Robots are rapidly transforming the way we live and work — and now they are playing a pivotal role in health care and the advancement of surgical techniques, including at Carson Tahoe Health here in Northern Nevada.
SURGERY TRANSFORMATION
Carson Tahoe Health’s new surgical assistant is changing the way surgeons perform various operations, and patients are reaping the benefits.
In November 2017, Carson Tahoe Regional Medical Center debuted the da Vinci Xi Surgical System, the most advanced iteration of a robotic platform that profoundly changes the way surgeons operate.
“The da Vinci Xi doesn’t take the place of the surgeon,” says Michelle Joy, Chief Operating Officer at Carson Tahoe Health. “Rather, it enhances their abilities.”
From a console adjacent to the operating table, the surgeon can see the surgical field in high-definition 3-D and control the movements of the robot’s instrument-tipped arms. The arms bend and rotate just like a human wrist but with a greater range of motion.
The flexibility and precision of the robot, as well as a mobile bed that lets the surgeons maneuver the patient into the ideal surgical position, allow surgeons to perform minimally invasive procedures in areas of the body that would be difficult to reach otherwise.
PROCEDURAL ADVANTAGES
Gynecological surgeons are leading the way in using the da Vinci Xi at the medical center, to perform procedures such as hysterectomies and the treatment of uterine fibroids & endometriosis, among other conditions.
“Da Vinci Xi patients experience less pain and blood loss due to smaller incisions, as well as shorter hospital stays and quicker recoveries,” Joy says. “The robot is a great tool for our surgical team, and it’s helping them produce outstanding results for patients.”
AND MORE IS COMING
Gynecologists were the first specialists at Carson Tahoe Health to use the da Vinci Xi Surgical System, but they won’t be the last.
General surgeries came onboard in February 2018, with one of CTH’s staff surgeons performing procedures like ventral and inguinal hernias.
Next on the docket are urological surgeries. Med-staff urologists will begin using the robot this spring, and come summer, Carson Tahoe Health will welcome the addition of a new, da Vinci-trained urological surgeon from Mayo Clinic in Minnesota.
He will be joining Carson Urologists and will be using the system to perform several types of surgery, including removal of the prostate to treat cancer.
With the addition of the robot, Carson Tahoe Health is continuing to fulfill its mission to provide exceptional care to the community today and for generations to come.
