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Innovation aplenty at Elgin hospital tech fair

A nurse for almost 30 years, Dorota Czerwisnki says she has relished the chance to work with some of the most advanced robot-assisted surgery technology at Advocate Sherman Hospital in Elgin.

“I can really appreciate the changes because I've seen them,” she said, wearing scrubs and a surgical mask while prepping for surgery a few feet from a $1.8 million daVinci Xi surgical system. “I always want to be in this room.”

The general public will get a chance to check out a demo model of the

daVinci and other advanced technologies at the hospital's first Healthy Tech Fair Thursday.

The fair will include the CardioMEMs heart failure alert system, a sensor the size of a paper clip that's implanted in patients, and the NanoKnife surgical system, which is doubling life expectancy for late stage pancreatic cancer patients, and other new technologies.

The public will get to view the MyAdvocate Patient Portal, which allows patients to communicate with health providers and access their own health information, and learn all about the hospital's geothermal lake, which helps heat and cool the facility.

The daVinci system is a four-pronged machine operated by a surgeon, who sits at a console and maneuvers levers with his or her hands and feet while watching on a 3-D screen what's being done to the patient.

The minimally invasive technology allows for small incisions, little blood loss and therefore quick recovery in surgeries such as hysterectomies and prostatectomies. The hospital got its first daVinci in 2007 and the latest model in December.

“It does have a little bit of a learning curve,” surgeon Raja Chatterji said. “But if you are good in laparoscopy, it's not a big learning curve.”

Six heart failure patients now have the CardioMEMs system, which the hospital started implanting in December, advanced practice nurse Christina Jackson said.

Each device costs about $16,000 but can prevent much more expensive hospitalizations by taking daily readings of a patient's pulmonary artery pressure, which in turn can point to problems looming on the horizon, Jackson said.

The readings are sent to a secure website and monitored by Jackson. The technology's first use was for gas readings in military operations, she explained.

“In the heart failure world that I live in, this is the biggest technology that has come about in years,” Jackson said.

Among the most fun technology on display will be a software-assisted female mannequin, which hospital staff dubbed “Victoria,” which simulates giving birth to a baby mannequin, appropriately named “Sherman.”

The hospital's auxiliary group raised the $76,000 to buy the technology, which allows doctors and nurses to practice unusual, high-risk birth scenarios such as seizure, hemorrhage and placental abruption.

“It's a great teaching tool,” said Jennifer Rizzo, assistant clinical manager of Sherman's family birthing center. “We just started doing work drills to get the staff involved. We call a 'code OB' and everyone comes running.”

Thursday's health fair is free at the hospital, 1425 N. Randall Road. There will be light appetizers and tech gadget giveaways. Register by calling (800) 3 ADVOCATE and mention code 10G89, or visit advocatehealth.com/shermanclasses.

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