2007
Nation’s First Hospital-Affiliated Cord Blood Banking Program
Through a joint partnership between The Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology and LifebankUSA, a New Jersey-based stem cell banking service, the Saint Barnabas Medical Center-LifebankUSA Placenta·Cord Banking Program – the first such hospital-affiliated program in the nation – was established.
New Hope for Cancer Patients
Saint Barnabas is the first hospital in NJ to offer the only FDA approved device to administer Intraperitoneal Hyperthermia (IPH) for the treatment of advanced abdominal cancers. In addition, Saint Barnabas is the first hospital in New Jersey and one of only 15 in the country to offer Selective Internal Radiation Therapy (SIRT), an innovative non-surgical treatment of metastatic liver cancer.
Twins Born Through Innovative Egg Freezing Technique
Sisters Jordan and Taylor, conceived through a revolutionary new egg freezing technique developed by the team at the Institute of Reproductive Medicine and Science at Saint Barnabas, were born at Saint Barnabas to Newark residents Keisha and Sharrieff Pugh.
Firsts for Renal Transplantation
In May, the Renal and Pancreas Transplant Program became the first program in New Jersey and among a few in the country to offer patients participation in its Program for Incompatible Transplants. The, in December, The Program became one of the first hospitals in the United States to carefully orchestrate and perform kidney transplant surgeries on three recipients in two different states using kidneys from donors they had never met.
Robotic Surgery Debuts
The first robotic surgery case – a robotic-assisted laparoscopic myomectomy - was performed at Saint Barnabas by Robert Taylor, M.D., attending gynecological oncologist. Dr. Taylor used the da Vinci® S HD Surgical System on a 39-year-old woman suffering from uterine fibroids. In addition, Domenico Savatta, M.D. and Brent Yanke, M.D., attending urologists; and Adam Kopelan, M.D., attending general surgeon, performed New Jersey’s first robotic bladder creation surgery on a 63-year-old man who was able to leave the hospital three days after the procedure.
Stroke Center Receives Comprehensive Designation
The Stroke Center at Saint Barnabas was designated a Comprehensive Stroke Center by the State Department of Health and Human Services for offering specialized care to patients who suffer the most complex strokes and need specialized testing and immediate interventions.
