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Lakewood Regional Medical Center Offers Robotic Surgery Program

By Brian Hews

The da Vinci Si e HD robotic surgery system was installed in the hospital’s recently expanded surgical services unit earlier this year. The first procedure using the system was performed at Lakewood Regional Medical Center in August, and more cases are scheduled.

“We are very excited to offer this as a treatment option at LRMC,” said Cyndee Woelfle, Associate Administrator of Lakewood Regional Medical Center. “With extremely precise movements and 10-times magnification, surgeons on our medical staff can operate with exceptional precision and clearer visibility. For many patients, that can mean a faster, less-painful recovery.”

The robotic surgery program is being launched as a part of Lakewood Regional Medical Center’s surgical services and will be used for specified gynecologic, urologic and general surgical procedures, such as hysterectomies or Prostatectomies, for patients who might benefit most from robotic surgery.

Doctor Jennifer Liu, Urologist at Lakewood Regional Medical Center, performed the first surgery at the hospital.  She was trained to use the da Vinci Surgical system in residency and performed over one hundred cases.

“ We’re being very deliberate with ensuring that the members of our medical staff who use the system are very well trained at robotic surgery said Woelfle.”

Along with tiny, highly-dexterous implements, the da Vinci Si e HD system at Lakewood Regional Medical Center provides a higher level of visibility for surgeons, who can view a magnified, high-resolution three dimensional image of the surgical site from the da Vinci console.

“The ability to perform surgery by looking through a laparoscope has been available for some time, and has been what enables providers to offer minimally invasive surgeries,” said Woelfle. “At Lakewood, all of our operating rooms are outfitted to accommodate minimally invasive surgery, which accounts for about 90 percent of the procedures we perform. This system offers advanced 3-D high definition visualization, improved dexterity and an immersive view of the operative field.”

Lakewood Regional Medical Center is offering minimally invasive robotic surgery only for those who would best be served by the service. In some cases, use of robotic surgery has not been shown to offer a significant improvement over more conventional minimally invasive approaches in terms of patient outcomes. However, in many cases, the improved imaging and movement of the extremely precise surgical implements available with minimally invasive robotic surgery can lead to positive benefits for patients.

“We built a new Interventional suite and vastly expanded our cardiac services, unit, and still, a lot of people told me that they came to see the robot,” said Woelfle. “For a lot of people, this is the future of surgery, and now it’s available right in their community.”