Surgery

Technology is changing the world of surgery - for the better

A growing number of surgical procedures today are done with a minimally invasive approach.

Trained physicians use specialized techniques and sophisticated medical equipment including computers, miniaturized instruments and robotic surgical systems to perform surgeries with less impact on patients and similar or better results than traditional “open incision” surgeries.

Benefits of minimally invasive surgery typically include shorter hospital stays, faster recovery times, reduced pain and similar or better results than traditional procedures. Surgeons make small incisions through which they insert instruments, including a telescope-like device attached to a camera. This allows the surgeons to view the internal organs and structures and watch their movements on a video monitor.

Patients who have minimally invasive surgery are generally out of the hospital the same or next day and back to full activity much faster than those undergoing open incision surgery. They go home with tiny incisions rather than a several inch long scar.

Available Procedures Increasing

Initially performed in such areas as orthopedics and gynecology, minimally invasive procedures are increasingly available across a broad spectrum of medical specialties.

Scottsdale Healthcare physicians, for example, are using minimally invasive techniques to perform hysterectomies and certain joint replacement and weight loss surgeries, as well as to remove kidneys, enlarge breasts and treat stomach reflux.

First in Arizona with daVinci Robotic Surgery

Scottsdale Healthcare was the first in Arizona to use the daVinci Surgical System. The robot is FDA-approved for use in general, thoracic, urological and certain heart-related procedures.

The robot has arms with surgical instruments attached; they are placed through small incisions and operated by a physician using a 3-D magnification viewfinder and special computerized controls at a nearby console.

Acquired with the help of philanthropic donations from the community, surgeons are using $1 million robot for prostate surgery, mitral valve repair and other procedures, including an FDA clinical trial of minimally invasive coronary bypass surgery.

High-Tech Operating Rooms

Hand-in-hand with the increase and advancement of minimally invasive surgery has come a change in today's operating room. Evidence of this can be seen in the design of Scottsdale Healthcare's new Greenbaum Surgery Center at Scottsdale Healthcare Osborn.

The facility includes stanchions hung from ceilings - rather than carts that can be an obstacle in the operating room - to hold high-tech video equipment. Voice-activated robotic arms with cameras will make fine movements at a physician's command to provide better pictures. Monitors and screens provide physicians better views and offer the opportunity to teach others.

Benefits of minimally invasive surgery

• Smaller incisions
• Shorter hospital stays
• Faster recovery time
• Reduced need for pain medication
• Less blood loss
• Similar or better treatment results