In September 2017, Dameron Hospital partnered with Stanford Health Care and the Stanford School of Medicine to bring a new level of cardiac and thoracic treatment—and technology—to San Joaquin County.
“Stanford has a global reputation for excellence,” says Dr. Eric Keyser, Cardiothoracic Surgeon & Medical Director of the Stanford Cardiac Surgery Program at Dameron Hospital, “and Dameron sought the partnership with Stanford to provide that same level of world-class care to the local community. As one of the top cardiac programs, Stanford will be supporting the program at Dameron with the latest in research and educational programs to complement the care and services already offered.”
The innovative program grants Central Valley residents access to highly rated physicians, state-of-the-art surgical procedures and technologies, and minimally invasive cardiac and thoracic surgeries close to home. Advanced coronary grafting techniques, aortic valve repair and replacement, mitral valve repair and replacement (including complex repairs), video-assisted surgery for lung cancer, and minimally invasive cardiac surgeries are among just a few of the top offerings.
Perfect for the frail and elderly, minimally invasive techniques are gentler on the body and allow for rapid recovery with lower risk of complications. “It also benefits patients who are not too old or ill because it allows them to recover faster and get back to the activities they enjoy,” Dr. Keyser adds.
These techniques allow surgeons to access areas of the heart or lungs without opening the chest, breaking bones, or making a large incision in select patients. As Dr. Keyser explains, “The techniques we use here utilize long-shafted instruments, similar to what’s used by robotic operations, but handled directly by the surgeon. We combine that with 3-D direct visualization, providing the same benefits of robotic surgery, but with a greater connection between surgeon and patient and fewer incisions.” In this way, Dr. Keyser continues to maintain a personal touch with his patients.
Dr. Keyser finds this aspect to be the most fascinating, as he witnesses patients who may not have done well with traditional techniques “recover as quickly as a healthy patient would have, or even faster.”
But, it’s not all about surgery. “What I find to be the most important component is the attention to quality and outcome. We provide a personal level of care, the Stanford level of care, which is always the highest quality level of care for the individual patients’ circumstances,” Dr. Keyser says.
Dameron Hospital
525 West Acacia Street, Stockton
(209) 944-5550
DameronHospital.org