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About da Vinci®

An Integrated Surgical System

The da Vinci® Surgical System from Intuitive Surgical allows surgeons to perform complex minimally invasive procedures with remarkable accuracy. It also has multiple safety features designed to minimize risks associated with both machine and human error. Community Memorial Hospital has consistently upgraded our da Vinci® robots. Our surgeons currently use the latest model, the fourth generation da Vinci Xi®.

Specially designed for minimally invasive procedures, the da Vinci® Surgical System functions like an extension of the surgeon’s eyes and hands. The system consists of three components:

  • An ergonomic surgical console, from which the robotic surgeon controls robotic arms holding a tiny camera and miniature instruments. The console features an intuitive motion interface, which imitates the look and feel of traditional open surgery. The 3-D high-definition vision system reveals tiny details of the patient’s internal anatomy for an enhanced, real-time view of the surgical area.
  • A vision cart, the image-processing unit, enables communication between the robot’s components and supports the 3D high-definition vision system.
  • A patient side-cart designed to provide the surgeon with anatomical access from virtually any angle. The cart has an overhead boom with four interactive robotic arms. A variety of specialized endowrist instruments can be switched out and attached to these arms. These instruments move like a human hand and wrist, but with an even greater range of motion. The endoscope (tiny camera) that illuminates and films the surgical site can be attached to any one of the arms.

During a procedure, the surgeon sits at a console across the room from the patient, monitors the video screen, and directs the robotic arms. Using da Vinci® instruments, the surgeon makes three or four tiny incisions 1-2 millimeters in diameter around the operating site. The interactive robot arms are then inserted into the patient through the incisions. One arm holds an endoscope (miniature camera), and the other arms hold instruments. The surgeon operates from behind the console, using 3D visual guidance to navigate the robotic instrument arms and endoscopic arm. The da Vinci® seamlessly translates the surgeon’s hand, wrist, and finger movements at the surgical console into corresponding micro-movements of the instruments inside the patient. At the end of the procedure, the instruments are removed, and the incisions are closed by hand.

Procedures

Community Memorial Health System robotic surgeons currently use the da Vinci robotic platform to perform the following procedures:

Gastrointestinal Procedures

  • Pyloroplasty
  • Colectomies
  • Colostomy Closure
  • Gastrectomy
  • Splenectomy
  • Ulcer Surgery
  • Hiatal Hernia Repairs
  • Heller Myotomy (for Achalasia)
  • Nissen Fundo-plications/Acid Reflux Surgery
  • Colorectal Surgery for Cancer & Diverticulitis

Urological Procedures

  • Nephrectomy & Partial Nephrectomy
  • Pyeloplasty
  • Adrenalectomy

Gynecological Procedures

  • Endometriosis
  • Hysterectomy
  • Myomectomy
  • Oophorectomy
  • Ovarian Sparing Cystectomy
  • Sacrocolpopexy
  • Vaginal Vault Suspension
  • Vagotomy

Prostate Procedure

  • Radical Prostatectomy

Lung Procedures

  • Throcoscopic procedures including lobe and wedge resections