UnityPoint Health – St. Luke’s Hospital is expanding its surgical robotic program, adding a second da Vinci Xi Surgical System, which brings the hospital’s da Vinci robot total to four.
The Xi is the fourth-generation da Vinci surgical system and its most advanced robot, which has improved reach inside the body and provides surgeons an extended range of motion, according to a news release.
Now with two da Vinci Xi, one da Vinci X and one da Vinci SP surgeons at St. Luke’s continue to lead the way in robotic-assisted surgery. Surgeons at St. Luke’s have performed nearly 11,000 surgeries using the da Vinci surgical system since the program started in 2005. Robotic-assisted surgery is offered in several specialties at St. Luke’s, including gynecology, urology, general and thoracic surgery. Robotic-assisted surgery is minimally invasive with smaller incisions, allowing for faster patient recovery.
According to the release, the Xi System immersive 3D-HD vision system provides surgeons a highly-magnified view, virtually extending their eyes and hands inside the patient. The new surgical robot has an expandable technology platform designed to accommodate and seamlessly integrate a range of current technologies in areas such as imaging, advanced instruments and anatomical access.
“This recent addition of another da Vinci surgical system further demonstrates UnityPoint Health – St. Luke’s Hospital’s commitment to patients to offer the most up-to-date surgical technology and minimally invasive surgery options in the state,” said Jon Rippentrop, St. Luke’s medical director of minimally invasive surgery and Physicians’ Clinic of Iowa urologist, in the release. “St. Luke’s has been Iowa’s robotic leader for nearly two decades. This latest addition further demonstrates St. Luke’s commitment to being on the forefront of leading technology and expanding patient access.”
The da Vinci Xi and X surgical robots allows surgeons to operate through tiny openings – about the size of a dime. The surgeon uses a special console with hand and foot controls to move the robotic arms, which hold the instruments to operate. A small, 3D-HD camera helps surgeons see and perform intricate surgical procedures. The robot translates the surgeons’ natural hand motions at the control console into corresponding movements of the robotic instruments.
According to the release, the da Vinci SP surgical system allows surgeons to use one small (about one inch) incision to deploy the robot’s surgical instruments through a single port. The ability to enter the body using a single port enables surgeons to perform more complex procedures. The first single port urologic robotic surgery in the Iowa was performed at St. Luke’s Hospital in 2019 by Dr. Rippentrop.
The release goes on to clarify that the robot cannot be programmed or make decisions on its own – the surgeon is 100 percent in control of the da Vinci surgical system at all times.
