New Technology Reduces Radiation and Enhances Patient Safety in Spinal Procedures
As hospitals around the world look for new and innovative ways to 
improve surgical outcomes and patient safety, St. Joseph Medical Center has taken a leap into the future with the installation the 7D Surgical FLASH™ Navigation System for spinal procedures by being the first hospital in Kansas City region to deploy the technology. This system virtually replaces standard fluoroscopy, providing the surgical team with a fast, accurate and radiation-free tool for the placement of spinal implants.
“St. Joseph Medical Center has always been proactive in ensuring that we have the right tools to protect our patients and enhance patient care, which is why we supported the purchase of the 7D Surgical FLASH Navigation System,” said Jodi Fincher RN, BSN, MBA, CCRN-K, FABC, Chief Executive Officer, St. Joseph Medical Center. “This investment is important and underscores our commitment to patient care and the communities we serve.”
The 7D Surgical FLASH Navigation System is the first and only platform that utilizes Machine-Vision Image Guided Surgery (MvIGS) technology. For the first-time, spine surgeons can guide their tools to the critical anatomy using sophisticated camera technology linked to a computer in the operating theater. The underlying technology is similar to what is used in the latest self-driving automobiles. Unlike time-consuming conventional image guided surgery (IGS) systems that depend on intraoperative radiation, this new MvIGS technology can achieve an incredibly fast surgical workflow for spine procedures, reducing operative time for patients and eliminating unnecessary radiation exposure.
“As a spinal surgeon, the 7D technology provides me with game-changing information, allowing me to place hardware in the spine safely and accurately while minimizing surgical dissection – all because I can clearly see the entire anatomy in 3D,” said William S. Rosenberg, MD, neurosurgeon at St. Joseph Medical Center. “I am proud to be able to offer my patients the very latest technology in spine surgery while eliminating the unnecessary radiation still used in many hospitals.”