News
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
January 8, 2013
MEDIA CONTACT: Stephanie Poyant
Public Information Officer
Southcoast Health System
Office: 508-961-5280
Cell: 774-634-1460
Fax: 508-961-5876
Pager: 508-387-2532
poyants@southcoast.org
www.southcoast.org/news/releases/
Robotic-assisted surgery is coming to St. Luke’s Hospital this winter
Public invited to “test drive” the da Vinci robot at open house on January 16
(Photo left to right – Dennis LaRock, MD, a urologist with Southcoast Physicians Group and Chair of
Southcoast’s Robotics Committee, and Derek Hausladen, MD, a Dartmouth urologist)
NEW BEDFORD, Mass. — Southcoast™ Health System today announced it will open a
robotic surgical program this winter at St. Luke’s Hospital in New Bedford. The da Vinci® Si™
Surgical System will allow highly skilled surgeons to perform robotic-assisted, minimally
invasive procedures with great precision and expertise.
The addition of the da Vinci elevates the surgical program at St. Luke’s to one of the
most advanced in the region and increases the scope of surgical services available to patients of
Greater New Bedford and Wareham.
St. Luke’s will be hosting a public open house with the da Vinci “robot” on Wednesday,
January 16, from 7 a.m. to 4 p.m. in the main lobby on the mezzanine level. The public is
welcome to see the da Vinci close up and actually sit at the controls and “test drive” the
technology.
Southcoast is the only provider in the region to offer da Vinci robotic-assisted surgery
with availability at both Charlton Memorial Hospital in Fall River and now at St. Luke’s
Hospital.
The da Vinci at St. Luke’s is an alternative to open surgery and laparoscopic surgery and
can result in quicker recoveries for patients. Common procedures that will be performed using the
da Vinci system include complex urological surgeries, such as radical prostatectomies, and
gynecological procedures, such as hysterectomies. Southcoast has plans to expand the service to
include general surgical procedures, such as single-site gallbladder removal and colorectal
surgeries.
“Southcoast continues to broaden the range of services offered throughout our region and
is dedicated to providing comprehensive surgical services that use the latest technology
throughout all of the Southcoast sites,” said Richard Miller, MD, Physician-in-Chief for Surgery
at Southcoast Health System. “The addition of the da Vinci at St. Luke’s further expands our
growing surgical program to include the latest minimally invasive surgery options for our
patients.”
The new da Vinci at St. Luke’s Hospital brings a second da Vinci robot to Southcoast
Health System, adding to the recently updated robot located at Charlton Memorial Hospital in
Fall River. The addition of the robot at St. Luke’s makes the Southcoast Robotic Surgery
Program the most comprehensive and advanced robotic program in the region.
Robotic-assisted surgery
da Vinci’s advanced level of technology takes surgery beyond the limits of the human
hand. The da Vinci Si technology is designed to give surgeons more precision and control during
complex, minimally invasive procedures. It is an alternative to open surgery and laparoscopic
surgery and can result in quicker recoveries for patients. The entire surgery is performed through
tiny incisions typical of minimally invasive surgery — and the surgeon is 100 percent in control
at all times. Members of the Southcoast surgical staff will receive special training to assist the
surgeons with this new technology.
“Southcoast is very pleased to provide the Greater New Bedford and Wareham area
surgeons with the latest equipment they need to practice locally while helping them provide the
best possible outcomes for their patients,” said Dennis LaRock, MD, a urologist with Southcoast
Physicians Group and Chair of Southcoast’s Robotics Committee.
“The addition of a second da Vinci Si robot to the Southcoast system and our region
overall helps provide even more of our patients with the benefit of having this advanced type of
surgery close to home, alleviating the burden of leaving the region for services,” said Dr. LaRock,
who has been performing surgery using the da Vinci since 2008.
The da Vinci Si Surgical System “robot” is a state-of-the art medical device comprised of
a surgeon console and patient-side robotic system with a high-resolution camera and microinstruments. The system is equipped with several “arms” that scale the movements of the
surgeon’s hands and arms down to micro-movements for delicate precision. The surgeon “drives”
the instruments using a high-resolution 3-D endoscope and image processing equipment, which
provide the true-to-life, highly magnified 3-D images of the surgical field.
Complex urological surgeries
Approximately 30 percent of prostate cancer patients in the U.S. are treated with surgery.
The surgery is called a radical prostatectomy and there are three methods: open surgery where a
large incision approximately four to six inches is made in the abdomen and two minimally
invasive types — laparoscopic and robotic-assisted laparoscopic, also known as da Vinci
Prostatectomy.
Greater New Bedford has a higher incidence of prostate cancer than the state average.
There were 897 cases of prostate cancer diagnosed in 2009 in the Greater New Bedford region.
The new da Vinci at St. Luke’s Hospital will provide another option of treatment for patients East
of Westport including the Wareham and Cape Cod region.
“The da Vinci offers patients considerable benefits to a delicate procedure, including
smaller incisions, less pain, a shorter hospital stay and faster recovery. There is less scarring and
in most cases a quicker return to normal activities,” said Derek Hausladen, MD, a Dartmouth
urologist who has been performing da Vinci Prostatectomies at Charlton Memorial since 2008
and plans to use the da Vinci at St. Luke’s.
“The technological advancements of the da Vinci Si Surgical System provide surgeons
with unparalleled precision, dexterity and control that enable a minimally invasive approach for
many complex surgical procedures,” Dr. Hausladen said. “Being able to offer this technique in
New Bedford is a greater benefit to my local patients.”
Surgeons from across the region who have received the proper training on the da Vinci Si
Surgical System are welcome to practice at St. Luke’s and Charlton Memorial hospitals.
Southcoast Health System opened its robotic surgical program in 2008 with the
installation of its first da Vinci Surgical System at Charlton Memorial Hospital in Fall River.
Today Charlton offers various types of robotic-assisted surgeries including gall bladder removal
surgery, radical prostatectomies, gynecological procedures and colorectal surgeries. Southcoast
also offers a wide range of minimally invasive laparoscopic surgeries.
For more information on robotic and other minimally invasive surgeries at Southcoast,
visit www.southcoast.org/davinci.
About Southcoast Health System & Southcoast Hospitals Group
Southcoast Health System is a community based health delivery system with multiple
access points, offering an integrated continuum of health services throughout Southeastern
Massachusetts and East Bay, Rhode Island. It includes the three hospitals that make up
Southcoast Hospitals Group — Charlton Memorial Hospital in Fall River, St. Luke’s Hospital in
New Bedford and Tobey Hospital in Wareham.
Southcoast provides advanced clinical services, such as open heart surgery, angioplasty
and heart rhythm services, comprehensive cancer care, neurosurgery, weight loss surgery,
orthopedic surgery, advanced imaging services and is the only provider of maternity services in
the region.
Southcoast is a not-for-profit charitable organization that depends on the support of the
community to provide services. More information is available online at
www.southcoast.org. Connect to Southcoast through social media
at www.southcoast.org/connect/.
Southcoast™ is a trademark of Southcoast Health System Inc.
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