Many Sequoia Hospital patients are bouncing back from surgery and returning to normal activities faster these days, thanks to the hospital’s new robotic technology, the da Vinci® S Surgical System. Using generous funds from the Sequoia Hospital Foundation, Sequoia was the first hospital in San Mateo County to acquire this high-definition system. The da Vinci System is used for high-level cases in urology and gynecology.
“The goal of Sequoia’s robotic surgery program is to provide the most advanced health care options to our community,” says Dieter Bruno, M.D., urologist and medical director of robotic surgery at Sequoia Hospital. “The da Vinci System is helping redefine standards of care.”
Robotics and Hysterectomy
Among the growing number of laparoscopic procedures in which the da Vinci robot is highly effective is hysterectomy. “For someone who is properly trained and is comfortable operating the robot, there is no reason not to try the robotic approach first,” says Elaine Chien, M.D., OB/GYN. “My robotic surgery patients have less pain, less blood loss, a shorter recovery time and in many cases, better clinical outcomes than a traditional open-surgery approach to hysterectomy.” And, with one in three women in the United States having a hysterectomy before the age of 60—prompted by cervical or uterine cancer, uterine fibrosis, excessive bleeding or other conditions—robotic-assisted surgery promises to become a widely accepted remedy for improving the health and quality of life of countless female patients.
Patients' Perspectives
The results speak for themselves. “I have many patients who have struggled with whether or not to have a hysterectomy for a long time because their impression is that it’s such a life-changing surgery and that they basically have to take off from life for a long time. With robotic surgery, they don’t need to do that,” says Dr. Chien. “Nowadays, I commonly hear comments like, ‘If I would have known how easy this is, I would’ve done it years ago.”
Two weeks after her recent robotic hysterectomy, Sequoia patient Melody Benson, 47, was back to doing the active things she enjoys, such as hiking with her dog Dakota. A traditional hysterectomy would have kept her inactive for four weeks. With less postoperative pain and scarring, Benson was delighted with the outcome. As she puts it, “My robotic hysterectomy was a walk in the park.” View this video, to hear directly from Melody Benson.
