John Means, MD, Performs First Single Incision Laparoscopic Surgery in the Flathead Valley at NVH

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John Means, MD, Performs the First Single Incision Laparoscopic Surgery in the Flathead Valley
at North Valley Hospital

Dr. John Means, Board Certified General Surgeon, performed the first Single Incision Laparoscopic Surgery (SILS) in the Flathead Valley this month at North Valley Hospital. SILS is a minimally invasive surgical procedure that can be performed using one small incision through the patient’s navel or “belly-button”. With this method, the scar is virtually invisible and patients typically experience less pain and a faster recovery.

Instead of multiple incisions associated with traditional laparoscopic surgery, the SILS technique allows the physician to simultaneously manipulate two surgical instruments and a tiny camera in the space of a single 1cm to 1.5 cm incision. Some of the procedures that Dr. Means will be performing with this technique at North Valley Hospital include gall bladder removal, appendectomy, hernia repairs and colon resections.

“We’ve seen the progression of surgery from traditional, open procedures to laparoscopic procedures using three to four incisions, and now to the single-incision technique,” said Dr. Means. “Patients no longer need to be subjected to the large scars, substantial pain, and prolonged recovery associated with open surgery. In other areas, SILS is the tool of the future. At North Valley Hospital, it’s the tool of the present.”

“North Valley Hospital is excited to bring the next step in minimally invasive surgery to the Flathead Valley,” said Jason Spring, CEO. “We are thrilled to have Dr. Means and his surgical expertise at our hospital to provide another example of our high quality of care and technical capabilities.”

John Means, MD, is a Board Certified and Fellowship-Trained General and Bariatric Surgeon. He joined North Valley Hospital in July 2010 after practicing for three years at the University of Pittsburgh Medical Center, and is now part of Northwest Montana Surgical Associates. Following his residency in general surgery at the Mercy Hospital of Pittsburgh, Dr. Means completed a fellowship in laparoscopic general and bariatric surgery at Duke University Medical Center.

“I came to the Flathead Valley for both personal and professional reasons,” explains Dr. Means. “It’s great to be associated with North Valley Hospital. I’ve found their equipment and staff to be 'top notch' and their healthcare philosophy is both insightful and innovative.”