Phoenix VA receives state of the art technology
The Phoenix VA Carl T. Hayden Medical Center received a new piece of equipment during a ribbon cutting ceremony May 3, that will drastically improve care for Veterans.
The biplane imaging technology uses two mounted cameras, on each side of the patient, that can rotate and move to provide a 3D live image of soft tissue anatomy. These images are displayed on a screen, which allows the physician to move the cameras anywhere along the body to see detailed images of the area the doctor needs to see.
A new Biplane is now operational a being used to help Veterans at the Phoenix VA Health Care System; however, this biplane doesn’t need a runway or soar in the sky. Instead, this biplane gives physicians a new view on procedures they are conducting on Veterans to improve their health and give them better care.
“If you think about the fact that this building was built in 1949, when at that time they had no thoughts that we would have this technology,” said Bryan Matthews, Medical Center Director. “Fast forward to now, and look at our infrastructure challenges, and it brings to light how much work and coordination it takes by a lot of people to put this into this building.” said Matthews.
The benefits that this equipment would bring to the Veterans is what kept the staff motivated to find new innovative ways to update the rooms and infrastructure, so that it would accommodate the biplane imaging system.
“Every obstacle had a good outcome,” said Jennifer Guest, radiologic Technologist Supervisor for Interventional Radiology. “We may have had to wait longer, but it has turned out to be a beautiful room.”
This new room allows Interventional Radiology to expand the number of procedures being performed, and the complexity of procedures, said Dr. Gregory Titus, a physician in Interventional Radiology.
“I think that having state-of-the-art biplaning here is really going to up the game in Interventional Radiology and potentially Vascular surgery as well,” said Dr. John Buterbaugh, Phoenix VA Chief of Staff. “It’s going to bring the opportunity to do higher-end, more complex procedures that incur a higher risk unless you had something like this.”
However, the equipment is only part of the equation of what is needed to make these new procedures available to the Veterans. The other part requires bringing in talented physicians, nurses, and technologists to the Phoenix VA.
“First things first is having the right people in place,” said Dr. Ankit Shah, Phoenix VA Chief of Interventional Radiology. “We’ve got this amazing team of physicians, technicians, and nurses together, and now we have a piece of equipment like the biplane. I think we are really going to be able to do some great things for the Veterans.”
Great things like pediatric, electrophysiology, neuro interventions and body imaging. With the 3D imaging that is provided by the biplane, physicians can perform intricate procedures thanks to the detailed imagery provided of soft tissues.
“This equipment can expand clinical versatility and successfully plan, guide and assess increasingly sophisticated procedures with greater precision and dose efficiency,” said Salam Kalandos, the Chief of Healthcare Technology Management.
“We’re doing a little bit more of deep venous intervention to try to help people feel a little more comfortable if they have obstructions in their veins, which really helps Veterans walk again more comfortably,” said Dr. Shah.
The Veteran is the center of all that is done at the Phoenix VA Health Care System. From the people who work at the medical center or clinics, to the facilities they are located in, to the equipment purchased, the VA is focused on providing the best possible care to every Veteran in the region.