Hospital staff, including operating room (OR) team members, pictured with the robotic Tru-D system are, from left, Holly Rayesky, RN, OR nurse manager; Kenny Echols, environmental services technician; Raymond Girnys, MD, chief of surgery; Kimberly Self, RN, director of surgical services; Julius Dickerson, OR scrub technician; Meghan Morgan, RN, and Consuela Blossom, RN, both OR circulators.
Greenwood Leflore Hospital is the first in Mississippi to integrate Tru-D SmartUVC™, an advanced environmental ultraviolet disinfection system, into its daily cleaning protocols. The system, initially being used in operating suites, adds an important layer of protection against most bacteria that cause infections, notes Raymond P. Girnys, MD, FACS, chief of surgery.
Health care facilities everywhere face the constant challenge of eliminating germs that are increasingly resistant to antibiotic therapies. The remote-controlled, hi-tech TRU-D generates a specific dose of cleansing ultraviolet-C energy, which kills germs found on contact surfaces. Eliminating environmental contamination on surfaces can reduce patients’ risk of developing serious infection.
“This advanced, environmentally friendly, germicidal disinfection system moves cleaning of surgical suites and equipment to a higher level than any facility is able to achieve through manual, chemical cleaning,” explains Girnys, general surgeon and co-director of the Greenwood Leflore Wound Care Center. “Our commitment to achieving the best patient outcomes is unwavering. We want our patients to have the safest and cleanest hospital experience we can provide.”
Greenwood Leflore’s hospital-associated infection rate is already well below the national average, according to Kimberly Self, RN, director of surgical services. “Even so, we must be proactive,” she says. “Tru-D adds an important layer of protection against the newer, drug-and chemical-resistant pathogens.”
Self and Girnys examined a number of advanced disinfection methodologies and chose Tru-D because it was supported by multiple, independent peer-reviewed studies. “Tru-D’s SmartUVC™ disinfection will insure ongoing improvements in patient safety and quality of care,” Self adds, noting goals are to expand the technology to other areas of the hospital as well.
Dr. Alain Domkam, an endovascular surgeon, is now performing the newest minimally-invasive surgeries for thoracic aortic aneurysms, abdominal aneurysms, and varicose veins at Greenwood Leflore Hospital. He is the first surgeon in the Delta, and one of the first in North Mississippi, to do so.
A thoracic aortic aneurysm is a bulge in the aorta, the body’s main artery, which could rupture with life-threatening results. Until recently, the only treatment available to repair a thoracic aortic aneurysm was invasive open surgery. Now, with the GORE TAG Thoracic Endoprosthesis, Dr. Domkam can offer a less invasive method for treating this potentially deadly disease.
Invasive open surgery involves a large chest incision and prolonged clamping of the aorta. The minimally invasive procedure requires just a small incision near the groin. In clinical trials comparing the Thoracic Endoprosthesis to invasive open surgery, patients who received the GORE TAG experienced significantly fewer complications, less procedural blood loss, shorter hospital stays and a faster return to normal activity. Additionally, the mortality rate associated with the GORE TAG was one-sixth the mortality rate associated with open surgery.
In addition to the thoracic aneurysm procedure, Dr. Domkam is also performing the VNUS Closure procedure on varicose veins. The Closure procedure is performed on an outpatient basis. Using ultrasound, Dr. Domkam will position a catheter into the diseased vein through a small opening in the skin. The tiny catheter, powered by radio frequency energy, delivers heat to the vein wall. As the thermal energy is delivered, the vein wall shrinks and the vein is sealed closed. Once the diseased vein is closed, blood is re-routed to other healthy veins. This procedure is not limited to patients with varicose veins, but can also be used in patients who experience swollen limbs, leg heaviness and fatigue, limb pain and skin changes and ulcers.
“These procedure are cutting edge technology”, says Dr. Domkam, “and I’m excited to bring them to the Mississippi Delta.” Dr. Domkam also stresses that it is important to visit an endovascular surgeon for these conditions. “There may be physicians in the area who perform surgery for these ailments; however, vascular and endovascular surgeons are specially trained to handle any complications that may arise during surgery.”
Dr. Domkam has recently joined The Delta Surgical Clinic in Greenwood and is performing these procedures at Greenwood Leflore Hospital. Dr. Domkam brings world-wide experience to his position. He has extensive vascular training and completed a vascular fellowship at Rush University in Chicago. He also trained at Graduate Hospital in Philadelphia and was a resident at several prominent French hospitals. He earned his medical degree at the University of Henry Poincaré School of Medicine in France and received numerous honors for his training there.
