New Milford Hospital announced that local spinal surgeon Dr. Mitchell Garden performed the first sacroiliac (SI) joint fixation in Connecticut using the minimally invasive iFuse Implant System™.

For Candice Peters of Hoosick Falls, New York, the 3.5-hour drive to spinal surgeon Dr. Mitchell Garden is worth every minute on the road. Dr. Garden has been her first choice in spinal surgery ever since she was injured in 2002. Her trust in him ran so deep that, even knowing she would be his first iFuse patient, she would not have entrusted the operation to anyone else – not even a surgeon who had performed it several times. That trust proved well placed.

After the surgery, Ms. Peters spent one night at New Milford Hospital and was strong enough to be discharged and make the 3.5-hour journey back to New York. Because of the quality of her bone tissue, she has to take extra precautions: for nine weeks after the operation, no weight may be placed on the joint. Once that period is over, Ms. Peters will begin a course of physical therapy to make a full recovery.

Beyond her trust in Dr. Garden, Candice was impressed by the staff of New Milford Hospital’s day surgery unit. In her view, the team worked together so that both she and her family felt cared for, and they went out of their way to help her prepare for the journey home at discharge.

Before this recent surgery, Ms. Peters had been in severe spinal pain from her earlier injury and from hereditarily weak bone tissue. Now she can wake in the mornings without that agonizing pain.

Minimally invasive treatment of the SI joint now available at New Milford Hospital

The iFuse procedure is a promising option for patients with unresolved lower-back symptoms tied to the SI joint. The sacroiliac joint connects the sacrum – the triangular bone at the base of the spine – with the iliac crest of the pelvis. It can be damaged both by natural wear over time and by injury.

When that happens, it causes significant discomfort running from the lower back down to the lower buttock and upper leg. That discomfort can lead to loss of the ability to work, and quality of life can suffer greatly.

According to the specialist literature, up to 25% of all lower-back symptoms are linked to the SI joint, yet it is usually left out of the diagnosis of lower-back pain. For the past thirty years, Dr. Garden notes, the medical community has focused on the intervertebral discs – conditions such as a herniated disc or degenerative disc disease – as the source of lower-back pain. As a result, the SI joint is often overlooked, even though it should be part of the diagnosis.

The iFuse procedure is designed to offer a minimally invasive solution for patients who no longer respond well enough to conservative treatment but for whom traditional open surgery is undesirable.

It takes about an hour and involves the surgical placement of three small titanium implants across the SI joint. The whole process is carried out through a small incision, without stripping the soft tissue and with minimal irritation of the tendons. Patients can leave the hospital the day after surgery and are usually able to return to everyday activities within six weeks – depending on how well healing progresses and as directed by the physician.

More about New Milford Hospital’s surgical services is available at www.newmilfordhospital.org or by calling 1-800-350-1535.

About Western Connecticut Health Network

Western Connecticut Health Network is a patient-centered healthcare organization formed in 2010 by two nationally recognized hospitals – Danbury Hospital and New Milford Hospital – together with their affiliated organizations, to provide the highest level of patient care across western Connecticut and neighboring New York. Beyond the two hospitals, the network includes:

  • an integrated medical practice with primary and specialty care expertise;
  • a home care and community health services agency;
  • a full-service pharmacy located at Danbury Hospital;
  • an emergency medical services operation;
  • an occupational health and medicine program serving business and industry.

Western Connecticut Health Network has centers of excellence in women’s, neonatal, cardiovascular and oncology care, weight-loss surgery and orthopedic surgery, digestive disorders, and radiology and diagnostic imaging. It also offers specialized programs for the treatment of sleep disorders and the control of asthma. Both hospitals run active clinical research programs, providing clinical trials to oncology patients and others. More information is available at www.WesternConnecticutHealthNetwork.org.

About New Milford Hospital

New Milford Hospital is a Planetree organization committed to patient-centered care that tends to the body, mind and spirit of every patient. The hospital has an exceptional tradition of warm, attentive personal care, backed by first-rate physicians, world-class technology and the latest, most advanced diagnostic and treatment capabilities. Its team of highly skilled physicians, nurses, technicians and administrators is focused on and committed to improving the health and quality of life of those it serves. More information is available at www.NewMilfordHospital.org, and reviews can be left at www.facebook.com/NewMilfordHospital.

About Danbury Hospital

Danbury Hospital is a 371-bed regional medical center and university teaching hospital affiliated with the University of Vermont College of Medicine, the Yale University School of Medicine, the Connecticut School of Medicine and Columbia University Medical Center. It is nationally recognized as a tertiary care center offering an innovative, high-tech yet compassionate environment, and is a Planetree organization. Along with the latest robotic and minimally invasive surgical and imaging technologies, it was the first hospital in Connecticut to implement electronic health records systems. It operates a Level II trauma center and a Level IIIb neonatal intensive care unit. Its medical staff are board-certified in their specialties, and most teach at the country’s leading university medical centers, which helps ensure a higher level of expertise. More information is available at www.DanburyHospital.org, and reviews can be left at www.Facebook.com/DanburyHospital.