Here are three physicians making headlines for clinical breakthroughs and notable firsts in surgical care:
1. Louisville, Ky.-based UofL Health has become the first health system in the state to treat a patient using histotripsy, a noninvasive ultrasound-based therapy for liver tumors. Charles Scroggins, MD, a surgical oncologist, said the new procedure provides a noninvasive, outpatient method for treating liver tumors that can combine with other liver treatment options and improve clinical outcomes.
2. Iowa City-based University of Iowa Health Care gastroenterologists performed the first U.S. procedure using Archimedes, a newly FDA-approved biodegradable pancreatic stent. The stent, used during endoscopic retrograde cholangiopancreatography, helps treat patients with pancreatitis, pancreatic cancer and related conditions. Unlike traditional stents, Archimedes dissolves in about 12 days, eliminating the need for a follow-up removal procedure.
3. Bay City, Mich.-based McLaren Bay Region vascular surgeon Nicolas Mouawad, MD became the first in the U.S. to use the SEISMIQ intravascular lithotripsy system to treat peripheral artery disease.
