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Surgery

Surgery is a branch of medicine that involves treating diseases or injuries by adjusting or removing organs, tissues or bones. Surgery includes both necessary procedures, like cardiac surgery, or elective procedures, such as joint replacement.

Surgical specialists in Metro Denver

If the prospect of surgery is unsettling for you, help starts here.

The experienced surgeons at HCA HealthONE Presbyterian St. Luke's have built a reputation that both you and your family can trust. We specialize in using advanced surgical practices to bring about good outcomes and faster recoveries. Throughout it all, we ensure we safely and carefully meet your unique needs.

Expert advice, available 24/7

Free health-related advice is just a phone call away. Our nurses help you understand your symptoms, treatment options and procedures. They will also help you find a provider or specialist and schedule an appointment.

Free health-related advice is just a phone call away. Our nurses help you understand your symptoms, treatment options and procedures. They will also help you find a provider or specialist and schedule an appointment.

Surgical services we provide

Our surgical specialists are experienced in treating a variety of conditions with advanced technologies and techniques.

Hybrid operating room (OR) technology

One of the ways we are able to elevate our levels of care for both you and our surgical teams is through implementing leading-edge technologies, such as our hybrid OR. We are proud to house the largest hybrid OR in Colorado, as well as the only one that can accommodate both adult and pediatric patients.

Our hybrid OR features:

  • Audiovisual (AV) technology — Our OR is equipped with a built-in video camera in the surgical light. Having this camera allows us to livestream any procedure to any location in the country for consultation or educational purposes.
  • Enhanced X-ray systems — With an X-ray system equipped with 3D advanced measurement software, we are able to capture exceptional imaging with less radiation exposure than conventional methods.
  • Full endovascular suite — Having an OR with full endovascular capabilities allows us to combine open and endovascular techniques so that you have access to our full spectrum of surgical services, all in one room.
  • Increased efficiency — This comprehensive suite of OR capabilities reduces the amount of visits you make, your admission time and infection risk, allowing physicians and surgical teams to work simultaneously to provide you with the highest quality care.

Collaborative surgical teams

Surgical teams perform best when they have every resource available to them to treat their patients. Our hybrid OR has all of the necessary tools and technologies to personalize every procedure for you and our surgeons.

The hybrid OR allows multiple teams with separate specialties to work together, performing multiple procedures at one time with the support of advanced technology. Complex procedures that once required multiple disciplines operating independently of each other — costing you money and recovery time — can now be done simultaneously and more effectively.

Our surgical specialties

Our doctors perform a wide range different surgical procedures, including:

  • Colorectal surgery
  • Gastroenterology surgery
  • Hand surgery
  • Joint reconstruction
  • Limb preservation surgery
  • Limb reconstruction
  • Neurological surgery
  • Orthopedic surgery
  • Spine surgery
  • Tumor removal

Limb preservation program

If you are experiencing severe extremity damage, surgeons from our Institute for Limb Preservation are on-site to fully assess your condition, including injuries of the bone, soft tissue, arteries and veins and nerves. This team works together to provide expert surgical and medical care for when you possess a risk of losing a limb.

For more information about our program, please call the Institute for Limb Preservation at (303) 832-5462.

Thoracic outlet syndrome (TOS) treatment

TOS is a painful condition that impacts the nerves and blood vessels, or arteries. In our experience treating more than 5,000 people with TOS, less than 30 percent needed surgery to get relief. However, when surgery is required, we offer expert vascular surgery at our Center for Thoracic Outlet Syndrome.

Transplant surgery

Our transplant centers are home to highly skilled surgeons, hepatologists and transplant specialists. We provide access to advanced kidney transplant surgery at our Kidney Transplant Center and liver transplant surgery at our Liver Transplant Center. Our teams provide passionate, comprehensive, coordinated and family-centered care that continues from evaluation and surgery to post-transplant care.

Histotripsy

Histotripsy uses high-intensity sound waves to destroy unwanted tissue in the liver. This procedure is non-invasive, which means it does not require incisions, needles or anything to be inserted through the skin to treat the targeted liver tissue. A treatment head (the source that sends out the sound waves) is placed inside a soft, flexible membrane containing specially treated water that sits on your abdomen and is directed at the unwanted liver tissue. Your doctor uses ultrasound to see and target the liver tissue they want to destroy; the sound wave energy is then turned on and focused to a singular point, creating a “bubble cloud,” which destroys only the tissue your doctor has chosen.

How is the procedure performed?

  • The histotripsy procedure may be performed under general anesthesia.
  • Your doctor may require you to follow some dietary restrictions before the planned histotripsy procedure.
  • During a histotripsy treatment, a soft, flexible membrane is positioned over the area where your liver is and filled with water. The water helps the sound waves from the device pass to the target treatment area. There are no cuts made, needles used, or radiation involved in the procedure.
  • Ultrasound imaging, like what is used to see a baby in the womb, and possibly previously taken MRI/CT scans to locate the undesired tissue and determine the size of the area that needs to be treated.
  • During the procedure, the histotripsy therapy is delivered while your doctor monitors the treatment area in real time using ultrasound.
  • The procedure time will vary depending on patient-specific variables and the number of histotripsy treatments delivered in one session.

What happens after the procedure?

  • You may feel some pain after treatment, depending on the area treated, but there are no scars or incision wounds, and many times, patients can return to normal activities quickly.
  • Whether or not you need to stay overnight in the hospital after the procedure depends on several factors, including whether you are experiencing any pain and how you feel overall. The doctor will decide based on your individual situation. The doctor will determine when you return for a follow-up.

Are there clinical studies showing its effectiveness in the liver? [h4]

Doctors and researchers have researched and studied histotripsy for over 20 years, including in clinical trials. In a clinical trial conducted in 2019, it was used successfully in humans to destroy liver tumors(1).

The #HOPE4LIVER trials also demonstrated the successful use of histotripsy in patients with primary and metastatic tumors in the liver in the US and EU(2,3).

1. THERESA Trial, 2019. https://clinicaltrials.gov/ct2/show/NCT03741088
2.#HOPE4LIVER US https://clinicaltrials.gov/ct2/show/NCT04572633
3.#HOPE4LIVER https://clinicaltrials.gov/ct2/show/NCT04573881

For more information, go to HealthONEcares.com, or to find a doctor, call (303) 575-0055.

Minimally invasive surgery

Minimally invasive surgery refers to an operation that can be completed with fewer and smaller incisions than traditional surgery, allowing you to heal faster.

While considered a safer and less-risky alternative to open surgery, some minimally invasive surgeries, such as abdominal procedures, do require general anesthesia. However, since we use local anesthesia and small incisions, less general anesthesia is required.

Minimally invasive surgeries we perform

Our surgeons may use minimally invasive techniques for several procedures, including:

  • Adrenalectomy
  • Appendectomy
  • Breast surgery
  • Cholecystectomy
  • Colectomy
  • Common bile duct exploration
  • Hernia repair
  • Nissen fundoplication
  • Sentinel lymph node biopsy
  • Splenectomy
  • Thoracoscopic pleurodesis
  • Thyroidectomy

Robot-assisted surgery

Robot-assisted procedures not only provide our surgeons with greater visibility and precision, but also numerous benefits to you, as the patient. Utilizing advanced robotic technology in the OR, we can offer you less pain, a shorter hospital stay, reduced risk of infection, greater sparing of nerves and a faster recovery and return to regular activity.

We are home to one of the largest robotic surgery programs in the Rocky Mountain region, and are using robotic technology within a wide range of specialties, including:

  • Colorectal surgery
  • Gallbladder surgery
  • General surgery
  • Hernia repair surgery
  • Hysterectomy
  • Nephrectomy
  • Prostatectomy
  • Sacrocolpopexy

Robotic single-site surgery

Robotic surgery offers the possibility of a single-incision procedure for select patients needing a hysterectomy or cholecystectomy. If you experience a single-site robotic surgery, you typically have virtually scar-less results. That is because the surgeon operates through only one small incision in the navel (belly button). After a fast recovery, the scar is almost impossible to see.

Surgeons at our Center for Robotic Surgery are among only a few in the state performing single-incision surgery. As such, our surgeons proctor physicians from all over the Rocky Mountain region on performing this procedure.

Though robotic surgery has been used successfully worldwide in many procedures to date, not everyone is a suitable candidate. You should discuss the benefits and risks of each surgical technique with your doctor.

Preadmission testing

Our goal is to provide the best possible care before, during and after surgery. Before your surgery, we help you prepare via a preadmission appointment.

Requirements for preadmission

Preadmission appointments typically take place within seven days of your surgery. For the appointment, you will need to bring an insurance card, picture identification as well as a list of medications, including dosages, over-the-counter medications and herbal supplements.

During the appointment, a nurse will:

  • Complete required preadmission tests, such as labs or an electrocardiogram (EKG)
  • Document medical history
  • Provide education and instructions for the day of surgery
  • You or your physician’s office can schedule your appointment by calling (303) 839-6139.

Make sure your appointment is set at least seven days before your surgical procedure.


Our Surgery Locations

Currently Viewing:

HCA HealthONE Presbyterian St. Luke's
1719 E 19th Ave
Denver, CO 80218
 (720) 754 - 6000

Currently Viewing:

HCA HealthONE Presbyterian St. Luke's
1719 E 19th Ave
Denver, CO 80218
 (720) 754 - 6000
Midtown Surgical Center
1919 E 18th Avenue
Denver, CO 80206
 (303) 322-3993

0.2 miles

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