Saint Francis Medical Center unveils neurosurgery suite

The second neurosurgery suite of its kind in the nation was unveiled Tuesday at Saint Francis Medical Center.

Designed by Dr. Louis P. Caragine, a neurosurgeon at Saint Francis, it will most commonly be used for surgeries to treat aneurysms.

Caragine gave a guided tour of the new facility to medical professionals and the media Tuesday.

The new operating suite uses high-tech imaging equipment to provide surgeon with a 3-D "road map" of blood vessels in the body.

It is 1,243 square feet, about twice the size of a standard operating room.

Saint Francis Medical Center demonstrates the capabilities of the new endovascular neurosurgery hybrid suite, designed by Louis P. Caragine Jr., MD, PhD, during an open house on Tuesday, Nov. 16, 2010. (Kristin Eberts)

Both endovascular neurosurgery, in which a thin wire is inserted through a catheter into a blood vessel in the groin, and open brain surgery can be performed in the new facility.

"I truly think this is the best combination of equipment in the world right now," Caragine said. "Ninety-nine percent of what needs to be done can be done right here."

Previously, when what started as an endovascular procedure needed to be converted to open surgery, the patient had to be transferred to a second operating room, and physicians lost valuable time. It typically takes a minimum of 45 minutes to prepare and transfer a patient to another operating room.

"The less movement you have and the safer the atmosphere is, the better your outcome is," Caragine said.

The new facility will reduce or eliminate several factors that lead to increased disability and mortality rates associated with brain and spine surgery, he said. Under traditional operating conditions, two-thirds of those with aneurysms will have some disability following treatment. Reducing the time before an aneurysm is repaired can make a significant difference in the patient's outcome.

It also eliminates the need for patients to travel outside the area, to St. Louis or Memphis, Tenn., for similar procedures.

Caragine, who joined Saint Francis last year, is one of only 35 fellowship-trained endovascular neurosurgeons in the U.S. He has been involved with the design of two other hybrid surgery suites similar to the one at Saint Francis.

He estimates 8 percent to 10 percent of people have an aneurysm and don't know it.

Many people don't have physical symptoms associated with an aneurysm, but Caragine said people should see their doctor if they experience new headaches, or their headaches change in pattern, duration or severity.

mmiller@semissourian.com

388-3646

Pertinent address:

211 Saint Francis Drive, Cape Girardeau, MO