Orlando Health Physician Recognized as Center of Excellence for Device Used in Prostate Cancer Treatment

Orlando, FL (January 22, 2024) – Orlando Health Medical Group Urology today announced that Dr. Jamin Brahmbhatt, MD has been designated as a Center of Excellence for SpaceOAR™ Hydrogel – a device manufactured by Boston Scientific and designed to reduce the radiation dose delivered to the rectum during prostate cancer radiation treatment.

Due to the rectum’s proximity to the prostate, it can become unintentionally damaged during therapy, leading to issues with bowel function.

SpaceOAR Hydrogel is designed to push the rectum away from the prostate, reducing the radiation dose delivered to the organ, which may lessen damage to the rectum.

The Center of Excellence designation recognizes Dr. Brahmbhatt with a high degree of experience applying SpaceOAR Hydrogel and commitment to minimizing the impact on urinary, sexual and bowel quality of life for prostate cancer patients undergoing radiation therapy.

Prostate cancer is the second most diagnosed cancer in American men behind skin Cancer, and more than 3.1 million living in the country have been diagnosed with the disease.

Prostate cancer can be treated through several options, but each year, more than 60,000 patients treat their prostate cancer with radiation therapy, contributing to a nearly 100% five-year survival rate for individuals with the condition.

“Being designated as a SpaceOAR Hydrogel Center of Excellence is an important recognition for us, and further supports our efforts to deliver the highest-quality treatment possible for prostate cancer patients in the Central Florida area,” said Dr. Jamin Brahmbhatt, Urologist, Orlando Health Medical Group Urology. “Radiation therapy is an often-successful treatment option for individuals with prostate cancer, but some patients may remain hesitant due to the unintended side effects that can impact their quality-of-life following treatment.

SpaceOAR Hydrogel can complement the patient’s radiation treatment to preserve healthy tissue and help maintain quality of life.”

SpaceOAR Hydrogel is made primarily of water and polyethylene glycol (PEG), a compound used in most implants, and naturally leaves the body after approximately six months.

A healthcare professional can implant SpaceOAR Hydrogel, a minimally invasive outpatient procedure, in an office, hospital, clinic or surgery center and, typically, patients can go back to normal activities soon after the procedure.6**

In addition to SpaceOAR Hydrogel, Dr. Brahmbhatt also offers SpaceOAR Vue™ Hydrogel, the next-generation of the device that can be seen on computerized tomography (CT) scans, negating the need for physicians to include magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) in treatment planning, and accommodating patients who are contra-indicated for MRI.

SpaceOAR Vue Hydrogel is a radiopaque version of the technology designed to help physicians improve contouring accuracy and consistently position patients receiving prostate cancer radiation.

About Orlando Health

Orlando Health, headquartered in Orlando, Florida, is a private, not-for-profit healthcare organization with $9.6 billion of assets under management that serves the southeastern United States and Puerto Rico.

Founded more than 100 years ago, the healthcare system is recognized around the world for Central Florida’s only pediatric and adult Level I Trauma program as well as the only state-accredited Level II Adult Trauma Center in Pinellas County. It is the home of the nation’s largest neonatal intensive care unit under one roof, the only system in the southeast to offer open fetal surgery to repair the most severe forms of spina bifida, the site of an Olympic athlete training facility and operator of one of the largest and highest performing clinically integrated networks in the region. Orlando Health has pioneered life-changing medical research and its Graduate Medical Education program hosts more than 350 residents and fellows.

The 3,429-bed system includes 29 hospitals and emergency departments – 25 of which are currently operational with four coming soon. The system also includes nine specialty institutes, skilled nursing facilities, an in-patient behavioral health facility under the management of Acadia Healthcare, and more than 375 outpatient facilities that include physician clinics, imaging and laboratory services, wound care centers, home healthcare services in partnership with LHC Group, and urgent care centers in partnership with FastMed Urgent Care. More than 4,750 physicians, representing more than 100 medical specialties and subspecialties have privileges across the Orlando Health system, which employs more than 27,000 team members and more than 1,500 physicians.

In FY 23, Orlando Health cared for 197,000 inpatients and 6.6 million outpatients.  The healthcare system provided nearly $1.3 billion in total impact to the communities it serves in the form of community benefit programs and services, Medicare shortfalls, bad debt, community-building activities and capital investments in FY 22, the most recent period for which this information is available.

Additional information can be found at http://www.orlandohealth.com, or follow us on LinkedIn, Facebook, Instagram and Twitter @orlandohealth.