Page 14 - Kadlec Regional Medical Center | 2012 Community Report

Robotic Surgery Advances
Kadlec’s position as the leading surgical hospital in the region has taken another leap
forward this year. The Medical Center established a new robotic surgery program in its
operating suites and installed the latest generation of surgical technology.
The daVinci Surgical System is precise, minimally invasive technology for use in many pro-
cedures, including urological and gynecological problems. Surgeons Mark Mulholland, MD,
Larry Smith, MD and other staff have undergone extensive training on the new equipment.
Robotic surgery is typically performed through tiny incisions, or operating “ports.” For
patients, that means less pain and lower risk of infection, shorter hospital stays and
recovery times, fewer complications, less blood loss, fewer transfusions, less scarring,
and a quicker return to normal activity.
“The new robot changes almost everything about the experience of certain surgeries for
both the patient and the surgeon,” said Dr. Mulholland. “With finely controlled robotic
instruments, we can do procedures more safely and help speed recovery.”
The daVinci system has three main components: a mechanical robot with four multi-jointed
arms; a computer command center where the surgeon sits, installed several feet from the
patient, and a 3-D monitor similar to a “viewfinder” that affords a magnified view of the
surgical site inside the patient.
Equipped with a special, double-telescopic endoscope, the viewfinder allows surgeons to
see the surgical site more closely than human vision allows, and to work at a smaller scale
of detail than in conventional surgery.
“With robotic surgery, we can virtually put our hands inside the patient,”explains Dr. Smith, an
obstetrics and gynecology specialist.
“Adding this to our surgical options is huge,”Dr. Smith concludes. “It puts Kadlec in line
with many much larger American medical centers.”
“We believe the opportunity
for individuals to make
personal choices related
to their care is essential.”