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New Horizons in Medicine

Innovative procedures and treatments that are putting southeastern Michigan at the forefront of the medical world

SMALL DEVICE, GREAT PROMISE

by Cathy Nelson Photos by Daniel Lippitt

It might look like a simple piece of netting, but the small device with the big name offers new hope to the 5 million Americans combating congestive heart failure. HeartNet therapy, known as PEERLESS-HF (Prospective Evaluation of Elastic Restraint to LESSen the effects of Heart Failure), is being researched collaboratively by the Wayne State University School of Medicine and Oakwood Healthcare System. The first successful implantation of the device was performed in April at Oakwood Hospital & Medical Center in Dearborn.

The HeartNet, invented and manufactured by Paracor Medical Inc., wraps snugly around the heart, increasing its pumping ability and possibly preventing congestive heart failure from advancing by reversing heart enlargement.

"More research is needed, but the HeartNet appears to offer the possibility of not only halting but potentially reversing congestive heart failure," says Robert M. Mentzer Jr., M.D., co-principal investigator of the study and dean of the Wayne State University School of Medicine, one of 30 international sites participating in the trial. "The implant could reduce the need for heart transplants among some patients."

The minimally invasive surgery incorporates an X-ray camera and special implantation tool, requires an incision less than an inch long, and takes about 90 minutes. Patients require a three- to five-day hospital stay, much shorter than that for traditional openheart surgery.

THE FUTURE OF MEDICAL EDUCATION COMES TO LIFE

by Cathy Nelson Photos by Daniel Lippitt

The patient"s chest slowly moves up and down while wires lead to monitors that measure blood pressure, respiratory rate and other vital signs. Suddenly, a loud beep indicates a code situation, leaving the OR team scrambling to figure out what"s wrong and make it right before it"s too late.

Luckily, in this instance, the only outcome will be a lesson learned. That"s because in this operating room, known as the OR Team Training Simulator, the patient is not human but is a lifelike SimMan who can mimic real emergency situations, such as a heart attack and respiratory failure. It"s all part of Detroit"s Henry Ford Center for Simulation, Education and Research, a new 12,000-square-foot facility at Henry Ford Hospital in Detroit that prepares current and future doctors, nurses and health-care professionals for the many situations they"ll face in real life.

The center, the largest of its kind in the Midwest, has simulators for birthing, trauma, endoscopic and laparoscopic procedures, central line placement, and eye, ear, prostate and pelvic exams. It"s the only SIM center in the world where physicians can practice robotic surgery with the Intuitive daVinci system, a futuristic device that allows surgeons to operate on a patient without being in the same room or hospital.

CANCER TREATMENT ENTERS THE 'CYBER" AGE

by Claire Charlton Photo by Ben Weatherston

For some patients who need radiation treatment, the CyberKnife Robotic Radiosurgery System at St. Joseph Mercy Hospital in Ann Arbor has radically changed both their treatment and recovery time. The $4-million device noninvasively delivers high-dose radiation with pinpoint accuracy, with minimal damage to healthy tissue. Patients feel no pain, and the procedure is done on an outpatient basis. Doctors say it"s a groundbreaking way to treat spine, lung, prostate, liver and pancreatic cancer, along with non-cancerous or inoperable tumors anywhere in the body.

"We have treated 30 lung cancer patients with CyberKnife, and they don"t have problems breathing after treatment like they might with lung surgery," says Walter M. Sahijdak, M.D., Saint Joseph Mercy Health System radiation oncologist. "And the scans after treatments have shown tremendous results."

More than 500 treatments have taken place at St. Joseph Mercy Hospital since the facility acquired the CyberKnife in June 2007.

BREAKTHROUGH THERAPY OFFERS HOPE IN REDUCING PRETERM DELIVERY

by Claire Charlton Photo by Keith McArthur

Babies born too soon have more than just a difficult start - they can face a lifetime of physical challenges. That"s why a growing number of obstetricians at DMC Hutzel Women"s Hospital in Detroit are using progesterone therapy, a treatment shown to reduce the risk of preterm delivery. Given by injection as early as 16 weeks to at-risk women, progesterone therapy can reduce a mother"s risk of preterm birth by up to 30%.

"There are few more important goals for today"s obstetrician than the prevention of early deliveries and the many difficulties for baby that it creates," says Theodore Jones, M.D., chief of obstetrics for DMC Hutzel Women"s Hospital and director of the Division of Maternal and Fetal Medicine at Wayne State University School of Medicine. "This therapy allows us to help selected women at risk for an early delivery in a meaningful way that benefits mother and baby."

DOCTOR BRINGS WORLD-RENOWNED TRANSPLANT SKILLS TO BEAUMONT

by Claire Charlton Photo by Brett Mountain

Beaumont Hospital in Royal Oak has become the only facility in the world to offer minimally invasive liver transplants, thanks to the naming of Alan Koffron, M.D., as head of its multidisciplinary transplantation program.

Koffron, formerly of Northwestern Memorial Hospital in Chicago, is a pioneer in laparoscopic live-donor liver transplantation. The minimally invasive procedure, first performed in fall 2007, drastically cuts hospital stays and recovery time for donors, making it more economically feasible for those who want to donate. With Koffron on board, Beaumont, a leader in kidney transplants, is offering both liver and multi-organ transplants for the first time.

"Our goal is to provide Michigan patients with the entire spectrum of care for liver disease, from medical care to organ replacement," says Koffron. "I feel privileged to be part of a medical center with such remarkable quality and human spirit."