BK BLOG

Christopher C. Raio, MD MBA FACEP
Chairman, Department of Emergency Medicine, Good Samaritan Hospital Medical Center, West Islip, NY, USA Progressive Emergency Physicians

A 72 year-old female with a past medical history significant for diabetes and congestive heart failure presented to the emergency department with three days of worsening fatigue. “Mom just has not been acting like herself, and today seems slightly confused at times”, her daughter stated. The day prior, the patient developed a mild, dry cough and fever, with a maximum temperature of 101.2°F (38.4°C). Vital signs on arrival were:

Temperature: 100.5°F (38.1°C)
Pulse: 88 beats/min
BP: 112/76 mmHg
Respirations: 24 breaths/min
Pulse Ox: 95%

UCSF (University of California San Francisco) is ranked by U.S. News as a top-five hospital for Neurology and Neurosurgery in the United States¹. Recently-retired Dr. Jeffrey Yablon was a neurosurgery faculty member at UCSF, and Medical Director of Queen of the Valley, a medical center serving the Napa Valley region in Northern California. The following is from a 2014 BK Ultrasound video profile with Dr. Yablon.

The following story is an exerpt from a 2012 article,"Ultrasound Opens New Doors in Robotic Surgery," by Lisa Fratt of Health Imaging.

Since its introduction more than a decade ago, robotic-assisted surgery has stood out as a game-changer. The robotic console provides a robust platform to enable minimally invasive procedures in urologic, cardiothoracic, gynecologic and general surgical procedures. Today, robotic surgery is witnessing an evolution. The most recent surgical ultrasound systems, specifically BK Ultrasound systems for robotic surgery, are ushering in a new level of precision and diagnostic confidence. Intraoperative robotic-assisted ultrasound helps surgeons to perform more complex procedures robotically with potentially improved outcomes, particularly in radical prostatectomy and partial nephrectomy.

Dr. Brian J. Moran is Medical Director at Chicago Prostate Cancer Center in Illinois and an experienced practitioner of prostate brachytherapy, having performed thousands of prostate seed implants. He is a frequent speaker at professional meetings and has authored numerous publications in medical journals and textbooks.

Professor Hongguang Wang is a hepatobiliary surgeon at the Chinese PLA General Hospital, in Beijing, China, one of the largest hospitals in the country. The facility has five sections in the hepatobiliary surgery department: hepatic surgery, biliary surgery, pancreatic surgery, minimally invasive surgery, and liver transplantation surgery. Dr. Wang is in charge of the minimally invasive surgery section. There, he performs laparoscopic hepatectomies, laparoscopic cholecystectomies, and laparoscopic common bile duct exploration.

Pelvic floor disorders lead to hundreds of thousands of surgical interventions on female patients in the USA each year. An estimated 30% of these cases require re-operations.

Dr. Gavin Quigley is a prominent consultant neurosurgeon based at the Royal Victoria Hospital in Belfast, Northern Ireland, where his team provide care for 1.8 million people. Dr. Quigley has previously worked as an advisor for HIQA (Health Information and Quality Assessment) in the Republic of Ireland and for NICE (National Institute for Clinical Excellence) in the UK, and was appointed as a Consultant Neurosurgeon to the National Neurosurgical Unit in Dublin, Ireland in 2006. He returned to Northern Ireland in 2009, taking up his current position at The Royal Victoria Hospital.

Dr. Robert Martin is a professor of surgery at the University of Louisville School of Medicine in Louisville, Kentucky, and the division director of surgical oncology. His background is in surgical oncology, with additional training in hepatopancreatobiliary surgery. Most of his practice today is spent treating patients with upper gastrointestinal cancer. His management of this disease always includes the use of ultrasound.

Dr. David Carnovale is the medical director for fertility specialty care at Community Health Network in Indianapolis, Indiana, USA. He is board certified in obstetrics, gynecology, reproductive endocrinology, and infertility, with a specialization in reproductive endocrinology and infertility. One of the procedures he performs regularly is myomectomy, the preferred fibroid treatment for women who are trying to become pregnant.