If you need surgery, whether for a common or complex condition, your doctor may recommend robotic surgery using the new da Vinci Xi™ Surgical System at Riverside. This type of surgery is minimally invasive using robotic technology. It can reduce surgery time, offer less risk and help you recover faster than other surgical methods.
The newest model in the da Vinci system allows surgeons to perform more common procedures than on the older model introduced in 2014. With the new overhead arrangement, the robotic arms allow for better movement, reach and dexterity – offering surgeons better access to more parts of the body.
Riverside surgeons use the da Vinci Xi to help improve care and recovery for patients.
What is robotic-assisted surgery?
“Today, using the newest da Vinci Robotic Surgical System, our highly trained surgeons can perform surgery using instruments that they precisely guide through one or a handful of small incisions,” says Daniel Munn, M.D., chief of surgery and director of trauma and acute care surgery at Riverside Regional Medical Center.
The incisions are very tiny – about a one-half inch, the size of a dime. The size of the incisions, along with the precise movements of the surgeon, result in less blood loss and less trauma to the surgical site.
Endowrist™ technology mimics the normal surgical motions of the human hand. The surgeon's hand, wrist and finger movements translate with precise control and range of motion via robotic arms.
How does robotic surgery enhance precision?
Using a console to control the robotic arms that hold the surgical tools, the surgeon can bend and turn the instruments in more ways than human hands. And the surgery can be performed in spaces where the human hand would not fit. This allows the surgeon more control, precision and flexibility.
The tiny 3D camera attached to one of the robotic arms also magnifies the surgical site about 10 times larger than the human eye.
“We can see brighter, sharper images of the surgical field to more precisely accomplish the procedure,” says Dr. Munn. Not only does the newer version give Riverside surgeons greater access and capabilities but it also opens up the opportunity to offer a number of procedures that the older version did not allow for.
“One of the most significant technology advancements is its ability to offer surgeons more flexibility in terms of operating on parts of the body that were previously not an option,” says Dr. Munn. “We can now offer extensive colon resections, and many patients talk to us about robotic thoracic surgery, which we can now perform using this new technology.” This is a revolutionary advancement for the treatment of benign and malignant tumors of the lungs, esophagus and chest wall.
How does technology help improve recovery?
There are many advantages of minimally invasive surgery using the da Vinci Xi Surgical System. A patient may experience:
- A shorter hospital stay
- Faster recovery and quicker return to normal activities
- Fewer complications
- Increased safety
- Less pain and less risk of infection
- Less scarring
- More precise surgical outcomes
- Reduced bleeding
What conditions are treated with a minimally invasive approach?
The FDA first approved the da Vinci Surgical System in 2000 for general laparoscopic surgery. Since then, surgeons use the system to tackle some of the most common to the most complex surgical procedures.
“The da Vinci Robotic Surgery System is successfully used in thousands of surgeries,” says Dr. Munn. “However, it is not for everyone; that’s why we talk with each patient about what option is best for them.”
Surgeons at Riverside continue to use the system effectively to treat a number of conditions. The system is used in general surgery for the removal of a gallbladder or hernia surgery or lung resection. “Our surgeons can use the robot for oncologic gynecologic, urologic, head and neck, orthopedic, thoracic and spine surgeries as well,” says Dr. Munn. Some of the surgeries performed at Riverside using the da Vinci Xi Surgical System include:
- Colon resection
- Gastrectomy (stomach surgery)
- Hernia surgery
- Hysterectomy
- Nephrectomy and partial nephrectomy (kidney surgery)
- Nissen fundoplication (acid reflux disease surgery)
- Pancreatectomy (pancreas surgery)
- Prostatectomy (prostate surgery)
- Pyeloplasty (renal pelvis surgery)
- Revascularization
- Single-incision cholecystectomy (gallbladder surgery)
The surgical team at Riverside understands that any surgery is a major life event. “Each surgeon, surgical nurse and clinical specialist is passionate about patient care and bringing the latest, most advanced technology to our patients,” says Dr. Munn. For over 100 years, the Riverside surgical team has been providing open surgery and minimally invasive procedures to patients throughout the region.
