Media Contact: Angela Menninger, 602-373-8212, angela@dualitypr.com

“COOL” OFFERING AT ST. LUKE’S MEDICAL CENTER PROVIDES ARIZONANS WITH NON-SURGICAL OPTION TO RELIEVE DEBILITATING ARTHRITIS PAIN, GET BACK TO LIFE

St. Luke’s Medical Center First in Arizona to Offer Cooled Radio Frequency Ablation Treatment as Effective Alternative to Invasive Surgery, Joint Replacement

PHOENIX (Dec. 5, 2017) – St. Luke’s Medical Center is the first hospital in the state to offer a revolutionary new non-surgical treatment for Arizonans who are battling the painful and debilitating effects of chronic arthritis. Led by Dr. Minesh Zaveri, medical director of the Pain Center at St. Luke's Medical Center and Tempe St. Luke's Hospital, the hospital is now offering Cooled Radio Frequency Ablation (Cooling RF) to patients who have typically turned to pain management medications, including opioid prescriptions, and inflammation-reducing corticosteroids to intensive physical therapy and last-resort surgery that often includes joint repair or joint replacement.

Arthritis affects 24 percent of Arizona’s population, and as the population ages that number is expected to grow. With more than 1,222,000 adults currently living with doctor-diagnosed arthritis in a state where opioid consumption is reaching epidemic levels and has been declared a public health emergency, both patients and doctors are looking for alternative, yet effective treatment options.

Recently approved by the Food and Drug Administration, Cooling RF is a less drastic option for people with moderate to severe osteoarthritis pain. Using radio frequencies to target and essentially shut off the nerves that send pain signals from the affected arthritic area to the brain, Cooling RF has become an effective treatment option for individuals who whom knee replacement surgery is not an option or for those who have additional health conditions. Probes are inserted that deliver the radio frequencies during an outpatient procedure that approximately takes 15-20 minutes to complete.

While the treatment does not reduce the level of arthritis in the joint, pain relief is significant and can help patients live relatively pain free, without needing to rely on sometimes highly addictive medication.

“We have seen incredible results with patients who have undergone this game-changing treatment,” said Dr. Zaveri. “By interrupting the pain receptors in the brain, pain and functionality is drastically improved in minutes to hours after the procedure, which is done in an outpatient setting, giving patients the chance to get back to living their lives to the fullest much sooner.”

Phoenix resident Patricia Oliver is one of those patients. At 67 years old, Oliver has been suffering from osteoarthritis, or as she calls it, crippling arthritis, for many years. She has had incredible arthritis pain and pressure that first started in her knee. Both she and Dr. Zaveri knew they needed to look at alternative treatments.

Oliver was not a candidate for surgery and taking prescription pain medications was not an option. Having lost a child to addiction, she knew too well how pain management can turn into dependency. Cooling RF became the answer. Given the severity and progression of her arthritis, she started experiencing sciatic nerve and neck pain, the latter creating unbearable headaches. After successful treatments on her knee, her team turned to Cooling RF as the ideal solution for her additional arthritis-related pain.

“In addition to the joint pain I was feeling in my knees, the arthritis in my neck was leaving me with a very painful and persistent headache that just wouldn’t give up,” said Oliver, who lives in an active household with her children and grandchildren. “Having experienced immense relief through the successful treatments of Cooling RF on my knee, I went through three treatment rounds on my neck and noticed it almost immediately started helping with my headache. After the second procedure, the headache was gone. By the third visit, it was completely gone, as was my pain.”

Cooling RF can help reduce patients’ pain levels anywhere from 6 to 12 months, depending on the area being treated and extent of the osteoarthrosis. While it does stop pain, it cannot halt the progression of the condition, which may eventually lead to a joint replacement.

For more information about Dr. Zaveri’s Cooled Radio Frequency Ablation treatment, patients can call 602-795-PAIN (7246) or visit sonoranpain.com.

To schedule an interview with Dr. Zaveri or Patricia Oliver to discuss the positive effects of this new technology, contact Angela Menninger at 602-373-8212 (mobile) or angela@dualitypr.com.

About St. Luke’s Medical Center
Serving Metropolitan Phoenix for more than 100 years, St. Luke’s Medical Center is a 200-bed tertiary care hospital offering a full range of medical services, including emergency care, orthopedics, cardiac care, bariatrics, physical rehabilitation, pain management and wound care. St. Luke’s has a long history of innovation as the first hospital in Arizona to open a cardiac catheterization lab, and the first in the Valley to perform open heart surgery. With a focus on serving the diverse health care needs of the community, experienced professionals provide high quality care with the latest technology, in a caring environment. St. Luke’s Medical Center is an Official Healthcare Partner of the Phoenix Suns and Phoenix Mercury. For more information, visit stlukesmedcenter.org or call 1-877-351-WELL (9355).

About Steward Health Care

Steward Health Care, the largest private hospital operator in the United States, is a physician-led health care services organization committed to providing the highest quality of care in the communities it serves. Headquartered in Boston, Steward operates 36 community hospitals nationwide that employ approximately 37,000 people and regularly receive top awards for quality and safety. The Steward network includes more than 26 urgent care centers, 42 preferred skilled nursing facilities, substantial behavioral health services, more than 7,300 beds under management, and more than 1.1 million covered lives through the company’s managed care and health insurance services. Steward’s unique health care service delivery model leverages technology, innovation, and care coordination to keep patients healthier. With a culture that prioritizes agility, resourcefulness, and continuous improvement, Steward is recognized as one of the nation’s leading accountable care organizations. The Steward Health Care Network includes thousands of physicians who care for approximately 2 million patients annually. Steward Medical Group, the company’s employed physician group, provides more than 1 million patient encounters per year. The Steward Hospital Group operates hospitals in Arizona, Arkansas, Colorado, Florida, Louisiana, Massachusetts, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Texas, and Utah. For more information, visit steward.org.

 

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