Robotic-assisted Surgery Makes Complicated Procedures Seem Routine

At the second seminar in the Work Strong series, Bruce A. Jones, MD, cardiothoracic surgeon on staff at Saint Francis Medical Center, discussed how surgical techniques continue to improve and how a recent breakthrough – robotic-assisted surgery with the da Vinci® S HD™ Surgical System – is revolutionizing surgery at Saint Francis.

Traditional surgeries require large incisions so surgeons have room to get their hands and tools in the patient, and these procedures bring increased risk of complications, longer hospital stays and slower recoveries.

The evolution of laparoscopic procedures allowed surgeons to perform surgery through small incisions, offering patients a quicker recovery and fewer complications. However, this minimally invasive technique limits doctors. In laparoscopic surgery, everything the surgeon sees is a mirror image, and the long, straight tools used for this type of surgery hinder the physician's dexterity and ability to perform complex procedures.

Now, Saint Francis' expert surgeons are using the da Vinci to take surgery to a higher level. In this minimally invasive technique, the surgeon sits at a computerized console to control four telescoping arms with highly flexible surgical tools. These small tools allow surgeons to operate through very small incisions – often about the size of a dime. Plus, the system makes the procedure more natural with intuitive movement by using a state-of-the-art 3-D camera that provides images that are not reversed. In addition to enhanced visualization and improved dexterity, specialized technology reduces hand tremor and scales the surgeon's movements for ultraprecise control. For patients, this means that even complicated surgeries can be accomplished without the long recovery times and complication rates associated with traditional surgery, resulting in a fast return to work and play.

Saint Francis Medical Center is the first in Southeast Missouri to use the da Vinci to perform surgeries is three specialties: heart, gynecology and urology. To learn more, call Saint Francis Services to Business at 573-331-5825.