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LEXINGTON,
Ky. (Feb. 13, 2004) -- University
of Kentucky Hospital announced today the
state’s first surgical procedure utilizing
robotic instruments. Chand Ramaiah, M.D., assistant
professor of surgery and director, Minimally
Invasive Cardiac Surgery, Division
of Cardiothoracic Surgery, UK
College of Medicine, performed a coronary
artery bypass grafting (CABG) using the da Vinci® Surgical
System, developed by Intuitive Surgical.
Performed
Jan. 13, 2004, on a 69-year-old female patient,
Ellis Comfort of Lexington, the procedure was the
first in Kentucky to use a robotic system to improve
the capabilities of surgeons in the operating room.
During the procedure, surgeons used the system
to help detach a mammary artery from under her
sternum. Cardiothoracic surgeons performed this
procedure to bypass blockages of her coronary arteries.
“Her
post-operative course was uneventful and she has
recovered well from her surgery,” Ramaiah
said.
Comfort
said she is not only celebrating her one-month
anniversary of her successful surgery, but also
another special occasion, her 50th wedding anniversary.
Traditionally,
heart bypass surgeries require a large 8- to 10-inch
incision through the chest wall. The robotic system
at UK allows surgeons to insert instruments through
tiny ports, placed within one-centimeter incisions
in the body. Surgical procedures using the robotic
system require a minimum of three incisions; one
for a camera and two for surgical instruments.
Surgeons can rotate the instruments 360 degrees
through the incisions.
“This
system allows me to use a full range of motion
with the robotic surgical instruments with greater
precision than traditional surgical procedures,” Ramaiah
said.
The
robotic surgical system allows the surgeons to
perform enhanced surgical procedures by translating
the natural hand, wrist and finger movements on
the system controls to corresponding movements
of the instrument tips.
Surgeons
who use the robotic surgical equipment must first
complete hands-on training with animal and cadaver
models.
The
new robotic surgical system at UK Hospital provides
a cutting-edge approach to medicine that allows
patients to spend less time recovering after a
surgical procedure. When compared with procedures
performed with traditional surgical instruments,
patients often need less anesthesia and experience
a faster recovery with less blood loss and scarring,
less post-operative pain and discomfort, and a
reduced risk of infection.
The
robotic surgical system includes three components:
a surgeon’s viewing and
control console, including a three-dimensional viewing
system; a patient side cart with robotic arms to
position endoscopic instruments; and a vision cart
with all the audiovisual controls and an extra monitor
for the rest of the surgical team.
“The
robotic surgical system allows me to put my hands
and eyes inside a patient’s body without
touching the patient during a procedure,” Ramaiah
said.
Heart
disease is the leading cause of death in the United
States and one of Kentucky’s most serious
health concerns; a CABG is the most commonly performed
heart operation.
“During
a CABG procedure performed with traditional instruments,
surgeons may crack the ribs or sternum during mammary
procurement, often leading to back pain. By using
the robot, we do not have to elevate the sternum
and we can reduce the potential for back pain,” Ramaiah
said.
“This
robotic technology allows surgeons to perform a
superior quality procedure because of the realistic
field of vision and greater precision,” said
Robert Mentzer Jr., M.D., the Frank C. Spencer
Professor and Chairman, Department of Surgery,
UK College of Medicine.
UK
Hospital is the first medical facility in Kentucky
to offer surgeries utilizing a robotic surgical
system. UK Hospital purchased the $1,290,000 robotic
system in December.
“The
advancements of medical technology in today’s
world are absolutely incredible,” said Joseph
O. Claypool, FACHE, director of UK Hospital.
“The
citizens of our communities expect the academic
health center to be continuously on the leading
edge. However, the reimbursement for these technologies
does not keep pace with the rapidity of the new advances.
This forces us to pick and choose specific technologies
that we feel are going to best benefit the population
that we serve. That is exactly what we did in choosing
the da Vinci. We believe this
technology is important for the future of many surgical
procedures,” Claypool said.
The
robotic surgical system soon will be used for urological,
vascular, neurological, pediatric, and complete
cardiothoracic surgical procedures.
For
more information about the University of Kentucky
Hospital, visit the Web
site.
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