da Vinci Si Robotic Surgical System
The da Vinci Si system is a technologically-advanced alternative to traditional open or laparoscopic surgeries. Seated at a special viewing and control console, the surgeon controls a robotic arm unit to perform the delicate surgical procedures inside the patient, while the system allows him to work more intricately, and see in far greater detail, than traditional surgical methods.
Instead of using a long, traditional incision to open the surgical site, surgeons using da Vinci Si need only make small incisions into which they guide three thin stainless steel probes guided by the da Vinci Si surgical robotic arms. One rod is fitted with a camera that shows the surgeon a detailed three-dimensional view of the operation through the viewing console. The other two hold the delicate surgical instruments the surgeon uses to dissect and suture the tissue being operated on, using precision controls that move in perfect synchronization with the surgeon's hands.
Smaller incisions means less trauma to surrounding tissue, which translates into reduced hospital stays. In many cases, a patient can go home in a day or two following a robotic procedure—half the time required for traditional open surgery. Robotic surgery also speeds up recovery times, reduces post-operative infection risks and lets patients return to their normal daily activities far sooner with more successful outcomes.
Surgeons at Phoenixville Hospital are currently using the da Vinci Si system to perform robotic prostatectomies, repair of ureteral obstruction (pyeloplasty), cardiac bypass surgery and mitral valve repair.