techtalk
I Spy Blood Supply
Dr. Todd Lefkowitz using the Spy Elite® System in the Lexington Medical Center Surgery Department.
Inside Lexington Medical Center, state-of-the-art technology is taking reconstructive surgery to another level.
Dye injected into a patient’s bloodstream illuminates tissue with strong blood supply.
In 2011, LifeCell™, a biotechnology company that focuses on tissue grafts and blood cell preservation products, developed the SPY Elite® System to help surgeons assess tissue perfusion during plastic, reconstructive and microsurgery by using infrared light. “The SPY enables surgeons to see a tissue’s blood supply and decide whether there is enough to use that tissue for reconstruction. If there isn’t, the surgeon can determine if a different plan of action is needed,” said Todd Lefkowitz, MD, a plastic surgeon at Lexington Plastic Surgery. According to Dr. Lefkowitz, the
arrangement and rearrangement of tissue is the heart of plastic surgery. “This non-invasive technology takes what we do to the next level. Blood supply is our lifeline to success in reconstructive surgery.” The SPY Elite System offers a fast and accurate assessment of blood supply to tissue during surgery, providing real-time information needed to modify surgical plans before the patient leaves the operating room. The system complements clinical judgment and aids surgical decision-making by visualizing tissue perfusion throughout a procedure.
Tissue with no blood supply remains dark.
For more information, visit the Lexington Medical Center health information library at LexMed.com.
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House Call March 2013
“The biggest benefit for the SPY Elite System, depending on its use, is the optimization of a patient’s surgical plan,” said Dr. Lefkowitz. And while this technology is new to Lexington Medical Center, it isn’t new to Dr. Lefkowitz. He began using the SPY Elite during his training at the University of Louisville Hospital in Kentucky. “During my training, we were one of the first institutions in the world to use the SPY Elite and I saw its effectiveness firsthand. The SPY doesn’t lie,” he said. Lexington Medical Center is the only hospital in the Midlands with this technology.
Todd S. Lefkowitz, MD Medical School: Medical University of South Carolina, Charleston, SC A Lexington Medical Center Physician Practice
2728 Sunset Boulevard, Suite 105 West Columbia, SC 29169 (803) 936-7045 • LexPlasticSurgery.com
Residency: St. Vincent’s Hospital and Medical Center, General Surgery; University of Louisville Hospital, Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery Fellowship: Lenox Hill Hospital, Aesthetic Plastic Surgery