Akron General is now offering minimally invasive surgery using the state-of-the-art da Vinci® Robotic Surgical System. Minimally invasive surgery is a technique in which surgeons use small incisions and video cameras (laparoscope) to perform operations that generally produce less pain and a quicker return to normal activity than open surgical procedures.
Akron General Physicians Now Performing Robotic Surgery
Using the robotic surgical system, the surgeon operates while seated comfortably at a console viewing a 3D image of the surgical field. The surgeon's fingers grasp the master controls below the display, with hands and wrists naturally positioned relative to his or her eyes. The system seamlessly translates the surgeon's hand, wrist and finger movements into precise, real-time movements of surgical instruments inside the patient.
Many surgical procedures performed today using standard laparoscopic technique may be performed more quickly and easily using the robotic surgical system.
"We are pleased to offer this robotic surgical option to patients because it offers possible benefits that include reduced trauma to the body, reduced blood loss and need for transfusions, less post-operative pain and discomfort, and greater surgical precision," said Eric Jenison, MD, Chair, Department of Obstetrics & Gynecology, Chief of Gynecological Oncology at Akron General Medical Center. "Other benefits may include less risk of infection, shorter hospital stay, faster recovery and return to normal daily activities, and less scarring."
Surgeons at Akron General are now performing gynecological and urological procedures using the robotic surgical system. One of the most innovative forms of treatment is robotic prostatectomy. In fact, a recent article in the journal Urology concluded that in the hands of surgeons experienced in robotic assisted laparoscopic radical prostatectomy and radical retropubic prostatectomy, there was a statistically significant lower positive cancer margin rate for patients undergoing robotic assisted laparoscopic radical prostatectomy. In time, additional procedures may be performed using this innovative approach.
Traditional laparoscopy has never become widely applied outside a limited set of routine procedures. Only a select group of highly skilled surgeons routinely attempt complex procedures using a minimally invasive approach. The robotic surgical system finally allows more surgeons to perform complex procedures using a minimally invasive approach – routinely and with confidence.
Benefits of robotic surgery for patients may include:
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Less trauma
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Less postoperative pain and discomfort
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Less need for transfusions, decreased risk of infection
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Shorter hospital stay and less scarring
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Faster recovery and return to normal daily activities
Not all surgeries are appropriate for robotic surgery. Talk to your doctor or surgeon to see if surgery using the da Vinci® Robotic Surgical System is right for you.
Physicians at Akron General Credentialed in Robotic Surgery at Akron General:
Todd F. Breaux, MD
Urology
George L. Drake, DO
OB/GYN
Edward M. Ferris, MD
OB/GYN
Eric L. Jenison, MD
Gynecologic Oncology, OB/GYN
Ross F. Marchetta, MD
OB/GYN
Thomas J. Mendise, MD
OB/GYN
Susan M. Shondel, MD
OB/GYN
David S. Turk, MD
Urology
John D. Wegryn, MD
Urology
Jeffrey B. Zwart, MD
OB/GYN
