UnityPoint Health – St. Luke’s Hospital has acquired a HYDROS Robotic System for Aquablation, a minimally invasive surgical procedure for treating benign prostatic hyperplasia, commonly known as an enlarged prostate. The hospital says it is the first in the Corridor to acquire the technology.
The Aquablation procedure uses real-time imaging and a high-velocity, heat-free waterjet to remove excess prostate tissue, relieving urinary symptoms associated with BPH, one of the most common urological conditions nationwide.
Aquablation offers several patient benefits, said Dr. Jon Rippentrop, Physicians’ Clinic of Iowa and St. Luke’s medical director for robotic surgery.
“Compared to traditional surgery, Aquablation is a physician-controlled robotic platform that allows removal of the obstructing benign parts of the prostate that is contoured for each individual patient.”
Studies show it has lower risk of irreversible side effects and provides patients with lasting relief and a better quality of life, he added.
Dr. Rippentrop noted that BPH patients often choose medication over surgery due to concerns about complications affecting sexual or urinary function. Aquablation minimizes these risks while aiming to eliminate or reduce medication dependence.
The acquisition comes as St. Luke’s marks 20 years of robotic surgery, having obtained the area’s first surgical robot in 2005. The hospital’s surgeons have performed more than 15,000 robotic-assisted surgeries since then.
St. Luke’s operates six robotic surgical systems: the Single Port Robot for single-incision urologic surgery; Mako SmartRobotics and Rosa Robotics Systems for partial and total joint replacements; ION Robotic System for minimally invasive lung biopsies; da Vinci Xi Surgical System for thoracic surgery for lung cancer, urological, bariatric, gynecological and general surgeries; and the new HYDROS Robotic System for Aquablation.
