Henry Ford Allegiance Health in Jackson announced it is the first hospital in south central Michigan to launch a groundbreaking robotic cancer technology that gives physicians greater reach, vision, and control when performing lung biopsies.
“Every year, lung cancer claims more lives than breast, colon and prostate cancers combined. Early detection is key,” says pulmonologist Dr. Anish Wadhwa, who along with thoracic surgeon Dr. Mohan Kulkarni, are the regional physician champions of the new robotic-assisted technology at Henry Ford.
When a physician discovers a small mass or nodule on a patient’s lung, a biopsy is needed to determine whether the mass is cancer. Called a bronchoscopy, the procedure allows a physician to look directly into a patient’s lungs and airways. Lung nodules can be very small and located in hard-to-reach areas of the lung, and therefore hard to reach with manual tools.
The Monarch Robotic-Assisted Bronchoscopy platform provides greater precision and cutting-edge navigation to help the physician reach these small nodules. The physician retains total control but is assisted with the more precise aspects of the procedure.
“The Monarch platform’s advanced robotic technology will not only further elevate the standard of care we offer our patients, but it will also transform our ability to diagnose and treat lung cancer earlier, and as a result, save more lives.”
Henry Ford Allegiance health is a 420-bed health system that complements traditional acute care services with primary and community-based to support patients across the health continuum at every stage of life. It is an acute care hospital in the Henry Ford Health System in Detroit.
