BMI The Clementine Churchill Hospital, which is part of BMI Healthcare, has become the first hospital in the UK to acquire and implement the pioneering new spinal O-Arm Imaging System. The new device represents an investment of £600,000 made into the hospital’s spinal care service and will both improve patient outcomes and the level of complex procedures offered at the hospital.
The O-arm Imaging System provides revolutionary complete multi-dimensional, intra-operative surgical imaging, allowing a spinal surgeon to carry out complex spinal procedures with ease. The O-Arm device provides surgeons with real-time, 3D images, as well as multi-plane, 2D and fluoroscopic imaging of a patient during their operation. Most spinal patients undergo imaging procedures, such as CT scans, MRI and X-rays, before surgery. With this new imaging device, spinal surgeons can view the patient anatomy in the operative position, monitor the status of the surgery and verify surgical changes made during surgery. The ability to obtain live, accurate images during surgery provides a great benefit to the surgeon and the patient and dramatically reduces the risk of complication.
Mr Sean Molloy, a Consultant Orthopaedic & Spinal Surgeon at BMI The Clementine Churchill Hospital trained to use the O-Arm Imaging System in Europe and was the first physician to utilise the new imaging system here in the UK. Mr Molloy explained that placing screws in the spine usually requires estimating the location of the bone with simple X-rays. With the O-Arm system, this accuracy is dramatically improved because of the real-time 3D images provided by the device. The O-Arm images can also be linked to an intra-operative navigation system called the ‘Stealth Station’.
“Using the O-Arm and the Stealth Station together creates a Global Positioning System for the spine. During the surgery I am able to view a monitor and ensure the placements of screws in the spine are perfect every time,” Mr Molloy commented. The greater accuracy afforded by the O-Arms’ imaging capability in theatre, means the procedure is less invasive, faster, with quicker recovery times and improved patient outcomes.
Before the procedure is completed, the O-Arm can also generate a final 3D CT scan of the spine to check the position of the hardware. In less than 30 seconds, it takes almost 400 images, which are reconstructed on a flat panel monitor for the patient’s surgeon to review. “These images provide immediate confirmation that the hardware has been positioned in its optimal location, before the patient leaves the operating room,” Mr Molloy concluded.
Jan Hale, Executive Director at BMI The Clementine Churchill Hospital commented, “The addition of the O-Arm Imaging System at BMI The Clementine Churchill Hospital demonstrates our commitment to cutting-edge surgical technology that benefits all our spinal patients. We already have some of the finest consultants in this field practising at BMI The Clementine Churchill and we are confident this new investment will allow us to continue expanding the level of complex procedures at our hospital whilst also improving the outcomes and level of care available to our patients”.
For further information contact:
Richard Morgan
richard.morgan@bmihealthcare.co.uk
07590 418 514
About BMI The Clementine Churchill Hospital
1. BMI The Clementine Churchill Hospital provides services to adults and children from birth to age 16.
2. The hospital has 141 beds with all rooms offering the privacy and comfort of en-suite facilities, satellite TV, Wi-Fi and telephone.
3. The hospital has five theatres, an endoscopy suite, a level III Intensive Care unit and offers a self-pay, walk-in 8am - 10pm Emergency Care Centre.
4. These facilities, combined with the latest in technology and on-site support services, enable our consultants to undertake a wide range of procedures from routine investigations to complex surgery
For more information about BMI The Clementine Churchill Hospital, please visit: www.bmihealthcare.co.uk/cch
About BMI Healthcare
1. BMI Healthcare is the UK’s largest private hospital group with more than 70 hospitals and healthcare facilities throughout country
2. More than 7,000 consultants choose to practice at BMI hospitals, which collectively handle over 1.25 million patient visits each year
3. BMI Healthcare focuses on clinical excellence, quality of service and efficiency, and have a deserved reputation in the independent health care sector for consistent achievement of these values
For more information about BMI Healthcare hospitals, please visit: www.bmihealthcare.co.uk
