MINIMALLY INVASIVE THORACIC SURGERY
AVAILABLE AT NORTHSIDE HOSPITAL
Northside Hospital continues to lead the way in robotic surgery in Atlanta. The hospital has expanded its robotic surgery program to include thoracic procedures, recently performing its first thymectomy (removal of the thymus gland). Northside is one of only two hospitals in Georgia to offer this minimally invasive technique for thoracic surgery.
Used for thoracic, urologic and gynecologic surgical procedures, computer-assisted robotics technology enables surgeons to perform minimally invasive procedures, while preserving and improving the visualization techniques of open surgery. Patients benefit from smaller incisions, shorter hospital stays and recovery time, less pain and scarring, less blood loss and reduced risk of infection.
At Northside Hospital, a leader in providing state-of-the-art surgical services, more surgeries are performed than at any other hospital in Georgia. Minimally invasive VATS (video assisted thoracic surgery) lobectomy for lung cancer have been performed at Northside for some time and Northside ranks as one of the leaders in Georgia in such procedures. With the addition of robotic techniques, Northside is expanding its expertise in minimally invasive thoracic techniques.
Northside also leads the state in robotic surgery – performing more robotic procedures than any other Georgia hospital – and ranks in the top 5 percent of all robotic GYN programs (10 percent for robotic prostatectomy programs) in the country. Available at only a handful of hospitals in the Southeast, Northside Hospital was one of the first hospitals in Atlanta to obtain this innovative technology and now leads the state with more than 1,220 robotic procedures performed.
The daVinci™ Surgical System allows the surgeon to manipulate robotic arms, which mimic the surgeon’s motion, to perform the procedure with greater dexterity than humanly possible. This minimally invasive technique involves making just a few small incisions for the tools and small camera, which allow the surgeon to view a full-color, magnified, 3-D image of the surgical site. The superior motion of the robotic arms and the ability to view the surgical area through high-definition magnification enhances the surgeon’s skills, providing greater range of motion and the ability to operate with increased precision and versatility.
For thoracic surgery, robotic-assisted technology has had a profound impact on procedures for the lungs and esophagus.
“Robotic surgery is a much less invasive alternative to traditional open thorocotomy, lobectomy and thymectomy surgeries,” said John Moore, M.D., thoracic surgeon who performed the first thymectomy at Northside. “The technology allows us to treat the patient with minimal trauma to the chest wall and ribs.”
However, it’s not just the state-of-the-art technology that leads to better outcomes, but the surgical team’s experience that is important. Many of the surgeons on staff at Northside Hospital are pioneers in laparoscopic surgery and are nationally recognized for their expertise in this and other minimally invasive techniques available at Northside. Combined with the skill and experience of the nurses and surgical technologists, this level of expertise is critical in the success of utilizing new technology, like the daVinci robot.
For more information about Northside Hospital’s robotic surgical services, call 404-851-8200 or click here to find a robotic surgeon on staff at Northside.
Please visit our Robotic Surgery Center for more information.
