Covenant Health Fort Sanders Regional Achieves 1,000th Robotic-Assisted Bronchoscopy Milestone

Number of Patients Served Puts Hospital in Top 10 Percent Worldwide

Knoxville, Tenn. – November 1, 2024: Covenant Health Fort Sanders Regional recently completed its 1,000th robotic-assisted bronchoscopy, placing it in the top 10 percent in patient volume among facilities worldwide using robotic-assisted technology developed by Intuitive Surgical, a leading company in minimally invasive care and robotic-assisted surgical systems.

“Not only is this a special achievement for us, but it is for lung health as a whole because it allows us to detect and remove cancers in their earliest stages before they spread,” says Varun Shah, MD, lung nodule and endobronchial therapy director at Fort Sanders Regional.

Eighty-five percent of cancers diagnosed at Fort Sanders Regional have been stage 1, meaning lung cancer is detected earlier while it’s still treatable – saving lives.

Why is this procedure important in East Tennessee?

In 2022, Fort Sanders Regional was the first hospital to bring robotic-assisted bronchoscopy to East Tennessee. The area ranks 45^th in the nation for new lung cancer cases, a notably higher rate than the national average, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

How Fort Sanders Regional’s technology leads in lung nodule care

Fort Sanders Regional’s advanced robotic-assisted bronchoscopy technology aids in detecting lung nodules (abnormal tissue growths) early, increasing patient survival rates.

The Ion robotic-assisted lung biopsy platform, known as the “GPS of the lungs,” helps providers diagnose small, hard-to-reach lung nodules, both cancerous and non-cancerous, in the earliest stages.

The medical center also was the first hospital in East Tennessee to coordinate surgical lung procedures for a “single anesthetic event.” This means interventional pulmonologists (physicians specializing in lung diseases) can efficiently obtain a lung sample specimen for analysis using the Ion robot. If the nodule is appropriate for surgical removal, the patient can transition smoothly to the cardiothoracic surgeon, who uses Fort Sanders Regional’s DaVinci robot, all during a single surgical setting. This greatly accelerates the patient’s treatment and care, rather than arranging two separate surgeries on different days.

Benefits of robotic-assisted bronchoscopy and the lung nodule program at Fort Sanders Regional

• Smaller incision/scar
• Improved accuracy
• Faster recovery
• Lower risk of infection
• Less anesthesia
• Shorter length of hospital stay
• Less blood loss
• Less pain

In addition, this unique program provides a patient-centric approach. Fort Sanders Regional has a designated lung nodule navigator who helps coordinate individualized care plans and medical follow-up. The lung nodule program helps improve patients’ quality of life through better health, which is the mission of Covenant Health.

Lung cancer screenings for early detection

Lung cancer screenings create detailed pictures of the lungs to detect early signs of lung cancer. Low-dose CT scans use lower amounts of radiation than standard chest CT imaging while still providing high quality images of the lungs. Low-dose CT scans can identify cancer earlier, and studies show that lung cancer screenings can lower death rates by 20 percent in people who are at high risk.

Since lung cancer is often diagnosed after it has spread, low-dose CT screening and robotic-assisted biopsy enable doctors to catch cancer early when it’s most treatable.

Covenant Health offers low-dose CT scanning at several member organizations across East Tennessee. For more information, visit Covenanthealth.com and search “lung cancer screening” or call 865-541-4500.