St. Francis Hospital is planning to acquire an advanced surgical robotic system, which would help in recruiting gynecologic oncologists and urologists who are trained in performing robotic aided surgery.
The robotic system that they intend to buy is called the da Vinci Si Robotic Surgical System, which they plan to make it functional at all the surgical units by mid-summer. This robotic system can aid many specializations including gynecology, obstetrics, urology, general surgery and colorectal. Those physicians who do not have experience working on this system would be suitably trained. The patients are greatly benefitted by this system as it involves less blood loss, shortens the duration of hospital stay and reduces the risk of infection to a large extent.
The CEO of the Hospital stated that they decided upon this robotic system after conducting a detailed review of the pros and cons of its usage. A physician at the hospital, supporting the purchase of the system, stated that the patients could get advanced technological treatments without having to travel to another town. An obstetrician/gynaecologist at Columbus mentioned in her article on the technology, published in Ledger-Enquirer that the system was designed for the ease of operation for both the surgeon and the assistant. Using this system, the surgeons are equipped with all the clinical and technical features of open surgery and are assisted in performing surgery by making small incisions. The physicians are able to exercise precise control over the robot’s hand movements; they are guided by the video-monitoring system that allows a clear magnified three-dimensional view of the surgery. Some of the other hospitals nearby Columbus, which offer this technology are the Coliseum Health System in Macon, East Alabama Medical Center in Opelika and The Medical Center of Central Georgia.