Saint Francis Hospital Celebrates 1,000th Procedure Using the Ion Endoluminal System

Members of the Interventional Pulmonology and Operating Room teams at Saint Francis Hospital recently celebrated completing the 1,000th robotic-assisted bronchoscopy procedure with the Ion endoluminal system.

The team of interventional pulmonology and thoracic specialists, led by Anil Magge, M.D., Director of Interventional Pulmonology, are among the national leaders in Ion procedures, with Dr. Magge being one of the top single users across the country. Saint Francis was the first hospital in Connecticut to utilize the Ion system in October 2022.

“We are so proud to have completed 1,000 procedures with the Ion system at Saint Francis,” said Dr. Magge. “Reaching this milestone shows our commitment towards leveraging technology and our skill set to diagnose difficult and hard-to-reach lung nodules. Utilizing the Ion as the first step in diagnosing lung cancer, we are able to make a huge difference in outcomes, providing life-changing care to our patients by significantly reducing the time from detection to diagnosis to treatment. Our incredible multidisciplinary team of pulmonologists, thoracic surgeons, and oncologists are dedicated to working hand-in-hand to help our patients across the region.”

Ion is one part of the cutting-edge Thoracic Oncology Program at Saint Francis, which allows lung cancer patients to have early detection, biopsy, and surgery to remove the cancerous growth all within a significantly shortened timeframe of just a few weeks. Typically, the journey from when a potentially cancerous lung nodule is detected through surgical removal can last 2-2.5 months, while the Saint Francis program has shorted that to approximately 17 days. The team is committed to taking an innovative approach to patient care to ensure they are eliminating delays and improving the coordination of care with each specialist.

The Ion system features an ultra-thin, ultra-maneuverable catheter that allows navigation far into the lung, addressing a challenging aspect of lung biopsy. Along with unparalleled stability, this enables the precision needed for biopsy compared to other technologies.

During bronchoscopy with the Ion robotic platform, the physician uses a console to navigate to the target within the lung along a pre-planned pathway. The catheter can move 180° in any direction to pass through small, difficult to navigate airways to reach the lung nodule of concern. Ion’s peripheral vision probe provides direct vision during navigation. Once at the desired location, the catheter locks into place and biopsy tools are then passed through the catheter to take a sample of the nodule.

For more information on minimally invasive lung biopsy options at Trinity Health Of New England, visit www.trinityhealthofne.org/ion