Edward patients opt for robotic-assisted surgery, da Vinci's use far exceeds projections
By Edward Hospital
July 17, 2011
Patients at Edward Hospital are choosing robotic-assisted surgery over traditional procedures more often than expected.
In July 2010, the hospital projected 32 patients would undergo surgery with the new da Vinci Surgical System in its first year of operation. But with an array of procedures from a variety of specialties available, Edward streaked past that projection, and completed nearly 200 da Vinci procedures in the first year of the system's use - a level that was expected four years down the road.
da Vinci is a tool that assists the physician during surgical procedures. With da Vinci, robotic arms modify and stabilize the motion of the surgeon's hands, and the system improves a surgeon's view through three-dimensional magnification.
More precise movements and better imaging create numerous benefits for patients:
-Smaller incisions
-Shorter operative times (vs. open surgery)
-Shorter hospital stays
-Shorter recovery period
-Less pain
-Quicker return to family activities, work and recreation
Those distinctions were important to Sugar Grove resident Jennifer Madziarczyk, 42, when she and her OB-GYN discussed a hysterectomy to deal with her fibroid tumors.
As an accountant and mother of four - ranging from 5 to 14 years old - she found it hard to imagine staying hospitalized for long. She believes da Vinci was the best, least invasive approach that also would help her heal more quickly.
"The biggest thing is recovery is easier," she says. "From what I understand about other procedures, I could have been laid out for weeks, and (with da Vinci) I was up and doing stuff in the first week."
Her OB-GYN, Dr. Chris Olson of the Women's Center for Health, says he performs robotic-assisted hysterectomy primarily in difficult cases, such as with women who've had C-sections and other surgeries resulting in scar tissue. Madziarczyk had previous pelvic surgery. The da Vinci System allows surgeons to work around scar tissue more easily, says Dr. Olson.
He also says da Vinci allows surgeons to sew sutures and tie knots better than with laparoscopic surgery because laparoscopic instruments only move right and left, open and close; robotic-assisted surgery mimics wrist movements and increases the surgeon's range of motion.
Dr. Mark Fisher, a urologic surgeon with DuPage Medical Group, performs prostatectomy, full or partial removal of the kidney and bladder removal with the da Vinci System. He says most prostatectomies in the U.S. are now done with robotic assistance.
"It's a safer, more efficient procedure that returns patients back to their baseline function quicker than open surgery while offering the same benefits of cancer control," Dr. Fisher says. "I think patients have identified it as a better technique of surgery where they're back to daily functions faster, for a better quality of life."
Dr. Paul Lyon, a urologic surgeon with DuPage Urology Associates, agrees, and adds that da Vinci is a better choice because of the post-surgery benefits for patients.
Dr. Lyon performs robotic-assisted prostate removal, partial and total kidney removal and repair of the ureter. The area under the pelvis is hard for surgeons to reach, and the da Vinci System allows them to see better, control bleeding better and move around with more dexterity, according to Dr. Lyon.
He says robotic-assisted surgery has revolutionized the profession, and he expects to see more procedures done this way in the future.
"With the robotic arm, I can move around more easily and do so many more things," Dr. Lyon said. "A typewriter can type a letter, but a word processor can do it with so much more freedom, ease and control."
Not only is da Vinci special, but so is performing it at Edward, according to Dr. David Cziperle, a cardiothoracic surgeon with Cardiac Surgery Associates. He says the hospital is committed to minimally invasive surgery to improve the patient experience and adds that anesthesiologists, nurses and surgeons are trained to work as a team when using da Vinci.
This has helped Edward become a national leader in robotic-assisted thoracic procedures. Dr. Cziperle has a patient who underwent the first robotic-assisted removal of a parathyroid tumor in the U.S. The patient had an ectopic parathyroid adenoma - which means he had a mass in his chest that usually shows up in the neck, sending his calcium levels sky-high, making him lethargic and increasing his risk for kidney stones and other complications.
Instead of splitting the sternum and performing open-chest surgery, Dr. Cziperle used the da Vinci System to approach through the right side of the chest, using three or four half-inch incisions. He sent the patient home in about two days, versus weeks of recovery for conventional surgery.
"This is the ultimate minimally invasive surgery," says Dr. Cziperle.
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