Bayhealth unveils new surgery technology

Bayhealth has unveiled a new computer imaging system that is poised to change the way spinal and cranial surgeries are performed.

The 7D Surgical Flash Navigation System is a new technology that allows surgeons to operate on delicate areas without using radiation, also improving speed and accuracy. 

Dr. Amit Goyal, one of Bayhealth’s staff neurosurgeons, said, “The experience has been fantastic, with the progress we’ve made in terms of what we can do for our patients. This allows us to keep things very efficient.”

The first step in the process is to conduct an MRI or a CT scan to identify what needs to be operated on. Once the patient is in the operating room, the system comes into play. The navigation system is relatively simple: an overhead camera and light are positioned over the operating area. The camera is linked to a computer in the operating room. 

The patient is put under anesthesia and the area to be operated on is exposed. The surgeon will put a steel clamp, or a reference frame, on the operation area. That clamp contains sensors that the camera system picks up on; the surgeon holds in their hand a steel probe, which also has sensors and helps the surgeon navigate around the operating area.

Once everything is set up, the technician on the computer will initiate what Goyal called “the flash,” a flash of light that takes a real-time picture of the operation area. That picture is then matched with the CT scan photo taken before the surgery. 

The computer merges the two photos together into one three-dimensional picture. The surgeon is able to use the probe to find areas of operation. The system is even able to tell a surgeon what kind of tools will be needed in the surgery itself. For instance, if screws are required, the system can tell how long the screws will need to be. 

Goyal said the biggest advantage to the system is that it does not require the use of X-rays, and thus, does not expose patients or medical personnel to radiation. Plus, he said, it saves the time of having to wait for X-ray results to come back. 

“From taking those flash pictures to getting us up and running takes 30 seconds. Any other system I’ve seen takes anywhere from a half-hour to an hour, and that’s if you do everything right the first time,” Goyal said. “This achieves tremendous accuracy and safety, and reduces a lot of the drawbacks. Those benefits pass on to the patient: less time under anesthesia, smaller incisions, shorter hospital stays, and the safety and efficiency of getting the job done.”

He said the system allows Bayhealth to keep patients who would otherwise have to go elsewhere to find technology such as this. Surgeries using the system are run out of Bayhealth’s Kent County campus in Dover. 

7D Surgical, based in Toronto, put the technology on the market in 2018. 

Goyal said he and fellow neurosurgeon Dr. Dawn Tartaglione have done double digit surgeries using the system since Bayhealth acquired it in September. 

Tartaglione said the system acts like a GPS for surgeons, and cuts down on steps to operate. She said the system is particularly helpful for patients with cancer or other diseases who may need brain surgery.

“This limits their time away from family in the hospital. Keeping the incisions small helps them heal better if they are going to radiation next,” Tartaglione said. “This is a way for people to stay home. They don’t need to go to Penn; they can go here.”

Both Goyal and Tartaglione said the system also makes it easier to teach neurosurgeons in training. Finally, the doctors said the speed with which the system allows them to operate is particularly helpful during the COVID-19 pandemic, allowing patients to get in and out without a long hospital stay.  “This has just been a huge asset for us,” Tartaglione said.