Robot-assisted surgery coming to WRH

Looking like an alien creation, the da Vinci XI Surgical System treated the curious to a vision of what surgery will look like at Whitfield Regional Hospital beginning in April.

For two days last week a demonstration unit of the da Vinci system was set up in the lobby of the hospital. Representatives from Intuitive, the company providing the robot assisted surgery unit, were on hand to explain the device, answer questions and give onlookers the chance to manipulate the robotic arms.

“I have been using this in residency for five years” prior to coming to WRH, said Dr. Quince Gibson, who is on the staff at WRH.  

Dr. Gibson will be the only surgeon stationed at WRH qualified to use the da Vinci unit, but other surgeons from UAB will have access to it. In addition, it should draw other physicians from the area to perform surgeries at WRH. The goal is to bring more patients and more specialists, said an Intuitive spokeman.

“This (unit) is designed for surgeries in the abdomen and surgeries in the chest” such as gall bladder, hernias, colon and gynecology, said Dr. Gibson. “You will end up with… four small, tiny incisions” instead of a long cut. “You’re going to be back on your feet a lot faster.”