Expert: Surgery
Saint Alphonsus Surgical Services
Surgery/surgical procedures
One of the best examples of Saint Alphonsus' nationally recognized commitment to cutting-edge technology and clinical innovation can be observed every day in the Surgical Services department.
The hospital's primary surgical programs in Orthopaedics, Neurosurgery, Trauma, Cardiothoracic and General-Vascular, among other specialties, are recognized for advanced technology and minimally invasive procedures – which help patients heal faster and leave the hospital earlier – and the expertise of surgeons in the Boise Valley. Many of these surgeons are recognized nationally and internationally for their knowledge and skills.
The Surgical Services program at Saint Alphonsus includes a dedicated team of Anesthesiologists, Nurses, Technicians, and Technologists.
Throughout its history, Saint Alphonsus has built a reputation as a leader in innovative surgery. In 1976, the hospital developed the area's first outpatient Surgery Center; Saint Alphonsus launched the state's first formalized Bariatric (weightloss) Surgery Program for the morbidly obese; Transfusion-Free Surgery became an option for patients who choose no allogenic or whole blood, as a part of their surgery. And, with community support, Saint Alphonsus brought the daVinci Surgical Robotic System and Novalis Shaped Beam Surgery to Idaho. The daVinci robot, the only of its kind in Idaho, is widely regarded as the most sophisticated robot in the world to assist surgeons with minimally invasive surgery.
Saint Alphonsus is the only medical center in Idaho to offer Novalis Shaped Beam Surgery as a revolutionary non-invasive treatment option for cancer, benign brain tumors and vascular disorders. This advanced approach to stereotactic radiosurgery and intensity-modulated radiation therapy (IMRT) further distinguishes Saint Alphonsus' comprehensive minimally invasive surgery program, which promotes faster healing and less trauma for patients.
Saint Alphonsus became the first institution in the region to use the voice-activated HERMES Control Center, the world's first FDA-approved computer system capable of networking medical equipment in the operating room and allowing surgeons to have direct control over devices by using verbal commands. The AESOP 3000, a voice-controlled robotic arm capable of maneuvering and positioning an endoscope is a specially designed optical tube which, when connected to a medical video camera and light source, is passed into the body to allow the surgeon to observe the surgery on a video monitor. For surgeons, the technology brings a "third arm" to the operating room and allows more direct control by the surgeon.
This state-of-the-art technology provides enormous benefit to the hospital and patient; the devices make surgeries shorter, more efficient and more precise.
In October of 2007 Saint Alphonsus opened 16-suite surgical operating suite with the opening of the Center for Advanced Healing—bringing the Operating Room of the Future to Idaho. These new operating rooms signal a new way of performing surgery and all the rooms are 30 percent larger than before. Innovative approaches to technology and improved business practices make the Center for Advanced Healing a national model for surgical care. They house on-line x-ray capability, voice controlled lights and equipment, laptop computers, the latest laparoscopic cameras, as well as HDTV quality images and flat screen televisions for surgeon viewing.