holy Cross Health also encompasses Holy Cross HealthPlex outpatient facility, urgent care centers and more than 40 Holy Cross Medical Group physician practices. To learn more about Holy Cross Health, visit holy-cross.com. Connect @holycrossfl.
[1] Results based on internal Intuitive testing. Comparison to reach are relative to manual bronchoscope. Reach is defined by airway generation access. Comparisons of precision and stability are relative to manual techniques. Stability is enabled by fiber optic sensing technology which maintains active robotic control of catheter position and corrects unwanted tip deflection.
