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Quicker recovery aids patient's return to a family, work

By Jacque Hillman, Your Health Magazine

So the diagnosis is that a hysterectomy is needed and you're already worried about taking long off from work, the pain after surgery and being cared for at home?

Now you can ease your worries.

Dr. Chris Welsch, Dr. Jeff Ball and Dr. Frank Pierce, obstetrician/gynecologists at The Jackson Clinic, are routinely performing robotic hysterectomies at Jackson General.

"Intuitive Surgical's da Vinci technology can be used for multiple different procedures," said Dr. Welsch. "Hysterectomy removal of fibroid tumors, treatment of ovarian cysts or scar tissue, or female organ prolapse surgery- all can be performed through smaller incisions with increased precision, allowing patients to recover more quickly and return to normal life activities sooner."

"Laparoscopic surgery is a major advance over traditional forms of surgery, and robotic assisted surgery provides us with even greater capabilities for the treatment on our patients," Dr. Welsch added. "We are pleased to be one of the most experienced benign gynecology groups in the state of Tennessee for robotics, having done over 400 procedures. A number of us also have the privilege of traveling to teach robotic surgery to other physicians."

In earlier surgeries, a large incision was made along the abdominal wall, which also left a large scar. Naturally, there was a longer recovery time in the hospital.

But Jackson General purchased the da Vinci Robotics System at the cost of about $1.6 million to perform less-invasive surgeries, which also include prostate, cardiac and general surgery. Approximately 85 percent of prostate surgeries are done robotically, which is good news for men.

As for women, one in three women in the U.S. will have a hysterectomy before turning 60, so this is a much-needed medical  treatment for them.

Dr. Ball said that with da Vinci surgery, the robotic arms are attached to the console. "For the surgeon sitting at the console, it's like having a binocular view into the patient. You can zoom in and be right on a blood vessel that looks as big as your finger."

"The scopes are the size of a ballpoint pen," said Dr. Pierce. "Usually we make four small incisions."

The robot has arms that are inserted through the two centimeter cuts. Those arms hold surgical tools and a camera for the view. The arms are also more flexible, which adds to the level of safety during surgery, said Dr. Ball.

The surgeon at the console uses a high-definition 3D camera to show the surgical area. He places his hands on two controllers and when he moves his hands, the robot's hands do the same moves, except that the operations is performed inside the patient.

"Robotic assisted surgery has definitely lived up to the promise of safe procedures and excellent outcomes with quicker recovery," said Dr. Welsch. "For most gynecologic conditions, patients can stay in our community and receive state-of-the-art surgical treatment while not having to travel to other cities for care."

As far as returning to work goes, Dr. Ball said patients who do office work usually go back to work in a week. "About half go back to work at two weeks and everybody by three weeks," said Dr. Ball.

"The demands on modern women are such that anytime you can get them back to work and with their children, this is a good thing. When my wife goes down, the whole family falls apart," Dr. Pierce smiled.

More good news? Insurance will pay for the robotic surgery.

What to know:

What: da Vinci Hysterectomy. Offers these benefits for patients:

• Significantly less pain
• Less blood loss
• Fewer Complications
• Less risk of infection
• Less scarring due to smaller incisions
• Shorter recovery time
• A faster return to normal daily activities
• And in many cases, better clinical outcomes

The  da Vinci System provides surgeons with enhanced visualization_ including high-definition 3D vision and a magnified view of the surgical site_ increased precision, and a better control. While sitting at the ergonomic console, the surgeon controls the system, which translates his or her hand movements into smaller, more precise movements of tiny instruments inside the patient's body. Though it is often called a "robot", the da Vinci Surgical System cannot be programmed, nor can it make decisions on its own. Rather, the da Vinci System requires that every surgical maneuver be performed by the surgeon. If you want to know if you're a candidate for da Vinci surgery, you'll find questionnaire on the company's Web site at www.davincisurgery.com.