Vanderbilt Urology’s newly renovated TVC clinic features a slightly larger and much more efficient space, nitrous oxide in the procedure rooms, a new high definition C-Arm X-ray machine and a urodynamics unit, thereby expanding the range of procedures that can be performed in clinic without having to go to the operating room.
The 20,000-square-feet build includes five procedure rooms and 18 exam rooms for the No. 15 nationally ranked urology department.
“It has been a privilege to work with the professionals who designed and executed the renovation plans. The additional space and greater efficiency of the new clinic will allow us to address the large increase in demand for our services over the past decade and will improve the patient experience. Furthermore, we can offer a wider range of clinic procedures to address urologic conditions,” said Daniel Barocas, MD, professor and executive vice chair, Department of Urology and the William L. Bray Professor of Urology.
Nitrous oxide, also known as “laughing gas,” is as a mild inhaled anesthetic. The addition of nitrous for Urology allows more invasive procedures to be offered in clinic instead of only in the operating room, such as MRI fusion transperineal prostate biopsies — a needle biopsy to look for cancer cells in the prostate.
“We can be a bit more aggressive with some things we can do in clinic that have never been done here before, things that we have only saved for the operating room,” said Administrative Director of Adult Urology Russell Kunic, MSN, FNP-BC, NE-BC, an assistant in Urologic Surgery. “Right now, we are only doing transperineal prostate biopsies at the Belle Meade OR.
Urodynamics, a set of tests that measure lower urinary tract function, will also be added back to the main campus with the reopening,” Kunic said.
VUMC has also seen an increase in its bladder cancer patient volume as patients from surrounding states are coming in every Friday for their weekly treatment due to a national shortage of the medication used for most bladder cancer.
“Not only has our volume of bladder instillations increased by over 100%, but we are now offering an expanded range of bladder instillations that are not offered elsewhere in the region. The increased number of rooms and efficient layout in the renovated TVC clinic will ensure that we are able to manage the high demand for our services,” Barocas said.
David Penson, MD, professor and chair of the Department of Urology and the Paul V. Hamilton, M.D. and Virginia E. Howd Professor of Urologic Oncology, said the renovated TVC clinic will address the increasing demand for general and subspecialty urology services at VUMC.
“With the new clinic at TVC, the Reconstructive Urology and Pelvic Health center of excellence in Cool Springs, the Kidney Stone and Endourology center of excellence in Belle Meade, as well as our satellite clinics in Spring Hill, Green Hills and Lebanon, we are able to provide the highest quality urologic care to people in our region and those who travel long distances for our specialty care,” Penson said.