Orthopedic surgeon William Lennen, MD, center, and his surgery team prepare to begin the first telementored surgery at RMH. He was assisted by Seth Caldwell, PA-C, left, and Tonya Turner, RN, right. Scrub tech was Amy Moats and circulators were Dian Barb, RN, and Heather Payne, RN.
Relying on an innovative blend of computer and telecommunications technology, orthopedic surgeon William Lennen, MD, has performed the first telementored surgery at RMH.
On Dec. 13, Dr. Lennen performed a JOURNEY DEUCE partial knee replacement on a middle-aged male patient while being mentored in real time by Lindsey Rolston, MD. Dr. Rolston is the physician who designed the DEUCE knee replacement method. His practice is located in New Castle, Ind., but he was in Florida at the time Dr. Lennen performed surgery. As Dr. Lennen and his team operated in Harrisonburg, Dr. Rolston watched from his Florida location using a two-way video and audio hookup. The two orthopedic surgeons conferred throughout the surgery.
DEUCE partial knee replacement is a new, innovative alternative to total knee replacement. Incorporating technological advances in orthopedic reconstruction, the DEUCE method spares more healthy, non-arthritic bone in the knee than is the case with traditional total knee replacement. The method also spares the knee's ACL and PCL, ligaments that provide stability during walking, climbing stairs and other physical activities. Patients who have arthritis confined to just one section of their knee joint can now enjoy earlier surgical intervention with less damage to healthy bone and tissue than was previously the case.
Dr. Lennen had already performed 15 DEUCE partial knee replacement procedures before the Dec. 13 case; two of those he has performed at RMH, he says. But this was the first time he had used the new JOURNEY DEUCE Bi-compartmental Knee System instrument set, which was also recently developed by Dr. Rolston.
The telementoring capability was made possible through the collaborative efforts of RMH Surgical Services, RMH Information Systems and Mary Coplan, director of medical education services for Smith & Nephew, the company that produces and markets the JOURNEY DEUCE Bi-compartmental Knee System. The collaborative team used the MedVision MV 3300, a cart fitted with two-way video and audio technology specifically designed for clinical settings like operating rooms.
Coplan and the RMH team worked together for several days prior to the surgical case to set up and test the technology. Joan Overhausen, PhD, another director of medical education services for Smith & Nephew, worked to set up the telementoring equipment on Dr. Rolston's end.
"It's not that Dr. Lennen couldn't have handled the procedure and new product on his own; he certainly is qualified to do that," said Coplan. "Smith & Nephew had just received approval to move forward with telementoring, and everything just came together to allow us to test our telementoring capability at RMH. I already knew Dr. Lennen from having worked with him on other cases, and I know Dr. Rolston very well. RMH has a brand new hospital and surgical unit, an excellent orthopedic surgeon in Dr. Lennen, and an OR crew that is phenomenal, so the timing was perfect."
At the conclusion of the surgery, Dr. Rolston told Dr. Lennen, "I think you've done an excellent job. This patient should enjoy a very successful outcome from this knee replacement surgery."
Orthopedic surgeon Lindsey Rolston, MD, appears on the monitor of the MedVision MV 3300 cart. Cameras, including the one seen here above the monitor and another one suspended directly over the surgical site where Dr. Lennen and his team were operating, allowed Dr. Rolston to observe the surgery from his location in Florida. Both surgeons conferred throughout the case using the two-way audio and video capabilities of the MV 3300.
Recapping the surgery, Dr. Lennen said, "Despite having done a number of these procedures, it was valuable to have one of the designers of the instruments and implants looking over my shoulder providing helpful tips. Dr. Rolston's insight was extremely helpful, and he appreciated my feedback as a surgeon using the implants. The technical aspects of the telementoring couldn't have gone smoother and were a reflection of the great cooperation between Smith & Nephew and RMH."
Dr. Lennen is a board-certified orthopedic surgeon who joined RMH Orthopedics and Sports Medicine in early 2010. He earned his MD degree from the Georgetown University Medical Center in Washington, D.C., where he also completed his internship and residency. He completed a fellowship in total joint and adult reconstruction at Johns Hopkins University in Baltimore.
Dr. Rolston is a board-certified orthopedic surgeon who earned his MD degree from the University of Illinois and completed his orthopedic residency at Michigan State University, Kalamazoo, where he was chief orthopedic surgeon. His website is www.lindseyrolston.com.
Smith & Nephew provides advanced medical devices for healthcare professionals globally. The company is an industry leader in orthopedic reconstruction and trauma, endoscopy and advanced wound management.
MedVision is a company that specializes in providing communications solutions for healthcare professionals.
Orthopedic surgeon William Lennen, MD, center, and his surgery team prepare to begin the first telementored surgery at RMH. He was assisted by Seth Caldwell, PA-C, left, and Tonya Turner, RN, right. Scrub tech was Amy Moats and circulators were Dian Barb, RN, and Heather Payne, RN.
Orthopedic surgeon Lindsey Rolston, MD, appears on the monitor of the MedVision MV 3300 cart. Cameras, including the one seen here above the monitor and another one suspended directly over the surgical site where Dr. Lennen and his team were operating, allowed Dr. Rolston to observe the surgery from his location in Florida. Both surgeons conferred throughout the case using the two-way audio and video capabilities of the MV 3300.