2018
TRIUMPH
A SPECIAL EDITION OF ADENA TODAY! CELEBRATING TECHNOLOGICAL ADVANCES IN HEALTH CARE
4 Robotic Precision for Knee Replacement
7 A Hot, New
Nonsurgical Treatment for Enlarged Prostate
8 Smart Technology for Assessing Brain Injuries
10 The Art and
Science of da Vinci Robotic Surgery
13 Using the Body’s
Immune System to Battle Cancer
HIGH-TECH
14 Beaming Health
HEALTH
Care Across Ohio
Department of: Adena Regional Medical Center
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Revolutionary advancements in health care mean better treatment, often with faster results adena.org I N N O VAT I V E T R E AT M E N T S C LO S E TO H O M E
TECHNOLOGY
ON THE GO
HEALTH TECH How to use personal technology to enhance your health
New Diabetes Technology If you’ve resisted using an insulin pump because they’re bulky or complicated, this is the time to reconsider. Here are three reasons Adena Certified Nurse Practitioner Kristin Newkirk thinks you should take a second look at insulin pumps now. They’re smaller than ever. The Tandem t:slim X2 pump is just 3 inches wide, 2 inches tall, and half an inch thick. So, you never have to worry about it ruining an outfit.
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They integrate with technology you’re already using. Omnipod’s DASH Insulin Management System connects to your mobile device via Bluetooth so you can access your glucose data and share it with others, like your physician.
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They can auto-adjust insulin levels. Medtronic’s new MiniMed 670G for people with type 1 diabetes monitors glucose levels and automatically delivers insulin to keep sugars in the healthy range.
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LOSING the Lead Traditional pacemakers, devices implanted in the chest to help regulate abnormal heart rhythms, consist of a power source with wires (leads) that attach to the heart. While the idea of leadless pacemakers was introduced back in 1970, the FDA just recently approved the world’s first selfcontained device.
size actual
The Micra transcatheter pacing system is now being used to treat slow heart rate in patients who require a ventricular pacemaker. The Micra is small — about the size of a large vitamin capsule — and can be implanted using a catheter instead of surgery. The device is not visible once implanted, and it eliminates complications associated with leads, including lead fracture and lead insulation breakage. The Micra battery lasts an average of 12 years, at which time a new device can be inserted.
Find Your App-y Place? Smartphone apps may be the future of mental health intervention. A recent study published by Psychiatric Services found them to be just as effective as group therapy for people with serious mental illness, including schizophrenia, bipolar disorder, and major depressive disorder. But patients were even more likely to stick to an eight-week mobile intervention program that included contact with a mobile health specialist, as compared with clinic-based group therapy.
adena.org | Adena Health System
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SWEET
Emergency Assistance on Your Wrist In an emergency, you can use your smartwatch to: Call 911. If you fall or get into a collision and can’t reach your phone, don’t panic. Many smartwatches have an SOS feature — on an Apple Watch it’s activated by pressing and holding the side button — that will directly connect you to emergency services, as long as you’re in range of your smartphone. Relay information to first responders. Program your vital health information into your smartphone to give first responders your name, date of birth, blood type, chronic conditions, and more. The info should automatically sync with your watch. Help you perform CPR. First-aid apps can tell you how fast to perform compressions and let you know if you’re pressing hard enough. They’ve proven to be more effective than phone applications because of the physical feedback they provide.
Goodbye Logins,
Read and
WATCH MORE HELLO HEALOW 318K Use your smartphone or tablet to get even more content from Triumph. As you read through this magazine, you’ll see this symbol on some of the pages:
Looking for a simpler way to view your health records and communicate with your Adena physician electronically? Patients using an Adena provider’s office patient portal can access their records through the easy-to-use Healow app. With the app, you can get lab results, make appointments, review doctors’ notes, request prescription refills, and message clinic staff. Best of all, after you log in once and set up a four-digit PIN, you’ll never have to type your password again.
There are more than 318,000 health apps available across top app stores, and 200 are being added every day.
This symbol stands for augmented reality. By downloading the free Layar app and scanning the pages where you see this symbol, you can view enriched, digital content like videos, infographics, and quizzes! Here’s how to do it:
› Download the free Layar app in your app store. To download, you don’t provide any personal information and Adena Health System does not collect any information without your permission.
› When you see the
icon on a page, open your Layar app and scan the page.
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› When the interactive version
of the page appears on your device, tap the screen to unlock the extra content.
› Enjoy an enhanced digital experience!
Scanning tips:
› Make sure you’re scanning the entire page.
› Make sure there is enough light on the page.
› C heck for glare — change your angle or position as needed.
›U se the pop-out button to take your device away from the page without losing the content.
› I f you’re having trouble
scanning the page, move the device back a bit from the page.
Look for augmented reality offers on pages 4, 6, 7, 9, and 10.
TRIUMPH, a special edition of Adena Today! | 2018
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TECHNOLOGY
ORTHOPEDICS
A NEW JOINT
A tech-driven robotic system is making knee and hip replacements more
He consulted with Adena Bone and Joint Center orthopedic surgeon Brian Cohen, MD, who told him about Mako robotic surgery and the Triathlon knee implant, a joint replacement that can be custom-fit to patient anatomy. “I felt like I was in good hands with Dr. Cohen,” Cosby says.
Triathlon knee implant
His road to a new knee started like all journeys do — with a “road map.” Mako patients get an initial CT scan of their knee, which is then “mapped” by software to give the surgeon a 3-D virtual image of the joint. “It’s a patientspecific sizing of knee implant surgery,” Cohen says. Cohen is frequently asked by patients whether it’s him or the robotic arm that’s actually performing the surgery. “I still do the operation. It’s not like I press a button and the robot does the surgery. I tell the machine to do what I want it to do, and the robotic technology adds precision,” says Cohen, who says Adena is a leading — if not the leading — Mako surgery center in Ohio.
IN WITH THE NEW An orthopedic surgeon for nearly 20 years, Cohen has seen firsthand the evolution of knee surgery. “When we perform knee replacement surgery with manual instruments, we still need to be able to understand the patient’s alignment. This is done by drilling a hole in the Dr. Brian Cohen center of the tibia or femur and sticking a metal rod up the bone to figure out the alignment. With Mako, we don’t have to make the intrusive entry into the bone canal,” Cohen says. “There’s less risk and less surgical trauma. We’re still cutting bone, but we’re more accurate,” he says. “There’s less pain, less time in the hospital, and better progress with recovery.” Of course, CT scans don’t detect every anatomical nuance. The Mako technology allows surgeons to make computer — and, therefore, cutting or placement — adjustments on the fly. “It’s like an intraoperative plan developing before your very eyes,” Cohen says, noting that during surgery, if he thinks that cutting an additional 1 millimeter of bone would help the implant fit better, he can program a 1 millimeter into the computer to check results before ever making a cut. “With Mako, 1 millimeter is 1 millimeter. It is 100 percent accurate every time.” As for Cosby? He is back to an active lifestyle and grateful he could have surgery so close to home. “The convenience of Adena was important to me — staying local and having the technology to do so,” he says. “I couldn’t be happier with the way it turned out.”
250 2 1
Mako joint replacements at Adena since November 2017
WATCH
Rob Cosby's story on video by scanning his picture on your phone's Layar app. See instructions on Page 3.
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Number of Mako robots at Adena
Number of millimeters that a surgeon can adjust with the Mako to achieve near-perfect alignment adena.org | Adena Health System
PHOTOS ON SPREAD: TECHNICAL IMAGES ©STRYKER; RULER ©ISTOCKPHOTO.COM/JANGELTUN
With a one-two punch of ACL damage and arthritis in his knee, Rob Cosby wasn’t just walking with a limp. The 43-year-old Ross County resident was living with a limp.
in Town
See how it works
precise with less pain
What’s in a Knee? Diseased Knee
The largest joint in the body, knees take the brunt of our daily activities, including walking, kneeling, and twisting. When damage causes pain, total or partial joint replacement can help you return to pain-free movement.
Implanted Knee
Cartilage is a smooth shockabsorbing lining that covers the ends of your femur and tibia bones so they don't rub against each other. Osteoarthritis causes the cartilage to wear out, which damages the joint. During knee replacement surgery, arthritic bone and cartilage are removed. The damaged bone and cartilage are replaced with precisely sized implants made of metal alloys and high-grade plastics. Triathlon single-radius knees are designed to work with the body to promote natural, circular motion.
When Millimeters Count
TRIUMPH, a special edition of Adena Today! | 2018
During Mako joint replacement, the surgeon can reposition the implant 1 mm at a time to align it as precisely as possible with your unique anatomy. Better alignment means less pain and better wear over time.
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TECHNOLOGY
HOW IT WORKS
How It Works A Mako joint replacement starts with a simple CT scan. This helps create the precise, preoperative plan for your hip or knee replacement surgery.
Here’s how: 1. CT scan reveals a 3-D model A series of X-rays taken at different angles generates a virtual 3-D model of the unique anatomy of your knee or hip joint.
CT Scan
2. Mako system creates a surgical plan
The 3-D model of your knee is uploaded to the Mako system software, which generates a “mapping system” for your surgeon to follow. Think of this as a personalized preoperative plan.
3. In the operating room
Before removing any diseased cartilage, your doctor matches key points on your bone to those points on your CT scan. Decisions can be made about alignment before a single cut is made.
Surgical Plan
4. Robotic-assisted surgery
Using the Mako surgical arm, the surgeon removes arthritic cartilage. A virtual boundary provides tactile resistance to prevent removal of more bone than is needed for implant placement.
5. New joint is fitted into place
With the diseased bone gone, a custom knee or hip joint is inserted. The Mako system allows your surgeon to make adjustments to your plan during surgery as needed.
Operating Room Matching
THE RIGHT TIME?
Schedule a consultation with Adena Bone and Joint Center today. Call 740-779-4598 or visit adena.org/ortho. 6
adena.org | Adena Health System
PHOTOS: TECHNICAL IMAGES ©STRYKER
When's the right time for a knee replacement? If you have a damaged knee that needs replacing, you don't want surgery before it's time, but waiting too long has consequences, too. Scan this page with your Layar app to learn more and take a quiz on when is the right time. See instructions on Page 3.
TECHNOLOGY
M E N ' S H E A LT H
Treatment
A new way to treat enlarged prostate
About half of all men over 50 experience some symptoms related to benign prostatic
hyperplasia (BPH), or an enlarged prostate — including increased urgency to urinate throughout the day and frequent urination at night. Now, a new procedure called Rezum offers an alternative to the side effects of medications and surgery. Matthew Christian, MD, a urologist at Adena Health System, answers some common questions about the new procedure. Dr. Matthew Christian
Q: Who’s a good candidate for Rezum? A: A patient with bothersome urinary symptoms who’s not satisfied with oral medications and wants a more definitive treatment is a good candidate. I usually offer Rezum or one of the operative options. It’s an alternative for patients who do not want surgery.
A: We start by doing an ultrasound of the prostate to get an idea of the size of the gland. Then, we inject an anesthetic to provide a bit of comfort. A scope is placed down the urethra, and a small needle sends nine-second bursts of steam to the prostate. Once that’s done, the scope is removed. The patient will need to wear a catheter, which can be removed after a few days.
Q: What’s new about it?
Q: How quickly do patients recover?
A: Urologists have been doing procedures like this for many years using other energy sources, like microwave therapy and radiofrequency energy. The new part is the energy used. Rezum uses vapor or steam, which disperses through the prostate tissue, causing it to recede, opening a channel that makes urination much easier.
A: In reality, I advise patients that they may experience some burning with urination, blood in the urine, or urgency for up to three or four weeks. After that, they’ll begin to notice improvement.
Q: Is it true that it can be performed in your office? PHOTO: ©ISTOCKPHOTO.COM/KUPPA_ROCK PHOTO: FOOD © VIKTOR — STOCK.ADOBE.COM
Q: Can you describe the procedure?
A: Yes, it’s a clinic-based procedure. A patient can literally drive himself to our office to have the treatment, which only takes a few minutes.
TRIUMPH, a special edition of Adena Today! | 2018
Q: What about long-term results? A: The good news is that patients note durable improvement in urine flow and reduction in bothersome urinary symptoms for years.
To Test or Not? A blood test called prostate-specific antigen (PSA) can detect enlarged prostate and prostate cancer. Learn more about the test and whether you should get it by scanning this page with your Layar app. See Page 3 for instructions.
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CONCUSSION CARE
MINDING Your Brain
A 3-Test Toolkit For the majority of concussions, a blow to the head forces the brain to hit the side of the skull. That impact causes injury to the sections of the brain connected with lower body function, making subsequent injuries there more common. It also results in impaired concentration, cognitive function, and balance; and symptoms such as headache, nausea, and dizziness.
Discover how a new suite of tests being used to treat brain injuries, can also assess brain health and wellness across the life span
We monitor our blood pressure, glucose, cholesterol, and bone density. But what about our brain health? ClearEdge is a new suite of tests being used at Adena Health System to monitor brain health, and to determine brain injuries. This testing could eventually become a routine part of preventive care to assess and track overall brain health. Here’s how ClearEdge testing is being used at Adena, and what the future may hold.
ClearEdge testing uses three main components to create a baseline for brain health:
1. Cognitive. Three tests are
performed on a tablet to assess reaction time in different ways. At the end, the first test is repeated. “With this type of mental fatigue, people with concussions tend to do worse and their score decreases,” Roberts says.
Seeing the Bigger Picture
The ClearEdge toolkit includes three tests — cognitive, balance, and symptom Dr. Aaron Roberts questionnaires. This testing is used to establish a baseline of brain health and to gather data used to evaluate it later as needed. (See infographic at right for more details.) Aaron Roberts, MD, a nonoperative sports medicine physician at Adena, began using ClearEdge as a component of treatment for sports-related concussions in September 2017. He’s since expanded its use help evaluate individuals who’ve sustained brain injuries on the job and in motor vehicle and other types of accidents.
2. Balance. Athletes who’ve
sustained a concussion are at a 50 percent greater risk for injuries of the lower extremities. This can result in loss of additional practice and/or playing time later on, so testing movement and balance is a critical part of post-concussion care. ClearEdge uses a small box with a 250 Hz/second sensor that can detect minor changes related to balance.
Weeding Out Cheating
While a few studies have shown some athletes can “sandbag” other concussion tests to achieve a lower baseline score that’s easier to replicate if they’re injured later on, ClearEdge detects more subtleties, and it doesn’t allow the athlete to “game” the system on the cognitive or the balance portions. “If you miss too many, you’ll receive a ‘too many errors’ message and have to retake it,” Roberts says.
Picking Up Subtleties
Providing Reliable Results
Having a definitive answer for a young athlete who is anxious to return to play is also reassuring. “The testing provides a report that the physician can share with the individual or parent with objective data,” he says. “You’re either back to your baseline or you’re not. And if you’re not, you’re not ready to return to play (or work).”
Protecting Your Brain for Life
ClearEdge is approved for ages 5 and up. Roberts is hoping to integrate the testing into care across patients’ life span, such as in well visits for youth and adults to evaluate conditions and impairment from ADHD, depression, occupational injuries, PTSD, and dementia.
3. Symptom questionnaires PHOTOS ON SPREAD: SCALE ©CLEAREDGE & QUADRANT; BRAIN ©ISTOCKPHOTO.COM/YODIYIM
In his first year using ClearEdge, Roberts says he’s learned a great deal. “I’ve been in my sports medicine practice for 10 years, and already had a lot of experience picking up on slight changes I’d see in patients with a concussion. But seeing the subtle balance changes with this testing — especially during the recovery process — has been eye-opening,” he says.
assess factors such as irritability, sleepiness, personality changes, fogginess, and light and sound sensitivity — and provide the ability to track them. If an individual wasn’t tested prior to injury, he can be tested afterward and use the results as “reverse baseline,” which is tracked through his recovery.
PHOTOS: COUPLE ©ISTOCKPHOTOT.COM/KEATING; WOMAN © RIDO — STOCK.ADOBE.COM
TECHNOLOGY
The rate of brain injuries in adults over age 75 has risen 76 percent since 2007, primarily due to falls.
Adena’s Concussion Research Roberts and his patients are part of a study being conducted by the company responsible for ClearEdge to help develop a saliva-based concussion test. “The goal is to be able to swab your mouth and put it through a DNA or RNA sequencer and detect eight different strands of micro-RNA that show a correlation with the markers of a concussion,” he says.
One type of technology to avoid after a concussion is your smartphone or tablet. The pixel refresh rate of LCD screens can cause detrimental eyestrain.
In addition, ClearEdge is also hoping to test these markers to determine if certain individuals might be more likely to take longer to heal from a concussion. “They want to drill down further, and we’re one of the sites participating in their study.”
G-force measures acceleration against the earth’s gravitational pull. Most concussions deliver 95g upon impact. Compare that to a shuttle launch that creates only 3g or a roll in an F-16 fighter jet at 9g!
See Testing in Action
To watch a video on how ClearEdge concussion testing works, scan this page with your Layar app. See Page 3 for instructions.
ClearEdge testing BEFORE a concussion sets a baseline for comparison if your child takes a hit. Learn more and schedule a test at adena.org/concussion. 9
TECHNOLOGY
ROBOTIC SURGERY
PRECISION Instrument Accuracy is everything with the da Vinci Surgical System
WATCH
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Paul Blankenship's story on video by scanning this page with your phone's Layar app. See instructions on Page 3.
Paul Blankenship has played guitar since high school. But it was a different instrument — the da Vinci Surgical System — that changed his life at 59 years old. In 2012, Blankenship was diagnosed with prostate cancer. After reviewing his treatment options, he settled on surgery. The procedure would mean having to take two months off work to recover, and an 8-inch incision. However, he felt it was the superior choice to chemotherapy and radiation. A few weeks after scheduling his surgery, Blankenship received a call from his urologist saying Adena Health System had recently acquired a da Vinci Surgical System. Would he be interested in having his prostatectomy performed robotically? It would mean smaller incisions, less pain, and a shorter recovery time. And while he would be only the second person to have a prostatectomy at Adena using the surgical robot, he wasn’t worried. “I don’t remember having a whole lot of apprehension about it,” Blankenship says. “The technology was new to Adena, but I knew surgeons in major cities like New York and LA had been using it for a while. I was more apprehensive about having cancer and not getting rid of it than I was of the surgery.”
The Surgical Robot Explained Blankenship’s surgeon, Adam Esham, MD, assured him that he would be in control of the robot the entire time. It’s a general misconception that robotic surgery means the machine is performing the surgery when in fact, the robot is really just an extension of the surgeon’s hands.
Adena Acquires 2 New Surgical Robots Earlier this year, Adena Health System added the da Vinci X and da Vinci Xi surgical systems to its family of robotic technology. The da Vinci Xi is optimized for larger, more complex surgeries, whereas the da Vinci X is ideal for simpler procedures, such as prostatectomy, hysterectomy, and hernia repair. Adena surgeon Christin Spahn, MD, says she’s impressed by the hospital’s dedication to keeping up with technological advances. “A lot of hospitals don’t even have a robot, and we’ve already upgraded ours,” she says. “And it’s not just the da Vinci. The hospital is consistently updating our equipment, getting newer and better technology in the operating rooms throughout.”
See how it works
“I wish they would have named it Henry or something else that wasn’t ‘robot,’ because I think it gives people the wrong idea,” says Adena surgeon Christin Spahn, MD. “People think we hook them up to the robot and walk away, but that’s not the case at all. The robot, really, is just a fancy tool that allows us to perform surgery with fewer limitations.” Using the da Vinci, surgeons like Spahn are able to access parts of the body that would be otherwise difficult or impossible to reach through traditional or even other minimally invasive means. Unlike traditional and laparoscopic surgical tools, da Vinci’s instruments are “wristed” or angled near the ends, much like the human hand. They also can rotate 360 degrees, giving surgeons more dexterity and better control than they Dr. Christin Spahn have on their own. That precision is what allows surgeons to perform the same procedures through incisions less than 1 inch, as compared with one larger incision. The smaller incisions mean less bleeding, a lower risk of infection, and faster recovery times.
PHOTOS ON SPREAD: GUITAR ©MARK LYONS; DA VINCI ©INTUITIVE SURGICAL
Easier on the Patient Blankenship was relieved he didn’t have a great deal of pain following surgery, and he barely touched the pain medication he was prescribed. “I think I took three pills and then switched to Advil,” he says. Blankenship returned to work after four weeks, rather than the eight he’d planned to take off when he scheduled the traditional surgery. Of course, it was getting back on stage that gave him the most joy. “As a musician, I’d have to say the hardest part was having to take a few weeks off from performing,” he says. But thanks to Adena’s precision instrument, Blankenship is back onstage with his guitar. This time, cancer-free. TRIUMPH, a special edition of Adena Today! | 2018
1 mm Acceptable margins of error for indirect, image-guided surgery range from 3 to 5 millimeters; da Vinci’s margin of error is 1 millimeter.
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TECHNOLOGY
HOW IT WORKS
Meet da Vinci The da Vinci Surgical System may not look like your typical robot. But it’s optimized for safe, precise surgery. Although the da Vinci Surgical System is often referred to as a “robot,” it cannot act on its own. The system is controlled by a surgeon, who sits at a console about 5 feet away from the patient.
A 3-D, high-definition monitor with 10x magnification gives surgeons an immersive view of the surgical site and access to areas they wouldn’t be able to see with the naked eye during open surgery.
The da Vinci system comes equipped with microsurgical instruments that are inserted into the body through incisions measuring just 1 to 2 centimeters in length. The system also has built-in tremor control to neutralize any extraneous movements made by the surgeon.
The da Vinci “hands” can rotate 360 degrees, giving surgeons access to parts of the body unreachable with traditional surgery. The precision provided by the robotic hands also allows surgeons to make much tinier incisions and sutures.
Conditions Treated With da Vinci Gallbladder stones GERD (gastroesophageal reflux disease) G ynecological problems, including fibroids, heavy
uterine bleeding, endometriosis, and uterine and vaginal prolapse Hiatal and incisional hernia U rological problems, including blockages and enlarged prostate V arious cancers, including prostate, colorectal, bladder, ovarian, cervical, lung, and kidney
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Download a Robotic Surgery e-Guide
ROBOTIC PREC ISION. HUMAN COMPA SSION. Find out how rob
otic surgery can
help you.
Find a surgeon, attend a class, or learn more at
adena.org/rob
ot
Still have questions about the da Vinci Surgical System and whether or not robotic surgery is right for you? Download your free guide to learn more today. Visit adena.org/robot. or by calling 877-779-7585.
adena.org | Adena Health System
PHOTOS: ©INTUITIVE SURGICAL
Kidney disorders
TECHNOLOGY
C A N C E R T R E AT M E N T
Natural Defenses
Immunotherapy uses the body’s own technology to fight cancer The immune system has a remarkable ability to protect you from countless bacteria, viruses, and other infections. Cancer, however, is a different story.
Dr. Jeffrey Rose
“There are certain switches in cancer cells that have been turned on or off to make your body’s immune system unable to fight the cancer, or the cancer cell resistant to its defenses,” says Adena Cancer Center oncologist Jeffrey Rose, MD.
Instead of using chemotherapy chemicals to kill cancer cells or radiation to shrink them, a new treatment called immunotherapy stimulates the body’s own immune system to battle the cancer.
3 Main Types
of Immunotherapy Drugs and How They Work: Monoclonal antibodies are proteins that
attach to certain proteins in cancer cells, marking where the immune system should attack.
Checkpoint inhibitors block a protein on cancer cells that stop the immune system from attacking.
PHOTOS: CELL ©ISTOCKPHOTO.COM/BLACKJACK3D; MICROSCOPE ©ISTOCKPHOTO.COM/ELENASEYCHELLES
Vaccines made up of cancer cells, partial
cancer cells, or antigens enhance the immune system so it can attack cancer cells.
Take a free online cancer assessment at adena.org/ services/page.dT/findout.
TRIUMPH, a special edition of Adena Today! | 2018
Fewer Side Effects
A Long History More than 100 years ago, doctors noticed that some cancer patients went into remission after having a fever from an infection. That led to research on how to use the body’s own immune system to fight cancer. The first time immunotherapy was thought to be used was in the 1890s. Modern immunotherapy was first approved to treat lymphoma and breast cancer in the late 1990s.
Immunotherapy drugs developed in the past five or six years are more effective and have significantly fewer side effects than older counterparts. Today, the most common side effects are skin irritation and itching. Endocrine function has to be closely monitored as well.
2-4 Weeks Immunotherapy drugs are administered through an IV in an oncology office once every two to four weeks.
900+
Number of immunotherapy clinical trials currently underway.
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TECHNOLOGY
T E L E H E A LT H
HEALTH Hits Dale Hodson, an 85-year-old with a history of diabetes, had wounds on his left leg caused by bacteria that weren’t responding to oral antibiotics. “The wounds were really bad,” says his son, Ike Hodson. “At the hospital, they said that if they didn’t get the wounds healed up, he could lose his leg.” Dale received IV antibiotics in the hospital that began to help, but close medical follow-up was critical. He began seeing Tri Le, MD, a wound care doctor at Adena Greenfield Medical Center’s Wound Care Department. When Le was in Greenfield, he would see Dale, but he spends most of his clinic time in Circleville — 45 minutes away.
Telehealth to the Rescue Thanks to an innovative technology program at Adena, Le and other physicians can now “visit” and examine patients like Dale from afar via two-way video.
Average travel cost savings for patients who used telehealth visits for a single consultation, in a study conducted by the University of California Davis Health System.
PROVEN to
Improve Outcomes Studies have demonstrated telemedicine’s clinical efficacy 14
Le treated Dale’s leg wounds with specific antibiotics and dressings, and checked in with him regularly. Le kept an eye on the situation — sometimes in person, sometimes via telehealth — and made any needed adjustments. Le believes that face-to-face appointments are crucial, but says telehealth has great value. “In a supplementary role, it’s a vital tool for a rural setting,” he says. “It offers an opportunity for closer follow-up and to coordinate care with your team, the family, and your patient.” Ike says it felt as if Le was right there in the room. “When he’s there, he kneels down beside Dad in his wheelchair and says, ‘Dale, do you have any questions?’” Ike says. “He would do the same thing on the computer. He would say, ‘Now Dale, do you have any questions for me? Does anybody else have any questions?’”
Remotely Monitored Heart Failure Patients
44%
72%
DECREASE
DECREASE
Number of Hospitalizations
Total Hospital Charges adena.org | Adena Health System
PHOTOS: MAP ©ISTOCKPHOTO.COM/OMERSUKRUGOKSU; TELEHEALTH ©MARK LYONS
$156
“My nurse calls me through a secure internal communication system and a viewing box pops up on my end,” Le explains. “She adjusts the camera to focus on the wound, and I perform my assessment. The patient has consented prior to the encounter, and everything is confidential.”
the Road
Adena Health System uses technology to help doctors reach more patients virtually and keep them healthier
Telehealth allows Dale Hodson (right) to be seen by his doctor close to home where his wife, Jean, and their son, Ike, can accompany him.
Adena’s Reach
25%
DECREASE Number of Preterm Deliveries
TRIUMPH, a special edition of Adena Today! | 2018
Sepsis
50%
Source: Net Motion Wireless
High-Risk Pregnancy
DECREASE Mortality
15
Adena uses telehealth to reach patients across southern central Ohio as well as connect patients to specialists in other cities. Adena neurologists who are treating stroke patients, for example, can videoconference with physicians at The Ohio State University Wexner Medical Center when seeking a second expert opinion. And fragile babies born at Adena Regional Medical Center can receive clinical assessments from specialists at Nationwide Children’s Hospital.
Non-Profit Organization U.S. Postage
PAID
Chillicothe, OH Permit No. 143
Primary logo
4435 State Route 159 Chillicothe, OH 45601
The logo is the foundation of the Adena visual brand identity. Its consistent application according to the following specifications is essential because consistency helps build awareness.
Always use approved master art for the logo – never recreate it yourself.
- The strongest protection we can give our logo is to use it consistently and correctly.
Variations in use, or the absence of standards, will eventually cause confusion and loss of recognition in the public arena. With proper and prominent use, the Adena logo can achieve a strength and permanence that will serve our company well into the future. In the eyes of our patients and potential patients, the logo builds awareness and recognition. This is why it is so crucial that we use our logo consistently and appropriately in all of our communications.
On the HORIZON Technology is touching nearly every area of health care, helping make advances that were never possible before. Here are three high-tech developments:
3.0 adena logo and IdenTITY elemenTs 03.04.2010 - v.1
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Printing New Possibilities First developed for prototyping products, 3-D printing uses a computer model that is sent to a printer that lays down very thin layers of material — generally a plastic or polymer — to form a three-dimensional object. Biomedical engineers are using the technology to combine biomaterials, cells, and growth factors to create bone scaffolds, artificial skin and cartilage, vascular tissue to replace veins and arteries, and even organs.
The Body Electric The human body has a complex electric “wiring” system, and a newer area of research called bioelectric medicine is working on harnessing the system to control pain and healing. One application is focused on using an implantable device to stimulate the vagus nerve, which coordinates bodily functions, including breathing and your immune system, to control the body’s inflammatory reflex in people with rheumatoid arthritis and Crohn’s disease. In studies, patients with the implant reduced or eliminated their need for pain medication.
Swallowing a ‘Star’ If you have a chronic condition, like asthma or high blood pressure, that requires you to take daily medications, you know it can be a pain. Researchers at Brigham and Women’s Hospital and MIT are developing a single-pill solution that could allow you to take the drug just once a week or once a month. The capsule expands and unfurls in the stomach into the shape of a star, which prevents it from moving on into the small intestine. Instead, it stays in place and slowly releases predetermined doses of the drug over time.
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A 3-D printed femur with biomaterial can support 150 pounds.
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The vagus nerve contains up to 100,000 nerve fibers that act like telephone wires to carry sensory information to the brain.
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More than half of people taking prescription drugs regularly forget to take them on time.