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Robotic surgery at Mission Hospital

Sometimes when you need surgery, traditional surgery techniques may not provide the precise access required. When this is the case, you want the latest technologies and the most skilled surgeons available.

Robotic surgery is relatively new in the US, and Mission Hospital offers robotic surgery in several surgical specialties, including urology, gynecology, general, and cardiology.

Robotic surgery offers many advantages for patients, including:

  • Reduced pain
  • Reduced scarring
  • Faster recovery time
  • Lower risk of infection
  • Reduced blood loss

How does robotic surgery work?

Robotic surgery allows surgeons to make very tiny incisions—incisions even the most practiced surgeon may not be able to make on his or her own. And because the robotic tools used are so small, they can reach parts of the body that traditional surgery cannot access. Surgeons sit at a remote, ergonomically designed computer workstation and conduct procedures, eliminating the need for awkward twisting and turning.

The daVinci® computer-assisted robotic system uses pencil-size instruments that mimic surgeon’s wrists and hands. A high-definition camera is inserted into the body along with these instruments, allowing the surgeon to operate from a remote workstation just as if he or she was standing over the patient.

This robotic system is used for the following procedures:

Cardiac Thoracic Surgery

  • Hybrid Coronary Revascularization - Combines the advantages of Coronary Artery Bypass Graft (CABG) with the advantages of Percutaneous Coronary Intervention (PCI) in order to treat coronary artery disease.
  • Mitral Valve Repair - Minimally invasive heart surgery using robotic mobilization is an option for the repair of the mitral valve.  If your mitral valve does not close properly (mitral valve regurgitation), your surgeon may perform heart valve repair, which may include repair of valve leaflets, repair of structural support (chordate tendineae and papillary muscles) and annuloplasty.
  • Mediastinal Tumor Resections - If surgery is required to assist in the removal of tumors, then the use of robotic technology to perform a thoracotomy will reduce blood loss, the number of days in the hospital, post-operative pain, with a minimal amount of scarring.
  • Hyperhidrosis - Also known as excessive sweating, this is a condition that most often affects the palms, underarms, face and feet.  In addition to disrupting normal daily activities, hyperhidrosis can cause social anxiety or embarrassment.  The surgical treatment, which can be done with robotic technology, involves the surgeon cutting the nerves that carry the messages from the sympathetic nerves to the sweat glands.  The surgery performed uses a procedure known as endoscopic thoracic sympathectomy (ETS).  The surgeon would make just three small incisions for a video camera and small surgical instruments.  This surgery requires only one day in the hospital and produces, minimal amount of scarring.
  • Pericardial disease - Also known as pericarditis, this is the inflammation of the pericardium, which is the sac that surrounds the heart.  A number of conditions can cause pericarditis, and this includes infections, heart attack, trauma to the chest, cancer, and autoimmune disease.  If you are diagnosed with constrictive pericarditis, you may need to undergo a pericardiectomy, which is a surgical procedure to remove the entire pericardium that has become rigid and is making it hard for your heart to pump.
  • Lung disease - Lung disease can be serious and ranges from bronchitis and pneumonia to pulmonary hypertension and lung cancer.  The type, location, and whether the lung cancer has spread will determine the treatment options recommended by your physician.  If surgery is required, then the use of robotic technology to perform a thoracotomy will reduce blood loss, the number of days in the hospital, and post-operative pain

General surgery

  • Cholecystectomy
  • Gastric Bypass

Gynecology

  • Diagnostic laparoscopy
  • Hysterectomy  

Urology

  • Adrenalectomy
  • Cystectomy
  • Nephrectomy
  • Prostatectomy
  • Ureterectomy

Robotic-assisted partial knee resurfacing is also available through Mission’s orthopedic program. Performed with a RIO Robotic Arm Interactive Orthopedic System, it is ideal for patients who have knee pain with activity, frequently when beginning to move from a seated position.