da Vinci Robotic Surgery
Saint Michael’s Medical Center uses the top-of-the-line da Vinci®
Si™ Surgical System with Firefly™ Fluorescence Imaging to
perform minimally invasive operations with unmatched precision.
The system gives Saint Michael’s surgeons the enhanced capabilities
of high-definition, three-dimensional vision with a magnified view. The
surgeon controls the da Vinci System that translates his or her hand actions
into smaller, more precise movements of tiny instruments inside the body.
Although the device is sometimes referred to as a “robot,”
the da Vinci System cannot act on its own – surgery is performed
100 percent by the physician.
This technology allows surgeons to perform complex procedures through just
a few tiny incisions that are roughly the size of a dime. The surgeon
manipulates the instruments and performs the operation with the robot
translating the motion of the surgeon’s hand, wrist and finger into
the precise, real-time movement of surgical instruments. As a result,
patients have the opportunity to get back to their lives faster –
without many of the usual recovery issues encountered following major surgery.
The system’s fluorescent capabilities allow physicians to better
visualize and evaluate blood flow. This technological advancement can
result in significant reductions in blood loss, giving the physician better
visibility of tissue, and ultimately result in better outcomes.
The da Vinci System has been used successfully worldwide in hundreds of
thousands of procedures to date. The enabling features of the da Vinci
System raise the standard of care for complex surgeries. This translates
into numerous potential patient benefits compared to open surgery, including:
- Less pain and less blood loss
- Shorter hospital stays and fewer complications
- Faster return to normal activities
The Department of Surgery at Saint Michael’s is using the da Vinci
Surgical System in a variety of medical applications including:
- Prostate cancer
- Endometriosis
- Hysterectomy
- Kidney cancer
- Gynecologic cancers
- Uterine fibroids
- Bladder cancer
- Pelvic floor conditions
By providing surgeons at Saint Michael’s Medical Center with superior
vision, enhanced dexterity, greater precision and ergonomic comfort, the
da Vinci Surgical System makes it possible for them to perform minimally
invasive procedures involving complex and delicate dissection or reconstruction.