TriHealth Ion Robot

TriHealth is the first health system in the area that invested in the ION Robot to help identify possible lung cancers sooner than ever, which can increase the chances of survival. Symptoms for lung cancer often don’t appear until late stages, making a critical early diagnosis less likely for many. With the ION Robot, our pulmonary medicine team are able to biopsy potentially cancerous, smaller nodules before they become a problem – which also allows potential for earlier treatment. 

Ninety percent of patients get results with this procedure, compared to the wait and watch approach prior to ION robot. It allows physicians to biopsy spots that they couldn’t get to before with other methods, creating new options for patients.

How Does the ION Robot Work?

Patients are typically referred physicians who order scans for a patient and see something concerning on the lungs.

If a patient qualifies for the procedure, the team use special software to map a path to the abnormality with the ION’s catheter. This approach makes it a safe procedure for the patient.

The ION robot uses a hollow catheter that allows very small instruments to pass through to areas of the lung that were often unreachable for biopsy without sometimes having to remove a piece of the lung. Those tools take samples in three or four different places to make sure it is getting what it needs for the biopsy.

Pathology results are provided on average within two business days of their procedure.

The procedure is minimally invasive and does not affect patients too much. Other options for a lung biopsy may require a painful chest tube coming from the lung, but with the ION robot, there is a less than one percent chance of a collapsed lung requiring a chest tube when doing a biopsy with the ION robot.

Who Qualifies for a Biopsy with the ION Robot?

Anyone who has a scan that shows concerning spots may be able to get a referral, but two groups should really be aware of the technology and the Lung Cancer Screening Program at TriHealth.

The first group is smokers. Smokers who have smoked equivalent of one pack for 30 years or former smokers who has quit in the last 15 years.

The second group are people currently under surveillance from a previous cancer.

The ION Robot saves lives – from scan to surgery – by helping providers make diagnoses earlier than previous methods, allowing quicker treatment for our patients.