Replay of Live Innovative Lung Surgery Broadcast from University Hospital now Available

First Seen: December 18, 2003, 5:00pm EST (22:00 UTC)

Cincinnati — An innovative operation to treat lung cancer was broadcast live via the Internet on Thursday, Dec. 18 at 5:00 pm from University Hospital. John Howington, MD, director, division of Thoracic Surgery, demonstrated a Video Assisted Thoracic Surgery (VATS) with lobectomy. This event was moderated by Walter Merrill, MD, chief, section of cardiothoracic surgery.

University Hospital, Cincinnatti

This is the first of four live events the hospital, in conjunction with UC Surgeons, will be broadcasting within the next year. "Consumers are taking advantage of online resources regarding their health care, and we see this as a way to help meet those needs. Physicians can also benefit by receiving patient treatment education right at their desk. Technology is allowing us to bring information in real time to those seeking it," said Jeffrey Matthews, MD, Chairman of the UC Department of Surgery. “The surgeons, along with the hospital have a found a unique way to present information to patients, other physicians and healthcare providers. Participants can ask questions online during the operation and can access the entire procedure through archives after the live event.” The procedure being broadcast is performed on patients with small peripheral lung cancers, and is done with 2 to 3 small portals placed between the ribs and a three-inch access incision in the chest, without spreading the ribs. Because fewer and smaller incisions are made, the patient has a shorter recovery and is in less pain.

	Video Assisted Thoracic Surgery

"This procedure may allow us to offer operation to patients with small lung cancers and very poor lung function, who in the past, were turned down for intervention. We expect that the broadcast will be particularly interesting to internists, pulmonary medicine physicians, medical oncologists and potential patients who may be candidates for this particular procedure,” notes Dr.Howington.

The archived broadcast can be viewed for free by anyone in the world with Internet access.

The University Hospital is part of the Health Alliance, an integrated health care delivery system that also includes The Christ Hospital, The St. Luke Hospitals, The Jewish Hospital, The Fort Hamilton Hospital and the physicians of Alliance Primary Care.

UC Surgeons care for patients needing specialized surgical care in cardiothoracic, transplantation, cancer, gastrointestinal, plastics, pediatrics, burns, urology, and vascular. The University of Cincinnati Department of Surgery brings $4.1 million in National Institutes for Health (NIH) research funding to the region, and UC Surgeons’ ranking jumped to 15 in 2003, up from 28 the previous year. More information is available at http://surgery.uc.edu.