Holy Cross Hospital Pioneers State-Of-The-Art Robotic Technology
(Silver Spring, Maryland) - Holy Cross Hospital has become the first hospital in Montgomery County to offer minimally invasive surgery using the da Vinci® surgical robot. The device, named for Leonardo Da Vinci the inventor of the first robot, enables surgeons to perform complex procedures through small incisions resulting in less blood loss, less scaring and significantly less pain. In addition, patient recovery time is decreased allowing for a shorter hospital stay and a faster return to normal daily activities.
"Being the first Montgomery County hospital to have the da Vinci is consistent with Holy Cross Hospital's commitment to excellence and high-quality health care," says Blair Eig, MD, senior vice president, Medical Affairs. "We are proud to continue our role as an innovative force in our community with state-of-the-art medical treatment."
Using the da Vinci system, the surgeon remains in complete control of the procedure without ever touching the patient's body. The robot seamlessly replicates the surgeon's hand, wrist and finger movements into precise real-time movements of surgical instruments inside the patient. "This system allows for more precision, more accuracy and consistently results in better patient outcomes," says James F. Barter, MD, FACOG.
At the heart of the success of the da Vinci system are two, high-resolution fiber-optic cameras that produce a true, three-dimensional color picture. This provides surgeons with a better visualization of the surgical area, which is critical when performing delicate dissection or reconstructive procedures.
"This is revolutionary. We are on the precipice of a whole new way of doing surgery," said Albert J. Steren, MD, FACOG. "Using da Vinci, we can undertake even more radical procedures in a way that creates much less tissue trauma and patients can often be out of the hospital the very same day."
Holy Cross Hospital is the state's leading center for gynecological and gynecological oncology surgery and current plans are to use the da Vinci system for those surgical procedures with a commitment to expand to urologic, cardiothoracic and general surgery in the near future.
In addition, though the GATE Institute at Holy Cross Hospital, a number of area surgeons will have the opportunity to learn to master the da Vinci system. "We are currently assembling one of the strongest robotics programs in the Mid-Atlantic," said Scott Cole, MD, FACOG, chairman, Obstetrics/Gynecology. "It is a very exciting time for both the hospital and our physicians and we are eager to offer this state-of-the-art technology to our patients."