Wellstar Kennestone’s Emergency Department Celebrates One Year Anniversary

Wellstar patients will be among the first in Georgia to benefit from a new, FDA-approved imaging technology that detects the extent of prostate cancer earlier and with greater accuracy than current imaging methods.

This diagnostic agent called PYLARIFY (piflufolastat F 18) is given to patients as an injection. Once it is in the body, it binds to PSMA, or Prostate Specific Membrane Antigens. Prostate cancer cells usually have a higher level of PSMA. 

When used with PET scans, this innovative technology gives physicians a clearer image of prostate cancer lesions and enables providers to determine the best course of treatment. 

“We have the most sensitive PET scan for prostate cancer available,” said Wellstar Radiation Oncologist Dr. Justin Hart.

Wellstar is among the first in Georgia to routinely offer PSMA PET scans with PYLARIFY.

While standard scans have limited sensitivity for prostate cancer, this advanced imaging is much more capable of identifying prostate cancer, which allows Wellstar doctors to determine if the cancer is limited to the prostate or if it has spread to other parts of the body.

“It allows us to make sure we’re not missing any sites of cancer that aren’t picked up with old-school imaging,” said Wellstar Urologist Dr. Justin Watson. “If there is an area of cancer outside what we’d typically treat and we pick it up with this imaging, we can make sure we address that area, too.”

Providers can then tailor treatment to each patient’s individual needs, collaborating with the patient to find the best course of action and improve outcomes.

“It’s actionable information to make sure patients get the right treatment. It makes all the difference in the world,” Dr. Hart said.

Dr. Hart and Dr. Watson compared the new imaging technology to upgrading a 20 inch tube style TV from 1981 to a 60 inch LCD flat screen TV today.

“This is several leaps forward in our ability to see prostate cancer on a scan in high resolution,” Dr. Watson said. “In the older scans, things are difficult to see and sometimes not even perceptible, and with the new scans, they light right up and we know much better what we’re dealing with.”

This PSMA imaging is currently available at Wellstar Kennestone Hospital, with plans to expand to other locations.

Men between the ages of 55 and 69 should discuss prostate cancer screening with their primary care providers, and men who are at higher risk may need to start screening earlier. Your Wellstar physician will get to know your health needs and history, then work with you to decide whether you might benefit from screenings.

If you have been diagnosed with prostate cancer, talk to your provider about whether PSMA imaging should be part of your care plan. To learn more about prostate cancer treatment at Wellstar, visit our prostate cancer page or call 1 (877) 366-6032.

Wellstar Health System, one of the largest and most integrated healthcare systems in Georgia, is announcing that the planned construction and expansion project to further enhance patient services and facilities will begin at Wellstar Kennestone Hospital on December 20, 2021.  During construction, the Church Street entrance to Wellstar Kennestone Hospital will be closed.  

WHEN: Starting December 20, the covered walkway from the hospital’s Blue Parking Deck to the main entrance will be replaced with a temporary covered sidewalk, shifting the Labor & Delivery Entrance and Drop-Off to inside the Blue Parking Deck at the existing Kennestone Outpatient Pavilion (699 Building) entrance. To access the Labor & Delivery entrance, visitors will need to use Kennestone Hospital Boulevard, off Tower Road, then follow the signs into the covered Blue Parking Deck. 

Wellstar Kennestone Hospital is taking the following steps to minimize the impact on patients, team members, providers, and the community: 

• The main lobby entrance will remain open, as will Kennestone Hospital Boulevard.
• Visitors who park in the Blue Parking Deck can use the temporary sidewalk into the main lobby or enter the hospital through the Purple Tower.
• The new Labor & Delivery entrance location is covered, with ample space for curbside drop-off. The area will be open 24 hours a day and fully sta­ffed to welcome and direct patients to their destination.
• Signs will be posted on the construction barricades, in the parking deck, and in the hospital corridors to guide visitors to their desired location.
• Traffic directors will be stationed outside the hospital lobby to help visitors navigate the changes.

WHY: Wellstar Kennestone Hospital is prepping the site for the proposed expansion project and new patient tower. Wellstar is developing the new tower to expand its women and children services, enhance campus amenities, and address community requests for more private rooms. The new tower will replace the current Baird Building and is expected to open in mid-2025.  

To see the latest updates on the project, visit the Wellstar Kennestone Hospital web page.

For a half decade and counting, Wellstar Kennestone Hospital has used an advanced treatment called extracorporeal membrane oxygenation (ECMO) to provide vital oxygen supply to people when it matters the most.

For the dedicated team members at Wellstar Kennestone Hospital, their five-year ECMO anniversary marks more than a milestone. It means saving more lives.

ECMO in action

ECMO is a cutting-edge technology that has been vital in treating critically ill people — like Zac DiGiorgio — whose lungs are in peril and unable to function on their own.

Dr. Asif Saberi, Wellstar medical director of critical care & ECMO, shared how this state-of-the-art therapy works.

“ECMO is a way to provide air to the body when the lungs fail completely,” Dr. Saberi said. The innovative therapy helps removes carbon dioxide from the bloodstream using a machine when the lungs cannot on their own.

“During ECMO, blood is diverted from the body using plastic catheters — called cannulae — which are approximately the size of a garden hose,” Dr. Saberi explained.

“When the blood is redirected from the body, it is ‘cleaned’ of carbon dioxide which the lungs would have done naturally,” Dr. Saberi said.

After that, the re-oxygenated blood is recirculated through the system to supply life-saving oxygen to the body.

People who suffer traumatic injuries are not the only ones benefitting from the high-tech treatment. Since the start of the COVID-19 pandemic, ECMO has also become instrumental in the fight against the virus.

ECMO & the COVID-19 pandemic

Recently, ECMO has been key in caring for COVID-19 patients with the most severe symptoms.

COVID-19 is a respiratory virus, and can affect the lungs and a person’s ability to breathe normally. In fact, the American Lung Association reported that the lungs are the first organ affected by the virus.

Symptoms like shortness of breath and difficulty breathing may appear suddenly and be severe. For the most critical cases, expanding access to ECMO can be a gamechanger.

“Our ability to provide one specific therapy, ECMO, for a significant number of young people in the extreme manifestation of the disease, is possibly the difference between life and death,” Dr. Saberi shared.

By offering ECMO right here in Georgia, Wellstar Kennestone Hospital is helping to save lives and fight back against the virus. And, for us, five years is only the beginning.

To learn more about how our team is providing world-class care for the community, visit the Wellstar Kennestone Hospital page.