The Ottumwa Regional Health Center conducted its first robotic surgery using the da Vinci surgical robot on Janine Miller. Miller was given an option of robotic surgery by her doctor Dr. Jeff Bittner to which she readily agreed.
da Vinci Surgical System
Dr. Bittner had urged Regional Care, the parent company of ORHC, to invest in the da Vinci Robot. He reasoned out with the company that the robotic system would help them keep up with the medical advancements and also keep the patients from going elsewhere for treatment. Bittner is an obstetrician/gynaecologist, who was earlier sending patients out of town for receiving treatment through the da Vinci system, because he considered the method superior to conventional methods.
He explained that the robot was merely an extension of his hands which uses different instruments for performing the surgery. One of the OR team members added that the robot was not capable of doing anything on its own, it moves only when the surgeon moves his hands. There is a complete OR team present in the room and conventional instruments are kept ready, in case the surgeon opts out of using the robot. With robotic surgery the recovery is very fast and the hospital stay is shortened. The other advantages with robotic surgery are minimum loss of blood, lesser pain and clear, magnified three-dimensional view of the surgery spot. Bittner explained that the objects appear very clearly and the surgeon is able to handle the instruments with more precision. He pointed out that the doctor needs to first determine if the patient is fit to undergo robotic surgery and then decide on the most suitable procedure.