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Robotic surgery has been part of the medical scene for years, and is continuing to gain prominence as hospitals and surgeons explore its benefits to patients. At the George Washington University Hospital, robotic surgery has helped patients receive the care they need without enduring the side effects of surgery with such intensity.
Surgeons at the GW Hospital Center for Robotic Surgery, which is the first in the DC area to have the da Vinci Surgical System, have performed almost 2,000 robotic procedures. The surgeries conducted with this technology now are less invasive, helping surgeons operate using a smaller incision than is required in traditional procedures. Pain and trauma experienced by the patient are reduced, as are infection risks, potential blood loss, hospital stays, and scarring.
As the hospital has continued to expand its use of robots in surgery, surgeons have found that the robots enable them to maneuver in tighter areas of the body, such as the kidney, more easily. Traditional minimally invasive techniques still work, but in places like the chest, robots are proving superior for the right patients. “It is very hard to replicate open thoracic procedures using conventional minimally invasive techniques because of the anatomy of the chest and the complexity of many thoracic procedures," Farid Gharagozloo, MD, Clinical Chief of Cardiothoracic Surgery Services and Clinical Professor of Surgery, told GW Hospital Health News. “At GW Hospital, the robot is changing everything. Robotic cardiothoracic surgery is the newest frontier in surgery and only a limited number of surgeons have expertise in this field.”
In another Health News article, Harold Frazier, MD, Director of Urologic Oncology and Clinical Professor of Urology, said, “Robotic surgery is so effective that it is evolving into the standard of care for prostate surgery.” Marc Margolis, MD, Associate Clinical Professor of Surgery, was quoted as saying, “We're seeing human anatomy and structures in ways we can't see with the naked eye or with less sophisticated imaging systems.”
In 2008, the hospital obtained its second da Vinci Surgical System, which includes a TV screen and teleprompter surgeons use to teach their students more efficiently during operations. Physicians have actively sought out the tool to learn more about improving their skills. “It’s a difficult tool to master, but when mastered it’s a magnificent tool,” Jason D. Engel, MD, Vice Chairman of Urology and Director of Urologic Robotic Surgery at GW Hospital, noted in a news release. “It can make an experienced surgeon exceptional.”
References
http://www.gwumc.edu/medctr/news.cfm?view=news&d=7503
http://gwashington.uhspublications.com/spring2009/story3.html
http://media.www.gwhatchet.com/media/storage/paper332/news/2008/10/02/News/
Gw.Hospital.Acquires.Second.Robot.To.Perform.Surgeries-3465934.shtml
http://gwashington.uhspublications.com/winter2009/story2.html
https://www.gwhospital.com/Hospital-Services-O-Z/Robotic-Surgery