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HACKENSACK UNIVERSITY MEDICAL CENTER PERFORMS FIRST PROSTECTOMY WITH DAVINCI™ ON THE EAST COAST
Hackensack University Medical Center has expanded its robotic surgery program performed with the daVinci™ Surgical System to include prostectomy. Jay S. Rosen, M.D., chief, Endourology & Stone Center, chief, Renal Transplant Division, and an attending physician in the Department of Urology at Hackensack University Medical Center recently performed the tri-state area’s first prostectomy with daVinci™.
Before performing the surgery, Dr. Rosen attended two seminars focusing on alternatives to the traditional prostectomy procedure. The seminars were held in Detroit, Michigan and Paris, France.
The daVinci™ Surgical System allows a surgeon to use a one-of-a-kind 3-D vision system to manipulate robotic arms and endoscope to perform intricate surgical procedures. The medical center is only one of a handful of hospitals that have integrated this new technology into their surgery departments. In fact, the medical center has been designated by the FDA to train personnel from other hospitals on the Eastern seaboard who will be acquiring the system.
There are several advantages to removing the prostate with the daVinci™ Surgical System over traditional and even laparoscopic procedures. The major benefit of the prostectomy using the daVinci™ Surgical System is a dramatic decrease in urinary incontinence.
In the traditional surgery once the catheter is removed, the patient may experience leakage for up to two months. According to Dr. Rosen, “The patient experienced virtually no leakage with this procedure.”
There is less leakage with this procedure because the robotic arm stitches the bladder to the urethra much tighter and more precise than the traditional surgery.
For Anthony Cacciola of East Hanover, the patient in question, the daVinci™ Surgical System has gotten him back on his feet much quicker than a traditional prostectomy would have.
“I didn’t know much about daVinci™, but when Dr. Rosen explained all the benefits the robot would give me I thought it would be a good choice,” said Mr. Cacciola, who has been very pleased with the results.
Using the daVinci™, the procedure reduces the patient’s risk of impotence, making it much less likely than with the traditional prostectomy.
Universal advantages of the daVinci™ Surgical System include its mobility and the 3-D vision system. The laparoscopic instrument and the human hand do not have the movement capability of the daVinci™ robotic arm. The 3-D vision system allows the surgeon to view the area better than the naked eye. Because of these advancements, the suturing is much more precise with the robotic arm rather than the laparoscope or human hand.
Ihor Sawczuk M.D., chairman of the Department of Urology, said the daVinci™ Surgical System has opened up a world of possibilities.
“Technology is only truly effective if it can help patients,” said Dr. Sawczuk. “The remarkable difference that daVinci™ can make in the field of urology is just beginning to be seen.”
In addition to prostectomies, medical center physicians are also utilizing daVinci™ in coronary bypass procedures, gall bladder removals (Cholecystectomy), and to surgically correct
gastroesophogeal reflux, or heartburn (Nissen Fundoplication).
Before surgeons can begin to use daVinci™, they must complete a two-day, FDA-approved course which includes a hands-on portion. As the training facility for the East coast, the medical center has a separate daVinci™ Surgical System located in the David Joseph Jurist Research Center for Tomorrows Children for just that purpose.
Renowned institutions such as the Cleveland Clinic, Brigham & Women’s Hospital in Boston, and the University of Massachusetts have been part of the training classes. Other programs from Kyushu University in Japan to Ochner Clinic in New Orleans, as well as executives from the University of Pennsylvania have all made site visits.
Hackensack University Medical Center performed more than 1,300 cardiac surgeries last year, out of nearly 27,000 surgical procedures. Of the 27,000 surgical procedures, more than half, 16,632 were same-day surgeries.
For more information about daVinci™ at Hackensack University Medical Center call (201) 996-2959.
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Jay S. Rosen, M.D., chief, Endourology & Stone Center, chief, Renal Transplant Division, and an attending physician in the Department of Urology at Hackensack University Medical Center recently performed the tri-state area’s first prostectomy with daVinci™.
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