Robotic Surgery with a Human Touch

A New Generation of Robots Helps Patients Avoid Invasive Surgeries

By David Hook

Imagine an operating room with a surgeon sitting at a desk, operating on the patient through a console that looks more like a sci-fi transformer than a scalpel. After decades of technological advances and scientific debate about the role of robotics in medical care, this picture has come to life at John Muir Health, saving more people from unnecessary invasive surgeries, scars, and pain.

Robots provide the level of precision that enables physicians to offer a wider range of surgical treatments. But any technology is only as good as the team behind it.

John Muir Health has been at the forefront of minimally invasive surgery technology for decades. In 2002, John Muir Health became one of the pioneers in applying robotic technology to non-invasive surgical techniques by purchasing bringing da Vinci® robotic technology to its patients. Today, John Muir Health is again at the forefront, having acquired two new models of the robot to perform a wider range of minimally invasive surgeries including prostatectomies, partial nephrectomies, gynecologic oncologic, hysterectomies, as well as general surgical procedures.

Minimally invasive surgery involves much less pain and loss of blood than traditional operations. As a result, patients benefit from robotic surgery by experiencing less scarring, less pain, and a faster recovery.

 The newer da Vinci® model is designed to seamlessly replicate the movement of the surgeon's hands with the tips of micro-instruments, but it cannot perform any type of movement without the surgeon’s control. During a procedure, the surgeon controls the da Vinci® surgical system at a monitor and console. Equipped with advanced high definition digital technology, the system provides the surgeon with the intuitive control, range of motion, fine tissue manipulation capability and 3-D visualization characteristic of open surgery, while simultaneously allowing the surgeon to work through tiny incisions typical of minimally invasive surgery. This means John Muir Health’s surgeons can perform even the most complex and delicate procedures through very tiny incisions with unmatched precision.

The extraordinary capabilities of the robotic surgical system are transforming the way our physicians approach treatment of kidney cancer and gynecological conditions. Currently, four in five patients with small kidney tumors are having their whole kidney removed, but robotic surgery allows partial nephrectomy to cure small kidney tumors instead of removing the entire affected kidney. With an estimated one third of all U.S. women who will have a hysterectomy by age 60, robotic surgery is particularly useful when patients have early stages of cervical or uterine cancer, and can potentially save women from the prolonged recovery period typical of traditional, open surgery.

The recent purchase of the da Vinci® robots is an exciting milestone in advancing healthcare in the entire Contra Costa County region and beyond. This development also showcases the community support that John Muir Health receives from grateful patients. The $4 million in funding for the robots came from the John Muir Health Foundation, which raised the money through community donations from individuals that averaged $100.

In the 15th century, Leonardo da Vinci, the inventor of the first robot, mastered unparalleled anatomical accuracy and three-dimensional details to bring his masterpieces to life. Today, John Muir Health physicians use robots to enhance the precision of surgical procedures, enabling patients to receive the state-of-the art care and return to their daily lives (sooner and with fewer complications.

To learn more about the John Muir Health robotic surgery, visit our website at www.johnmuirhealth.com/roboticsurgery.