Medical professionals at Sarasota Memorial Hospital got to open one package a few days before Christmas this year. A new robot inside could save lung cancer patients in the region. 

The robot, part of Auris Health’s Monarch Platform, will help surgeons find and treat cancer through safer means, according to Dr. Joseph Seaman, medical director of SMH’s lung cancer screening program. The new technology allows him and his team to provide better bronchoscopies for patients.

“Having a robot takes the human error out from the movement in hands back and forth in the body,” he says. “It really enhances accuracy, and moreover, it’s a petter piece of equipment than we are currently using.”

The equipment replaces a system in use at SMH for 10 years with a new system just approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration. The Monarch Platform integrates the latest advances in flexible robotics, 3-D software, data science and endoscopy to create models of individuals patients lungs. This is turn will allow better surgical removal of lung modules and masses, and should improve both diagnosis and treatment.

Auris says the platform in clinical studies helped physicians obtain peripheral biopsy samples without any adverse events in 93 percent of patients.

That’s especially critical when treating lung cancer, the leading cause of cancer deaths worldwide. Lung cancer remains one of the most difficult to treat because malignant nodules can be difficult to safely find.

Seaman hopes the new tech will lead to more lung cancer patients from this area being treated at SMH. There are between 1,750 and 1,800 people diagnosed with lung cancer in the hospital’s coverage area each year, he says, but only about 300 pass through SMH. Many leave town for treatment.

But the hospital will now be among the first in the nation to offer this new treatment. Besides the four hospitals that hosted clinical trials, SMH will be among nine hospitals introducing the tech to the marketplace in 2019. In Florida, the platform will only be available in Sarasota and Orlando. 

Photo Courtesy SMH: Interventional Pulmonologist Dr. Joseph Seaman, Respiratory Therapist Wendy LaChaunce, and Thoracic Surgeon Dr. Paul Chomiak.

As the holiday season reaches its peak, giving is on the forefront of many minds. Amidst the hustle and bustle of finding the perfect last-minute gifts, there are many members of the community thinking of those less fortunate and adding a little something extra to their shopping bags. Among those is the team at MarineMax Sarasota, who partnered with All Faiths Food Bank to fill empty plates and tummies this season with their “Fill The Boat” campaign. Hosting a happy hour-style event at their offices on Thursday, December 13th, MarineMax Sarasota called upon friends, family and community members to donate non-perishable food items and enjoy food, drinks and live music by Mike Tozer. Quite literally “filling the boat,” MarineMax Sarasota brought a Whaler into their sales office, which was soon stuffed to the gills with goods to make the holiday season just a little sweeter for each and every member of the Sarasota-Bradenton community. Together with All Faiths Food Bank, MarineMax Sarasota is working to make a difference in the lives of so many. 

The Florida Department of Health in Sarasota County (DOH-Sarasota) this weekend issued a health advisory to residents and visitors near Sarasota Bay. The City of Sarasota utility department has reported a spill of untreated sewage that has entered the Sarasota Bay near Centennial Park. Testing indicates contamination of the water, and people in the area are urged to take precautions when in contact with Sarasota Bay in the area of Centennial Park. The City of Sarasota conducted additional water sampling on Saturday.

Water contaminated with wastewater overflow presents several health risks to humans. Untreated human sewage with microbes could cause gastrointestinal issues and other conditions. Anyone who comes into contact with Sarasota Bay should wash thoroughly, especially before eating or drinking. Children and older adults, as well as people with weakened immune systems, are particularly vulnerable to disease so every precaution should be taken if in contact with Sarasota Bay near Centennial Park.

For more information about the potential health effects of wastewater overflow, Floridians are encouraged to contact DOH-Sarasota at (941) 861-6133 or visit the website below. 

DOH-Sarasota

Ringling College of Art and Design Computer Animation program has brought in two first-place awards: Animation Magazine’s “Best Animation School” and ranked #1 on the “10 Best Colleges for Animation” by College Magazine.

Animation Magazine released its “Best of 2018 Award Winners.” The winners are chosen by the readers of the publication at the end of each year. In the category of “Best Animation School” Ringling College has tied as number 1 with CalArts. And if that weren’t enough, earlier in the week College Magazine named Ringling College #1 in its list of “The 10 Best Colleges for Animation.” According to the publication, “These 10 colleges prepare aspiring animators for the real world with cutting-edge programs, technology available for projects and practice, professional opportunities and alumni networks that connect students to opportunities beyond graduation.” In recent years, the Ringling College Computer Animation program has also been ranked #1 in the US by 3D World Magazine, #2 in the US by Animation Career Review, and just recently won its 14th Student Academy Award for a Senior Thesis film created in the program. 

Ringling College of Art and Design