The Valley Health System (VHS) invests in advanced technology to accompany our proven processes and experienced medical professionals. Some of these tools may resemble eye-catching props from a science fiction movie, but they're today's medical reality.

"From the emergency room to the operating room and medical floors, doctors, nurses and staff throughout the hospital have effective and safe ways of treating patients that many people couldn't have imagined even a decade ago," said Flip Homansky, MD, an emergency medicine specialist and Medical Director of VHS. "These advances help us stabilize patients, start appropriate treatments and discharge patients so they can finish their recovery at home."

Continue reading for a look at some of the futuristic tools and refined techniques VHS uses to provide quality healthcare to families in the Las Vegas community.

Electronic Technology
Electronic technology aids in patient treatment from surgery to medication reconciliation. Doctors use innovative blood conservation devices and strategies during surgery to minimize blood loss and reduce patients' need for blood transfusions.

Pharmacy staff members use advanced software to fill orders and track medications for each patient. It also identifies potential allergies and drug interactions.

Emergency Care
Staff in VHS emergency rooms (ER) offers quality care designed to meet patients' medical needs and make them as comfortable as possible. Some advancements you'll notice are:

• Pain protocols help ease patients' discomfort while tests are performed and appropriate treatments are determined.
• Specific treatment pathways (guidelines that specify optimal treatments for a condition) assist staff in providing care to patients experiencing a heart attack, congestive heart failure or stroke.
• A liquid skin adhesive is often used to close wounds quickly and painlessly, instead of needles and stitches.
• Ultrasound studies and many other routine tests can be performed bedside in the ER.
• Computed tomography or magnetic resonance imaging scans are used to view blood vessels and determine if patients are having strokes or mini-strokes.

Photo courtesy Intuitive Surgical.

Robot-Assisted Surgery
A new four-armed assistant is helping surgeons at Summerlin Hospital Medical Center perform minimally invasive procedures on some patients.

The da Vinci^® Surgical System may not perform surgery on its own, but it does enable surgeons to recreate the movement of their hands, wrists and fingers within a very confined space in the patient's body.

During these procedures, surgeons make small incisions to accommodate the robot's arms, which are equipped with a high-resolution camera and special surgical instruments. Doctors then sit at a console near the patient where they view magnified, three-dimensional images of the surgical site. A master control allows them to direct the movements they want the robotic arms to make inside the patient's body. The da Vinci robot has a full range of motion and filters out normal hand tremors for an added level of precision.

"Robotic systems are one of the most significant advances we've seen in medicine," said Robert S. Freymuller, CEO/Managing Director at Summerlin Hospital. "They allow surgeons to operate in real time and help improve patient outcomes. Patients who have robotic procedures typically spend fewer days in the hospital, have less pain and fewer complications after surgery and recover more quickly."

Photo courtesy Intuitive Surgical.

Advanced Wound Therapy
Wound care specialists at VHS hospitals use advanced therapies to help patients heal and reduce their risk for infection, gangrene and amputation. Among the many treatments available are skin substitution procedures using Apligraf^® -- the first living cell-based tissue regeneration product in the U.S.

This skin repair therapy, which is cultured in a laboratory using human skin cells, contains fresh cells, nutrients and proteins that stimulate healing in patients with certain chronic, hard-to-heal wounds. Doctors use Apligraf for diabetic foot ulcers and wounds caused by poor venous circulation in the legs.

When applying Apligraf, doctors first remove diseased tissue surrounding the wound. They then place the graft directly on the wound and cover the area with nonadhesive dressings. Patients usually notice that their wounds are improving within a few weeks.

"Apligraf covers the wound and creates an environment that allows a patient's own skin to repair and rebuild itself," said Tony Chin, MD, who works with wound patients. "Our goal is to heal resistant wounds within 16 weeks. This therapy helps us meet that goal and save patients' limbs."

The Valley Health System c/o Valley Hospital Medical Center 620 Shadow Lane Las Vegas, NV 89106