Chattanooga-area hospitals have purchased new equipment and added technology that providers say enhances both the patient experience and the training level of their doctors.
* Parkridge Medical Center recently purchased its second da Vinci robot for use in minimally invasive procedures. The new equipment means the hospital will have a robot at both its main campus on McCallie Avenue and its Parkridge East location in East ridge.
"In our experience, robotic surgery has meant a better operation for the patient with reduced complications, shorter hospital stays and decreased recovery times," said Adam Royer, director of surgical services for Parkridge and Parkridge East, in a release.
* At Erlanger, medical residents at the University of Tennessee College of Medicine in Chattanooga have been training since January at the new Human Patient Simulation Center. The center has four computerized mannequins that can be programmed with 80 scenarios, such as difficult childbirth or trauma injuries, to give trainees practice with rare or challenging circumstances, said Dr. David Seaberg, dean of the UT College of Medicine in Chattanooga.
"The Human Patient Simulation Center really puts us on the cutting edge of medical education," Dr. Seaberg said.
Erlanger's Primary Stroke Center was recognized in February for successfully completing more than 200 Merci Retriever procedures for stroke. The noninvasive procedure allows interventional radiologists to guide a tiny corkscrewlike device into a blocked brain artery to remove a clot, restoring blood flow to dying brain tissue.
* Memorial Hospital has added a new operating suite and began using a procedure called "cryoablation" to treat abnormal heart rhythms. The treatment involves freezing the portion of heart tissue that causes the arrhythmia.
Memorial also added a chest pain observation center and a cardiothoracic "step-down" unit that provides specialized care for patients who have had thoracic surgery for lung cancer. The hospital also added a women's center to the MaryEllen Locher Breast Center.
PROCEDURES SIMULATED IN SIM CENTER
The center's mannequins -- computerized training devices -- can be programmed with 80 different scenarios, including:
* Cardiac and respiratory arrest
* Difficult childbirth
* Trauma injuries
Erlanger
* Address: 975 E. Third St.
* Beds: 818 acute-care beds; 50 long-term care beds.
* Affiliations/Campuses: Erlanger East, Erlanger North, Erlanger Bledsoe and the downtown campus, which includes T.C. Thompson Children's Hospital and Southside/Dodson Avenue Community Health Centers.
Memorial Hospital
* Address: 2525 de Sales Ave.
* Beds: 365 beds.
* Affiliations/Campuses: Memorial North Park, Memorial Atrium Imaging Center, Memorial Home Health, Memorial North Shore Health Center, Memorial Westside Health Center, MaryEllen Locher Breast Center.
Parkridge Medical Center
* Address: 2333 McCallie Ave.
* Beds: 275 beds at main campus, 128 beds at Parkridge East.
* Affiliations/Campuses: Parkridge East Hospital, Parkridge Valley, Sarah Cannon Cancer Center, Parkridge Sleep Center.
