Network: September/October 2009
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| Dr. Cara Bonawitz, (center), leads a Time Out in Radiology at Sentara Leigh Hospital with Tobi Mattox, RN, and Greg Anthony, RT, listening attentively. |
— Enhanced Universal Protocol: Keeping Patients Safe During the summer, Sentara introduced an enhanced patient safety initiative at Sentara hospitals. As part of a system wide “Safety Stand Down,” all Sentara hospitals have set the expectation that requires the physician who is leading an invasive procedure initiate and/or lead as an active participant in a "Time Out" with the staff prior to beginning any invasive procedure. The Time Out is used to verify the right patient, the right procedure and site, as well as the right and/or special equipment or precautions.
Time outs are also used for invasive procedures including biopsies, central lines, PIC lines, epidurals, endoscopic procedures, chest tubes and cardiac cath lab procedures. Sentara introduced this enhanced time out process as a result of evidence based from literature that recommends it as the safest way to deliver care to patients who are having an invasive procedure performed.
Sentara Leigh Hospital first began using a special dry erase board to summarize patient information specific to each case and to serve as a visual aid during time outs. This process is now being implemented at all Sentara hospitals. Sentara safety behaviors and commitments help staff keep patients safe. According to Carol Sale, RN, director of Patient Safety and Performance Excellence, “Conducting a Time Out process as part of the Universal Protocol helps us reduce the chances of error. If we have five people involved in a time out, we have five times greater the opportunity to reduce the chance of an error."
Sentara Heart Arythmia Center Opens In September, the Sentara Heart Arrhythmia Center (SHAC) at
Sentara Heart Hospital opened. It is the first and only program in the region that brings together Sentara Heart cardiac surgeons and electrophysiology cardiologists from the nationally ranked heart program. The center offers patients of all age groups the most advanced procedures for diagnosing and treating simple to complex atrial fibrillation and other cardiac arrhythmias.
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Dr. Stokes (far left) trains hospital staff in the simulation lab.
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Read more about cardiac services at Sentara.
Sentara Norfolk General Hospital Staff Train for Hybrid —
Operating Room
In preparation of the coming Hybrid OR this fall, Dr. Gordon Stokes, vascular surgeon, Sentara Medical Group, facilitated training for the Sentara Norfolk General Hospital operating room vascular team in a simulation lab at the hospital. The lab was used to give staff hands-on training with Dr. Stokes.
The vascular hybrid operating room combines the enhanced imaging of a minimally-invasive endovascular suite with the technical capabilities of an operating room. This allows Sentara vascular surgeons to perform procedures less invasively because it gives vascular surgeons a safer and easier access to vessels that previously required larger incisions.
Read more about vascular services at Sentara.
Sentara Norfolk General and Sentara Leigh Hospitals Receive ‘Top 50’ Rankings
Congratulations to Sentara Norfolk General Hospital and Sentara Leigh Hospital for receiving ‘top 50’ rankings in U.S. News & World Report magazine’s 2009 ‘America’s Best Hospitals’ edition. This is the first time Sentara Leigh Hospital has been in the Top 50 and the first time Sentara Norfolk General Hospital has been ranked in four specialties.
The survey starts with 4,861 hospitals nationwide and is winnowed down to 174 hospitals ranked in one or more of the 16 specialties surveyed. Sentara Norfolk General (Heart Hospital) was 26th in Heart Care and Heart Surgery, up from last year’s 38th position. Kidney Disorders held their 42nd position from last year. Diabetes and Endocrine Disorders made a first appearance at 45th as did Geriatrics at 45th. Sentara Leigh was 38th in Orthopedics in its first appearance in the Top 50. Congratulations to our partner physicians, nurses and all members of these teams who work so hard to achieve superior results for our patients.
Learn more about the rankings.
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| By using specially-designed applicators in conjunction with the high-dose rate iridium devices (HDR), radiation oncologists can deliver high-dose radiation treatments directly to the skin cancer. |
— Skin Cancers Treated With High Dose Radiation
People with certain types of skin cancers have a new radiation treatment option. A mobile high dose rate iridium device (HDR unit) shared between Sentara Obici Hospital and Sentara CarePlex Hospital is making it easier for patients to receive this service.
Continuous overexposure to the sun creates harmful UV (ultra-violet) rays that can damage skin cells. This results in skin cancers being the most common type of cancer in the United States, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Frequently, skin cancers are diagnosed as “basal cell” or “squamous cell” but there is a third type called “melanomas.”
Treatment options for treating skin cancers vary widely and may include surgery, cryosurgery (“freezing”), chemotherapy and radiation therapy. During radiation therapy, high-energy photons (X-rays) are used to destroy tissue. By using specially-designed applicators in conjunction with the high-dose rate iridium devices (HDR), radiation oncologists can deliver high-dose radiation treatments directly to the skin cancer.
This applicator allows more precise treatment to curved or irregular surfaces, including those on the face, arms and legs, while sparing surrounding healthy tissue. When a patient has multiple skin lesions in one area or surgery is too risky or disfiguring, radiation therapy may be a good path of treatment. Radiation therapy may also be combined with another treatment option to increase the chances of curing skin cancer.
Read more about cancer care at Sentara.
Read more about skin cancer from the American Cancer Society.
Sentara Cancer Network Accredited
Cancer patients in Hampton Roads now have access to the first system in Virginia to win accreditation as a "Network Cancer Program" from the American College of Surgeons’ Commission on Cancer. The Sentara Cancer Network is among just 29 systems in the nation to achieve this designation.
Sentara Healthcare and supportive community physicians, including Virginia Oncology Associates, have worked together for more than three years to create a coordinated, multidisciplinary approach to cancer care that helps achieve better outcomes for patients. The four network accredited hospitals are Sentara Norfolk General Hospital, Sentara Virginia Beach General Hospital, Sentara CarePlex Hospital in Hampton and Sentara Williamsburg Regional Medical Center.
The Sentara Cancer Network brings together a broad spectrum of medical specialties, the latest technologies and therapies for diagnosis and treatment, a vigorous clinical trial program, prospective tumor boards and benchmarked outcomes data to assure that cancer patients receive the most individualized and thorough treatment programs available in the region. Other Sentara hospitals are working toward being added to the ACOS accredited network in coming years.
Read the news release on the accreditation.
SpyGlass™ Spyscope at Sentara Virginia Beach General Hospital
Sentara Virginia Beach General Hospital now offers a new diagnostic technology called the SpyGlass™ Direct Visualization System, which uses a high-definition fiber optic probe to visualize the bile duct and take tissue samples as needed. The procedure is called cholangioscopy. SpyGlass offers enhanced visualization over older technologies to help diagnose diseases of the liver, gallbladder and bile duct.
NESS L300™ Foot Drop System at Sentara Williamsburg Regional Medical Center
Survivors of stroke, brain and spinal injuries, cerebral palsy and progressive diseases like MS often suffer from "foot drop," which affects their gait. The Auxiliary at Sentara Williamsburg Regional Medical Center has provided the Physical Therapy department with a great new rehabilitation device called the NESS L300™ Foot Drop System. It sends electrical impulses to leg muscles, causing them to lift the affected foot better to improve gait stability and speed. While not effective in treating all types of foot drop, the NESS L300 can improve foot drop in patients with certain CNS diseases or impairments. Thanks to the auxiliary for such a meaningful gift.