First Idaho Hospital Performs New State-of-the-Art Robotics in Early Detection of Lung Cancer

Saint Alphonsus enters next-generation in navigating the lungs' deepest tissue

Lung cancer is the leading cause of cancer death worldwide, and Idaho ranks 36^th among all states for screening high risk patients. Now, a new medical advancement will lead Idahoans into earlier detection and removal of lung cancers.

Saint Alphonsus began using Intuitive’s next-generation robotic system in early May, making it the first hospital in the state to apply the technology.

Since then, Saint Alphonsus Medical Group’s Medical Director for Pulmonary Critical Care and Sleep Medicine Dr. John East and his team have performed more than 20 procedures using the Ion robotic bronchoscopy platform, which allows for the early detection of lung cancer.

“This system is going to allow us to diagnose lung abnormalities early and to diagnose lung cancer when it is at an earlier stage when the treatment is more effective and cure rates are higher,” Dr. East said.

Unlike its predecessors, the Ion system features an ultra-thin camera-equipped catheter capable of 180 degrees of navigation, which enters the trachea and lungs through an endotracheal tube that has been placed for the procedure.

This makes it possible for physicians to use a three-dimensional map that has been reconstructed from CT imaging to navigate through the airways in the lungs. The system allows for collection of tissue in all 18 segments of the lung in a minimally invasive way, and the procedure is performed as an outpatient.

The technology is designed to improve patient outcomes with more precise lung biopsies and to improve procedural safety. The system will also assist in earlier detection of lung cancer when nodules are detected through lung cancer screenings or from the Pulmonary Nodule Program.

“Ultimately, the combination of this system, and our lung screening and Pulmonary Nodule Program, is going to save lives is the bottom line,” Dr. East said.

To learn more, visit https://www.saintalphonsus.org/specialty/cancer-care/prevention/ion-bronchoscopy.