St. Francis has acquired two new surgical technologies that will benefit breast cancer patients. The SPY Elite Intraoperative Perfusion Assessment System will be used in the operating room by breast surgeons and plastic surgeons as well as by colorectal surgeons. The hospital has also acquired The Faxitron BioVision Breast Specimen X-ray System which can provide immediate verification of excised breast tissue margins.
 
St. Francis is the first hospital in the Chattahoochee Valley to acquire this newest technology. The new equipment is part of a multi-million capital investment being made at St. Francis this year, according to David Koontz, Chief Executive Officer.
 
The SPY Elite system is the first and most advanced fluorescence imaging system that enables surgeons performing open procedures, such as breast and other reconstructive procedures as well as gastrointestinal surgery to visualize microvascular blood flow and in tissues during surgery. The BioVision technology helps surgeons removing potentially cancerous tissue to more clearly identify microscopic calcifications, securing clear margins while sparing as much skin and tissue as possible. This helps with reconstructive procedures.
 
According to Breast Surgeon Charles Scarborough, MD, the BioVision Breast Specimen X-ray System, which includes gamma probes, provides immediate verification of excised breast tissue margins. “This raises the standard of care to a new level for patients undergoing surgical excision or biopsy procedures. It can shorten surgical time because the specimen is x-rayed intra-operatively with the image being sent directly to mammography via PACS while the specimen itself is sent directly to pathology. The SPY Elite near-infrared technology lets us visualize blood flow, allowing for better assessment of blood supply and distinction between healthy and unhealthy tissue during the surgical process. This enables us to save the healthiest tissue with the best blood flow for the plastic surgeon to use during reconstruction.”
 
Together, these two new technologies will provide significant benefits for breast cancer patients undergoing reconstruction, according to Plastic Surgeon Ashish Jain, MD.
 
“During complex reconstructive surgery, ensuring adequate perfusion – or blood flow – to tissue is critical to achieving the best possible outcomes and preventing complications,” Dr. Jain said. “By using near-infrared light technology, the SPY Elite technology extends the boundaries of the surgeon’s eye in real-time in the operating room, essentially allowing surgeons to visualize blood flow in large and small vessels in the skin and other soft tissue. Working in concert with the breast surgeon, focusing on skin-sparing and nipple-saving procedures, these technologies are especially helpful. This data-driven technology gives surgeons every advantage in the effort to preserve as much of the breast as possible. And that gives patients peace of mind.”
 
Because of the more accurate, data-driven process, which allows surgeons to distinguish between healthy and unhealthy tissue, real-time decisions can be made in the middle of surgery that decrease the chance of necrosis (tissue that dies from lack of blood flow) post-operatively, eliminating the need for future corrective surgery. This technology helps removes the subjective processes previously required, ensuring greater accuracy and better outcomes.
 
The SPY Elite technology will also be used in colorectal surgeries as it can assist in preventing major postoperative complications following colorectal surgery which can include anastomotic leakage. An anastomosis is a surgical connection between two structures. For example, when part of an intestine is surgically removed, the two remaining ends are sewn or stapled together. Anastomotic leakage is one of the most serious complications specific to colorectal surgery. Colorectal surgeon Dr. John Adams said: “The Spy Elite system allows for the intraoperative evaluation of anastomotic perfusion and can prevent anastomotic complications.”
 
The significant investment in these new technologies is part of St. Francis’ focus on expanding services and quality of care available to cancer patients, particularly women with breast cancer. The Elena Diaz-Verson Amos Center for Breast Health at St. Francis is the premier facility in the region dedicated to improving women’s health. Not only was St. Francis first in the region, but first in the state of Georgia to offer diagnostic Breast-Specific Gamma Imaging as well as Automated Whole-Breast Ultrasound. The hospital was among the first to provide 3-D mammography (tomosynthesis) and a dedicated Breast MRI.