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A great community newspaper
VOL. 6 NO. 29
July 16, 2012
Robo-Doc
IN THIS ISSUE
Life
Steppin’ out Knoxville Mayor Madeline Rogero will lead Knoxville area seniors in the Walk with Walgreens senior center competition.
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See the special section inside
Caroline Combs-Young of Comfort Keepers is guided through the daVinci surgical system by Dr. Sudha Nair.
Tennova showcases robotic surgery By Sherri Gardner Howell
Two Byrds in the hall of fame Marvin West has known good guy Ben Byrd, former Journal sportswriter and editor, for 60 years. He’s known son Rick since Rick was 8, playing biddy basketball at old Knox High. Marvin was the referee and says nobody in the Byrd family ever yelled at him. In August, son will join father in the Greater Knoxville Sports Hall of Fame.
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See Marvin’s story on page A-5
Boyd’s drive One dollar an hour seemed like a pretty good wage to an 8-year-old Randy Boyd. Working on the assembly line at his father’s Knoxville manufacturing company, the young Boyd didn’t realize he was learning much more than he was earning. ...
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See page A-3
Index Business A2 Sherri Gardner Howell A3 Government/Politics A4 Betty Bean & Marvin West A5 Town of Farragut A6 Faith A7 Kids A9 Community Calendar A10 Health/Lifestyles Sect B
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There’s a new “doc” on many of the surgical teams at area hospitals, and his bedside manner is very precise. With the moniker of an artist, this “doc” would be more at home in the scientific world than facing a canvas. The “doc” in the spotlight last Thursday at Turkey Creek Medical Center, a Tennova Healthcare property, was the daVinci robotic surgery system. Robotic surgery was showcased, giving media and the community an opportunity to see the latest in robotic surgical techniques and meet some of the doctors who guide the system. Approximately 60 attended the free educational seminar called “Tea and Technology.” Far from a dry lecture, guests were given face-time with the doctors and allowed to try out the robotics, manipulating the robots to do such tasks as peel a grape. Robotic surgery allows doctors to do some of the same surgical procedures that once required more invasive surgery in a more delicate fashion, with less pain, less blood loss and faster recovery time. Dr. Greg Glover showed off the daVinci system used at Turkey Creek Medical Center. The robotic machine allows the surgeon to use refined movement and has magnified vision. The machine has been used in several departments in the hospital, including gynecology, urology, bariatrics and general surgery. Dr. Mark MacNaughton demonstrated the MAKOplasty system, which is used for orthopedic surgeries. By using MAKOplasty for partial knee resurfacing, said MacNaughton, the sur-
John Sheringham with Boston Scientific prepares to demonstrate bronchial thermoplasty, a new procedure for severe asthma in adults.
A close up of the daVinci surgical system. Visitors to the showcase were able to use the machine to pick up objects and see the benefits of robotic technology firsthand. Photos by Ruth White geon is able to make smaller incisions and there is less scarring, reduced blood loss and shorter hospital stays than with a typical knee replacement. The robotics also help the surgeon in determining the exact placement of the implant. Other procedures showcased that are not robotic included a new one for adults with severe asthma called bronchial thermoplasty and a procedure for chronic sinus problems called balloon sinuplasty. In bronchial thermoplasty, the doctors explained, the procedure is minimally invasive and is performed in three outpatient visits, with each treating a different area of the lungs. Balloon sinuplasty is a procedure offered in Tennova’s Sinus Center of Excellence at the Turkey Creek Medical Center for treatment of chronic sinusitis. Small, flexible devices are inserted into the nostrils to open blocked sinuses,
in many cases avoiding the need for removing tissue or bone. According to Internet research, the history of robotically-assisted surgery actually dates back to 1985 when the robot PUMA 560 was used to place a needle for a brain biopsy. The field grew from that simple, yet ground-breaking procedure. The daVinci Surgical System is actually three components: a surgeon’s console, a patientside robotic cart with four arms that are manipulated by the surgeon and a high-definition, 3-D vision system. The four arms consist of one to control the camera and three to manipulate the surgical instruments. The robotic system senses the surgeon’s hand movements and translates them electronically into scaled-down micro-movements, manipulating the instruments as it does. The robotic arms are also programmed to detect and filter out any tremors in the surgeon’s hand movements. In 2006, the daVinci system was used nationally in 48,000 procedures in more than 800 hospitals in the U.S. and Europe. The price tag for the newest version of daVinci is reported to be $1.75 million. Projections at the Turkey Creek Medical Center for surgeries using the robotics are expected to be around 300 in 2012. Ruth White contributed to this story.
County posts $17.3 million surplus gives us an opportunity to do someSome would say Trustee John thing,’ ” Hammond said. Duncan and his staff worked hard The commission funded $7 mil- to increase collections. That is lion of a requested $35 million in- demonstrated by the increase in By Sandra Clark crease sought by Superintendent Dr. fees collected from $1.3 million to When the county’s fiscal year Jim McIntyre and the school board. $1.9 million. ended on June 30, Some would say the economy both property tax is coming back. Consumers are and sales tax revAsk five people and you’ll get five spending more and paying propenues exceeded answers as to why the county has erty taxes on time. projections, reWhatever the reason, the surplus produced a surplus. sulting in a $17.3 Some would say Mayor Tim “no gives County Commission the opmillion surplus. shenanigans” Burchett projected portunity to step up and do the right This surplus is low in preparing last year’s budget thing for Knox County’s 56,000 available for one- during uncertain economic times. public school students. We’ll see Hammond time school needs Others would say he just got lucky. how this plays out. and could fund technology upgrades in all schools. Knox County – fiscal year ending June 30, 2012 Commission chair Mike Hammond said Friday that he has asked Budget Actual Difference interim Finance Director Chris Caldwell to attend the chair’s lunProperty Tax 248,769,308 261,463,386 12,694,078 cheon at 11:30 a.m. Monday, July 23, Sales Tax 136,514,750 141,164,674 4,649,924 to discuss the commission’s options. “When I saw those numbers Total 385,284,058 402,628,060 17,344,002 come in I thought, ‘Wow! This
Will commission fund school needs?
Why the surplus?
50
% Off
What happens west? West Side commissioners generally supported the school board budget and all voted for the $7 million. The budget requested funding for these capital projects: Farragut High School, $1.750 million Pond Gap Elementary, $7 million Additionally, Bearden Elementary was slated for $600,000 in FY 14, as was Farragut Primary. Spending all or part of a surplus for one-time construction is prudent fiscal management and an investment in the health and safety of students and school staff.
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