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K
adlec Regional Medical Center’s
long-standing reputation as the
leading surgical hospital in the
region has just taken another leap
forward with the addition of state-of-
the-art robotic capabilities called the
da Vinci
®
Surgical System.
Since August, two specially trained
Kadlec Clinic surgeons have been
offering patients another option for
some surgeries using the new system.
It enables these surgeons to perform
delicate and complex operations through
a few tiny incisions with increased
vision, precision, dexterity and control.
Kadlec is the only hospital in our
community using
da Vinci
, which is the
most technologically advanced surgical
platform available.
Although it is called a “robot,” during
a
da Vinci
procedure the surgery is
performed entirely by the doctor who is
sitting at a computer console.The surgeon
operates while viewing a magnified 3D
high-definition image of the surgical field.
The surgeon’s fingers grasp the master
controls, with hands and wrists naturally
positioned relative to his or her eyes. It
translates the surgeon’s hand, wrist and
finger movements into precise, real-time
movements of surgical instruments.
Robotic surgery delivers increased clinical
capability while maintaining the same
“look and feel” as open surgery.
Robotic surgery provides the best
aspects of both minimally invasive and
traditional open techniques.
“We have been limited in what
we could do with
minimally invasive
surgeries performed
laparoscopically,”
said Kadlec Clinic
obstetrics and
gynecology specialist
Mark Mulholland,
MD.“You can’t go
around corners, which
limits access to areas within the body
during a procedure.This means many
complex procedures have to be performed
with open surgery.The
da Vinci
has
‘wrists’ which are flexible and can bend,
so we can perform even the most complex
and delicate procedures with precision
through very small incisions.”
Initially,
da Vinci
will be used for
gynecological procedures including
hysterectomies, treatment of endometriosis
and repair of the pelvic floor.
“Adding this to our surgical options is
huge,” said Kadlec Clinic obstetrics and
gynecology specialist Larry Smith, MD.
“It puts us in line with most major
medical centers.
In some hospitals,
up to 80 percent
of gynecological
procedures are now
done with robots.”
Currently, Drs.
Mulholland and
Smith, along with
several Kadlec Regional Medical Center
staff, have undergone the extensive
training required.
Across the country,
da Vinci
’s use
continues to expand. “It is being used
extensively in urology, general surgery
and even head and neck surgery,”
said Dr. Smith. “We expect its use to
also grow at Kadlec as more of our
specialists become trained and new
physicians coming out of medical school
want to have this new, cutting-edge
technology available here, too.”
For more information, call Kadlec
Clinic Associated Physicians for
Women at
(509) 942-3627, ext. 7109
.
precision
The most sophisticated robotic surgery technology
has arrived at Kadlec Regional Medical Center
Mark
Mulholland, MD
Larry Smith, MD
Benefits of
da Vinci
For the patient, benefits of a
procedure performed using
da Vinci
may include:
•
•
Significantly less pain
•
•
Less blood loss
•
•
Less scarring
•
•
Shorter recovery time
•
•
Faster return to normal daily
activities
With
robotic
www.kadlec.org
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