A new diagnostic procedure performed with robotic technology allows for accurate diagnosis of early-stage lung cancer much faster than other procedures. Dr. Jason Bailey, a board-certified pulmonologist and critical care intensivist at Northwest Health, recently went on AFMC TV to talk about robotic bronchoscopy and the way it expedites diagnosis so patients can receive treatment more quickly.
Advanced technology allows access to hard-to-reach places.
Bronchoscopy is a technique used to look at a patient’s airways with a small camera placed at the end of a long, flexible tube. The camera is connected to a video screen where a doctor can see photos and video of the air passages. The tube also has a small device used to collect tissue samples from the lung used for disease diagnosis.
This technology has now advanced to where doctors can more precisely control the tube so that it can reach more challenging places in the lungs. “With this highly advanced equipment, we can reach peripheral parts of the lung more easily. “To reach the patient’s airway, the robot has to navigate the bronchial tree and reach the far aspects of the lung to reach these lung nodules and perform a biopsy,” Dr. Bailey says.
It is easy to get lost in the bronchial tree, so doctors must use different modalities to assist in navigation. “We use ultrasound, thoracoscopy, and a CAT scan that’s uploaded into the robot so it can more easily find its way around,” Dr. Bailey explains. “When we start controlling the robot, we use an ultrasound to locate the lung nodule and ensure we’re in the right place before we take a biopsy.”
A pathologist is also on-site to examine the tissue collected after the biopsy to ensure that they have enough tissue (and the right kind of tissue) to make an accurate diagnosis. Dr. Bailey’s team is also able to perform mediastinal staging after they have done the bronchoscopy and biopsy, allowing his team to diagnose and stage all in one setting. Overall, robotic bronchoscopy is far less invasive than a transthoracic needle biopsy, which exposes patients to a higher risk of pneumothorax or collapsed lung.
A safer, less-invasive procedure leads to quicker patient recovery time.
While there is still a risk of collapsed lung with robotic bronchoscopy, Dr. Bailey says the risk is much lower than other bronchoscopy procedures. “Also, from a risk standpoint, we’re talking about taking tissue samples, so bleeding and infection also present possible complications. However, we do have ways to control these things. So, despite the risk, we hardly ever see these risks develop during or after the procedure.”
Once the procedure is over, the patient is able to go home the same day, a much faster turnaround than surgical procedures, where some patients don’t return home for a week.
“Because it is minimally invasive and low risk, even patients who are on a lot of oxygen can still have this procedure and see good results. Most of them even go home the same day,” Dr. Bailey says. The procedure only lasts a few hours, and since there are no incisions, high-risk patients are able to have a low-risk procedure.
Quicker recovery means patients get treated faster.
The low-risk, high-result procedure allows Dr. Bailey to work patients through the system more quickly so they can get a faster diagnosis. “A quick diagnosis allows patients to get quicker treatment,” he says. “With cancer, patients have a better prognosis and lower mortality rate if we diagnose their cancer early, so this procedure only taking a few hours without any cuts or incisions is a game changer.”
Despite being stationed in Northwest Arkansas, Dr. Bailey says any patient is welcome to come. “As long as they’re willing to get here, we’ll take them,” he says. “We take all different types of insurance and all types of patients. As long as they can get up here, we’ll work them up and get them on their way to a diagnosis and treatment.”
Statewide expansion is expected in the near future.
The marvel of this technology cannot be overstated. Robotic bronchoscopy allows doctors to access harder-to-reach lung nodules that quicken the diagnostic process and pose little safety risk. “It doesn’t matter if the nodule is close to the heart or blood vessels because, with this procedure, we’re able to get to it and take a biopsy safely,” Dr. Bailey explains. “We never had that luxury before.”
While Northwest Health is currently the only clinic offering this procedure in Northwest Arkansas, Dr. Bailey believes others in the state will soon begin utilizing it in their clinics, too. “I would like all providers in the state to know that you can get a patient seen and diagnosed quickly with this procedure so that they can come back to you and start treatment much quicker than before.”
It's hard to deny the benefits of robotic bronchoscopy for patients with early-stage lung cancer. Early detection is usually the key to successful recovery from severe diagnoses. An innovative procedure like this helps patients and doctors everywhere breathe a sigh of relief.
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