New SPiN Thoracic Navigation System™ helps physicians detect and diagnose the smallest suspicious nodules earlier to guide rapid cancer treatment
Holy Cross Hospital is the first healthcare facility in Broward County to offer a new leading-edge tool in the battle against lung cancer– the Spin Thoracic Navigation System™, which can help assist the hospital’s cancer experts in diagnosing the disease earlier than before. The new technology from Veran Medical helps guide physicians through the lungs much like a GPS navigation system, ultimately leading to a better prognosis.
“At Holy Cross, we are committed to investing in health care technology and innovation to ensure the best outcomes for our patients,” said Dr. Patrick Taylor, president and CEO of Holy Cross Hospital. “Early detection of lung cancer is critical to successful treatment. When a patient is anxiously awaiting their diagnosis, every minute matters. With this new SPiN System, our doctors will be able to shorten the traditional time frame from testing to diagnosis, allowing patients to start their treatment plans faster than ever before.”
Lung cancer is the number one cancer killer worldwide. According to the American Lung Association, most lung cancer cases are diagnosed at later stages when the cancer has spread to other organs, treatment options are more limited, and survival is lower. In Florida, only 20.1 percent of cases are caught early when survival is much higher, compared to 55.3 percent nationally. Unfortunately, most cases are not caught until a late stage when survival is only 4.5 percent (nationally).
The SPiN Thoracic Navigation System takes ordinary CT scans and transforms them into 3D virtual maps that physicians can use for precisely targeting lesions, as well as navigating the lungs. Procedures take approximately one hour and are typically performed in an outpatient setting.
The lungs are complex, with more than 1,500 miles of airways in the average person. Suspicious nodules that require diagnosis can be as tiny as 8mm (about the size of a small pea), and because those nodules move when patients breathe, locating and obtaining samples to diagnose them can pose a significant challenge.
The SPiN System™ tracks movement and patient breathing 20 times per second to ensure physicians precisely locate moving targets. To ensure precision tracking of nodules during procedures, physicians use Veran’s Always-On Tip Tracked® instruments, which are equipped with tiny electromagnetic sensors that allow doctors to visualize step by step where they are within the lung straight through to the target. In addition, approximately 40 percent of nodules lie outside of airways. Only the SPiN System allows lung specialists to seamlessly transition from an endobronchial approach (down the trachea) to a percutaneous approach (through the skin) to avoid diagnostic delays, reduce unnecessary procedures and reduce the potential corresponding complications.
For more information about patient care using the SPiN Thoracic Navigation System at Holy Cross Hospital, call 954-351-LUNG.
About Holy Cross Hospital
A member of Trinity Health, Fort Lauderdale-based Holy Cross Hospital is a full-service, non-profit, Catholic, teaching hospital operating in the spirit of the Sisters of Mercy. Holy Cross Hospital has been named one of the top three hospitals of 65 in the Miami metro area and among the top 20 in the state in U.S. News and World Report’s 2018-2019 Best Hospital rankings. 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. To learn more about Holy Cross Hospital, visit holy-cross.com. Connect on Facebook, Instagram and Twitter @holycrossfl.
