First on the Central Coast, the da Vinci 'robot' means less pain, shorter recovery times
Dominican Hospital acquires robotic surgery system
The Dominican Hospital Foundation has invested $1.5 million to bring the latest in surgical technology to the Central Coast.
Dominican Hospital's state-of-the-art da Vinci Surgical System, which surgeons control to perform laparoscopic surgeries (those with fiber optic instruments, rather than traditional "open" surgeries), with instruments less than one-third inch in diameter, is now available in Dominican’s Surgery Department.
Using the da Vinci Surgical System, the surgeon operates while seated at a console next to the operating table, viewing a 3-D image of the surgical field. The surgeon uses master controls located below the display to perform the procedure. The system translates the surgeon’s hand, wrist and finger movements into precise, real-time movements of the surgical instruments inside the patient.
“The da Vinci system allows us to do complex surgery with more precision and better results,” said Mark Rosen, MD, urological surgeon and member of Dominican’s medical staff. Dr. Rosen and one of his practice partners, David Benjamin, MD, have been traveling to a San Jose hospital since 2007 to use the da Vinci system there. “It’s taken the advantages of traditional laparoscopic surgery and made them even better.”
Those advantages include faster recovery, less post-operative pain and less blood loss during surgery for patients. For surgeons, the operation field is shown on high-definition screens, in magnified 3-D. The instruments have all the mobility of the human hands—and then some: The da Vinci’s jointed-wrist instruments actually exceed the range of motion of the human hand.
“It’s a very intuitive system to learn,” said Dr. Rosen. “Whatever movements you make with your hands, those are the movements the instruments make inside the body. Complex operations that require precise dissection and fine suturing have been difficult to learn laparoscopically, but they are much easier to perform with the da Vinci system. The da Vinci system allows us to offer the benefits of less-invasive surgery to many more patients.”
Surgeons will be able to use the da Vinci system for procedures in urology, including the treatment of prostate cancer; gynecology, including hysterectomies and removal of uterine fibroids; and for cardiothoracic and general surgery.
“This is a major benefit to our patients,” said Dr. Rosen. “To have the opportunity to offer the best technology available right here in Santa Cruz is something we’re very excited about.”
