St. Francis Health Center is pleased to have the da Vinci surgical robot as the newest member of its surgical Team. This multifaceted medical masterpiece gives surgeons greater precision and control in the operating room, enabling patients to experience less pain, less blood loss, quicker recoveries, smaller incisions and better outcomes.
With its four robotic arms and a superior 3-D visualization system, the da Vinci’s masterful capabilities are used for urologic, general, cardiac and gynecological surgeries. With magnification options up to 15 times what a surgeon’s eye can see unassisted, the da Vinci’s visionary applications allow for more precise incisions and faster recoveries. St. Francis Health Center is one of only 400 hospitals worldwide and the only hospital west of Kansas City and east of Denver to offer da Vinci technology.
Named for Leonardo da Vinci, famed painter, architect, engineer, mathematician and philosopher, the technology benefits surgeons and patients in achieving a positive outcome so a normal routine can be resumed quickly.
Once the surgeon makes laparoscopic incisions and positions the robotic arms, he or she sits at a remote control panel near the patient’s bed to view the surgical site in 3-D. The surgeon then manipulates the robot to complete the work that needs to be done. The robot filters out hand tremors and other factors that can affect a traditional open surgery. A complete surgical team is with the surgeon and the patient at all times, assessing the patient and assisting the robot.
The da Vinci surgical robot was introduced in 2000. Surgeons who use the da Vinci system must attend training sessions to become certified. Additionally, a certified surgeon serving as a proctor must then observe the surgeon for two surgeries before he or she can begin using the robot.
Carlyle Dunshee, MD, a general surgeon, says, “The da Vinci will allow us to do more complex laparoscopic procedures through smaller openings, resulting in less pain for the patient.”
Grace Morrison, MD, will use the surgical robot for some gynecological applications because it “provides more precision, allowing us to do laparoscopic procedures instead of having the patient undergo major abdominal surgery, resulting in less blood loss and a shorter hospital stay.”
In addition to quicker recoveries and less blood loss, patients can also benefit by not needing as much pain medication upon discharge.
The da Vinci’s capabilities are especially useful for prostate surgeries because the 3-D imaging allows for better cancer control and results equal to or greater than traditional open radical prostatectomy procedures, as well as greater preservation of the nerves, resulting in lower impotence rates.
Patients who have traditional prostatectomy procedures typically experience blood loss of 500 to 1,500 milliliters and a six-week recovery period, whereas patients treated with the da Vinci system typically have blood loss of 200 milliliters and a two-week recovery period.
For more information about the da Vinci surgical robot at St. Francis, call 295-8440 or your physician.
Advantages of da Vinci prostatectomy over open radical prostatectomy:
- Less operative blood loss (200 milliliters versus 1,500 milliliters)
- Better cancer control
- Better preservation of erectile function because of higher magnification
- Shorter Health Center stay (23 hour observation instead of a two- to three-day inpatient stay)
- Less post-operative pain (less narcotics used after surgery)
- Faster return to normal activity (two weeks instead of four to six weeks)
- Lower incidence of post-operative bladder neck contracture