Robotic Surgery

Robotic surgery is a technique that makes it possible for surgeons to offer minimally invasive surgery for even the most complex surgeries. Minimally invasive means smaller incisions and less damage to surrounding tissue compared to traditional surgery. With the da Vinci SI Surgical robot, surgeons are able to perform major surgeries through dime-sized incisions, which require only one or two stitches to close. As a result, patients can benefit in several ways including:

• Shorter hospital stays
• Less pain and scarring
• Less risk of wound infection
• Less blood loss and fewer transfusions
• Faster recovery and a quicker return to normal activities

However, it is not the robot that is performing the surgery. Instead, a specialty trained surgeon controls the arms and movements of the robot.

The da Vinci SI Surgical system provides your surgeon with enhanced vision, precision, dexterity and control. It allows the surgeon’s hands to be scaled, filtered and translated into precise movements of micro-instruments.

The da Vinci® SI Surgical System can be used for a multitude of procedures, including, but not limited to:

• Prostatectomy (removal of the prostate)
• Nephrectomy (removal of the kidney)
• Hysterectomy (removal of the uterus)
• Myomectomy (removal of uterine fibroids)
• Oophorectomy (removal of the ovaries)
• Colorectal surgery
• Thoracic surgery

Click the specialty below to see which surgeons are performing robotic surgies at Methodist Sugar Land Hospital.

• Colorectal
• General
• Gynecology
• Thoracic
• Urology

Description

A robotic procedure is done under general anesthesia (you are asleep and pain-free). The surgeon sits at a computer station nearby and directs the movements of a robot. Small instruments are attached to the robot's arms.

The surgeon first inserts these instruments into your body through small surgical cuts. Under the surgeon's direction, the robot matches the doctor's hand movements to perform the procedure using the tiny instruments.

A thin tube with a camera attached to the end of it (endoscope) allows the surgeon to view highly magnified three-dimensional images of your body on a monitor in real time.

Before the Procedure

You cannot have any food or fluid for 8 hours before the surgery. If you are having certain types of abdominal surgery, your surgeon may recommend that you cleanse your bowels with an enema or laxative the day before surgery.

Your physician may recommend that you stop taking aspirin, blood thinners such as warfarin (Coumadin) or Plavix, anti-inflammatory medications, vitamins, or other supplements 10 days before the procedure.

After the Procedure

You will be taken to a recovery room after the procedure. Depending on the type of surgery performed, you may have to stay in the hospital overnight or for a couple of days.

You should be able to walk within a day after the procedure, depending on what type of procedure was done. Avoid heavy lifting or straining until your doctor gives you the okay. Your doctor may advise you not to drive for at least a week.