The first robotic surgery using the da Vinci Surgical System for the treatment of lung cancer and other non-malignant thoracic diseases was performed at the St. John’s Hospital in Maplewood. The surgery was performed by cardiothoracic surgeons of the hospital, David Joyce and Mathew Cooper.
Small incisions in the patient’s body provide 3D images of the chest which is equivalent to the open chest. Patients who have undergone robotic surgery experience lesser pain and require a lesser stay at the hospital after their surgery. Patients can also return to their normal lives sooner due to robotic surgery.
According to David Joyce, this technology provides hope and an equal opportunity to patients who are high risk cases and require a different approach to treatment. Patients who have major lung abnormalities are advised a course of treatment by the tumour board of the hospital which comprises surgeons, radiation oncologists, pulmonologists, primary care physicians and nurses.
The hospital is already making use of the endobronchial ultrasound, which they installed in 2011 to diagnose deeper tissues. The hospital has also been recognised at a national level for its robotic surgery programme and is one of the three hospitals providing full service and acute care service under the HealthEast Care System.
Source: http://www.healtheast.org