St. Francis Health Center has brought the newest da Vinci surgical robot to Topeka to provide the most state-of-the-art minimally invasive surgical care available in northeast Kansas.

"The quality of the operation is much better with the da Vinci," says Sanjay Tripathi, MD, St. Francis Cardiothoracic Surgery. "With the robot, we're able to take the minimally invasive surgery a step further."

St. Francis brought its first da Vinci surgical robot to Topeka in 2006, and now the third generation da Vinci will enable the Health Center to further expand its surgical capabilities to improve patient well-being.

"It's a more advanced machine," says Alfredo Iloreta, MD, Topeka Urology at St. Francis. "There's an advantage for patients because they have a shorter stay and less pain and blood loss. It's good for the surgeon because there's more magnification and better control."

Specially trained surgeons across multiple specialties use the da Vinci and other minimally invasive techniques for heart, lung, uterus and prostate surgeries at St. Francis.

"This is a great tool," says Polly Train, MD, Topeka OB/GYN Associates. "It's a little safer, and a lot easier. Patients go home the next day."

"In a typical minimally invasive hysterectomy, a patient could lose a soda can's worth of blood and have a three-day hospital stay, but with the da Vinci they lose about a tablespoon. And many of my patients are discharged just 12 hours after the procedure," says Cathy Dahl, DO, Topeka OB/GYN Associates.

The robot has a three-dimensional high-definition magnification system and provides surgeons with enhanced dexterity and greater precision and control with typical incisions for procedures just one to two centimeters long.

"We have performed upward of 400 prostatectomies, and the new da Vinci will allow us to expand our surgical options to renal-sparing surgeries," Dr. Rupp says. "It really helps with the three C's-cancer, control and continence."

These physicians use the da Vinci surgical robot at St. Francis:

Cardiac Surgery 

Sanjay Tripathi, MD
St. Francis Cardiothoracic Surgery
785-270-5115

Brad Rupp, MD
Rupp Urology Clinic
785-354-7877

Alfredo Iloreta, MD
Topeka Urology Clinic at St. Francis
785-232-1005

Mark Bransted, MD
Urology Associates of Topeka
785-233-4256

Chu-Chi Chen, MD
Advanced Urology Clinic
785-233-8188