April 6, 2009
NORTHSIDE—FIRST IN GEORGIA TO OFFER
NEWEST ROBOTIC SURGERY TECHNOLOGY
Northside Hospital is the first hospital in Georgia – one of just five hospitals in the world – to acquire the newest addition to the da Vinci robotic surgery product line – the da Vinci® Si™ Surgical System. The new system is designed to provide additional clinical benefits to patients and operational efficiencies within the operating room (OR). Northside performed its first surgeries with the technology on April 2.
For decades, laparoscopic surgery has offered patients a minimally invasive alternative to traditional open surgery. The introduction of robotic surgery has given surgeons even better tools to perform the most intricate of minimally invasive procedures and achieve better outcomes for their patients in a growing range of specialties including many urologic, gynecologic, thoracic and other laparoscopic procedures. Patients benefit from smaller incisions, less pain and scarring, reduced blood loss and need for transfusions, shorter hospital stays, quicker recoveries and reduced risk of infection.
Northside Hospital was one of the first hospitals in Atlanta to obtain robotic technology and now leads the state in the number of robotic surgeries performed each year. The hospital ranks in the top 5 percent of all robotic GYN programs and in the top 10 percent for robotic prostatectomy programs in the United States.
“The robotic surgical team at Northside has worked together for years, which brings a superior level of teamwork and skill to Northside’s robotic surgery program,” says Vicki Barnett, director of surgical services, Northside Hospital. “This new robot makes our program even stronger and superior to other programs in Georgia. Better visualization and efficiency in the OR lead to reduced surgery and anesthesia times, which ultimately result in better patient outcomes.”
The new robot offers enhanced 3D HD visualization with plasma screens and up to 10x magnification, creating superior visual clarity of the surgical site and even greater precision than was available with previous versions of the robot. New ergonomic settings and adjustments to the surgeon console give the surgeon greater comfort and control over the procedure. In addition, the technology’s architecture is more compact and streamlined, allowing for more space and efficiencies within the OR.
“They took an incredible machine and topped it,” says Dr. Scott Miller, urologist and the first physician to use the new technology at Northside, April 2. “This new technology has a much smoother, natural feel. Every piece of the machine is fully adjustable, giving me more control and precision over what I’m doing.”
“The new Si robot represents a major improvement, which benefits the patient and surgeons and offers incredible opportunities for medical education,” says Dr. Gerald Feuer, gynecologist and the surgeon who performed the first hysterectomy in the Southeast with the new technology.
Many of the surgeons on staff at Northside are pioneers in laparoscopic surgery and are nationally and internationally recognized for their expertise in minimally invasive techniques, like robotic surgery. Surgeons at Northside even train others from across the country on how to perform this minimally invasive technique. Combined with the skill and experience of the operating room nurses and surgical technologists, this level of expertise is critical in giving patients excellent outcomes after treatment and quicker recoveries following robotic surgery.
Northside views robotic technology as having great potential for minimally invasive procedures in a growing range of specialties. With earlier versions of the robot, the hospital hosted the first successful delivery of healthy twins following a myomectomy in the United States, as well as Georgia’s first bladder removal, pyeloplasty (kidney reconstruction) and radical hysterectomy – all robotically. New advances in surgical technology allow Northside to stay at the forefront of the medical field.
Northside was the first hospital in the Southeast to use the da Vinci® Si™ Surgical System, which is available at the hospital’s Atlanta campus. Northside also offers robotic surgery at its campuses in Cherokee and Forsyth.
For more information on our Robotic Surgery Program please click here.
