Logan Health Launches Robotic-Assisted Program for Advanced Lung Care
Logan Health is pleased to announce the acquisition of the Ion endoluminal system, a robotic-assisted platform for minimally invasive biopsy in the lung. Ion helps address a challenging aspect of lung biopsy by enabling physicians to obtain tissue samples from deep within the lung.
The system features an ultra-thin, ultra-maneuverable catheter that allows navigation far into the peripheral lung, and unprecedented stability enables the precision needed for biopsy compared to manual techniques. This new platform will allow physicians significantly greater vision and ultimately a much better chance at catching lung cancer in earlier, more treatable stages.
“The Ion bronchoscope will revolutionize our approach to lung cancer,” says Bethany Weiler, MD, pulmonary/critical care physician and the medical director for Intensive Care and Respiratory Care Services at Logan Health. “It will allow better accuracy in sampling and dramatically improve our ability to diagnose lung cancers early, when a cure is not only possible, but probable. This technology, in conjunction with our multidisciplinary High Risk Pulmonary Nodule clinic, will- quite literally- save lives in our community and beyond.”
Lung cancer is far and away the deadliest cancer in the United States - claiming more lives than breast, prostate and colon cancer combined. More than 230,000 Americans are expected to be diagnosed with lung cancer in 2023 and estimates project approximately 127,000 deaths from the disease.
In an effort to expedite high-risk cases, Logan Health has established a lung cancer nodule clinic set to open June 1. The clinic, which will be located on the campus of Logan Health Medical Center, will be dedicated to fast tracking severe lung cancer cases, bettering the chances at treating it.
The acquisition of this innovative technology was made possible through the generosity of a dedicated community donor. Philanthropy has helped propel medical innovation at Logan Health to new heights, providing the necessary funding for the state-of-the-art equipment and resources to help create healthier futures for patients. By investing in some of the most advanced equipment and eliminating delays to lung cancer diagnosis, Logan Health will now offer some of the region’s most advanced lung cancer screening and treatment options.
Logan Health is a nonprofit, 622-bed health system based in Kalispell, Montana. While the main medical campus is located in Flathead County, Logan Health draws from a total service area covering 13 counties, nearly 40,000 square miles and a population of more than 600,000. The health system consists of six hospitals, more than 50 provider clinics and a host of other health care services, including the nation’s first rural air ambulance service (A.L.E.R.T.), which it has maintained for more than 40 years. More than 4,500 physicians, nurses, health care professionals and support staff work together to provide patients and their families with a positive, proactive, patient-centered experience. Founded in 1910, Logan Health has provided exceptional care for more than 100 years to the communities it serves. Throughout its history, the organization has continued to grow and evolve with the growth and changing needs of the communities it serves.