Teresa URQUHART
CEO, Palm Beach Gardens Medical Center

For the majority of Palm Beach Gardens Medical Center’s 54-year history, the medical center has been recognized as the go-to hospital for award-winning, comprehensive heart care, along with orthopedics and joint replacement, pulmonary, stroke and emergent (emergency room) care. Did you know Palm Beach Gardens Medical Center has a dedicated Neuro Intensive Care Unit (neuro-ICU) providing advanced, multidisciplinary, patient-centered care for the most critically ill patients with neurosurgical and neurological life-threatening illnesses? The Neuro Intensive Care Unit team is led by an expert staff of neurosurgeons, neurologists, intensivists and other healthcare professionals trained and experienced in both the neurological and medical management of patients.

The focus on top-level neurosurgery and neurologic care puts Palm Beach Gardens Medical Center at the forefront within our community for neuro-critical care including stroke, brain hemorrhage, and tumor treatment. Palm Beach Gardens Medical Center is a certified Advanced Primary Stroke Center and has neurosurgery capabilities. Coupled with the established Epilepsy Monitoring Unit, these offerings enhance the northern Palm Beach community’s access to lifesaving care including neurosurgery treatment options using the latest advanced technology.

The neurosurgeons on-staff at Palm Beach Gardens Medical Center have the technological capabilities of the Stealth- Station™ S8 Surgical Navigation System, an advancement using innovative visualization technology during neurosurgery procedures. In addition, the O-Arm surgical imaging system is also now part of the neurosurgical team and provides real-time, intra-operative 2D/3D imaging of neurosurgical devices used in spine, cranial, orthopedic procedures and treatments. Together, with the O-Arm surgical imaging system and StealthStation surgical navigation system, neurosurgeons at Palm Beach Gardens Medical Center perform a multitude of procedures including spinal surgery and cranial surgery for excision of brain tumors.

Neurosurgical Procedures:

• Anterior Cervical Discectomy and Fusion
• Posterior Cervical Decompression and Fusion
• Anterior Lumbar Interbody Fusion
• Posterior Lumbar Interbody Fusion
• Lumbar Microdiscectomy
• Lumbar Laminectomy and Decompression
• Sacroiliac Fusion
• Kyphoplasty
• Ventriculostomy
• Ventricular Peritoneal Shunt Insertion
• Craniotomy for Subdural Hematoma
• Craniotomy for Excision of Brain Tumor
• Spinal Cord Stimulator Placement

Neurosurgeons:

• Ramin M. Abdolvahabi, MD
• John K. Afshar, MD
• Timothy G. Burke, MD
• John D. Cantando, DO
• Michael J. Chaparro, MD
• Fred L. Cohen, MD
• Steven A. Dutcher, DO
• Faris J. Fakhoury, MD
• Heldo Gomez Jr., MD
• Martin Greenberg, MD
• Evan M. Packer, MD
• Brett A. Schlifka, DO
• Ronald L. Young II, MD
• Lloyd Zucker, MD

The StealthStation Surgical Navigation System includes advances in optical and electromagnetic (EM) tracking capabilities with integration of external devices including microscopes, ultrasound and other instruments. Using advanced visualization our neurosurgeons at Palm Beach Gardens Medical Center can construct tumor models, white matter tracts, the cortical surface and vessels with automated 3D segmentation tools. Additionally, neurosurgeons can visualize configurations and anatomy rapidly by automatically blending the 3D model, plan neurosurgical approaches with virtual craniotomy and endoscope tools and merge images from CT, MRI, CTA, MRA, fMRI, PET and SPECT. Using this system, our neurosurgeons can perform biopsies and tumor resections, catheter placements for MRI-guided laser ablations, deep brain stimulation (DBS) lead placements, navigation and imaging for DBS and procedures with stereotactic frames.

Neurosurgeons at Palm Beach Gardens Medical Center also have the availability of the O-Arm surgical imaging system, which provides current patient data in the operating room, assists in imaging necessities of advanced minimally invasive surgery and can help to deliver information in more challenging procedures including heavier patients or those with unique anatomy. The O-arm can assist and give an initial data set in procedures wherever pre-op axial/coronal/sagittal slice data is needed. The O-arm eliminates the need for patients to be transported for scanning by radiology, allows flexibility for surgeons to attain As Low As Reasonably Achievable (ALARA) X-ray doses to the patient and can reduce X-ray radiation doses to the surgeon and staff.

As an Advanced Primary Stroke Center, Palm Beach Gardens Medical Center is part of the Advanced Neuroscience Network, a broad team of hospitals and doctors in Florida who are focused on offering a full continuum of care throughout South Florida. Palm Beach Gardens Medical Center has won numerous stroke awards including the American Heart Association Get with the Guidelines — Stroke Gold Plus Quality Achievement Award with Target: Stroke Honor Roll Elite Plus (2015-2021) and High Performance in the Treatment of Stroke in U.S. News & World Report’s 2021-2022 Best Hospitals.

For more information on the services offered at Palm Beach Gardens Medical Center, click here or call 561-622-1411.