da Vinci ... Changing the Experience of Surgery at Lourdes

If you or a loved one has been diagnosed with a condition that may require surgery, you owe it to yourself to learn about all of your medical options, including the most effective, least invasive surgical treatments available.

The Lourdes da Vinci® Robotic Surgery Program provides surgeons with an alternative to both traditional open surgery and conventional laparoscopy, putting a surgeon's hands at the controls of a state-of-the-art robotic platform. The da Vinci System enables surgeons to perform even the most complex and delicate procedures through very small incisions with unmatched precision.

For the patient, benefits may include:

• Significantly less pain
• Less blood loss
• Less scarring
• Shorter recovery time
• A faster return to normal daily activities
• And in many cases, better clinical outcomes

The da Vinci Surgical System is the only commercially available technology that can provide the surgeon with the precision, dexterity and control of traditional open surgery, while only requiring 1-2 cm incisions.

Features of the da Vinci Surgical System

da Vinci Surgical System consists of an ergonomically designed surgeon's console, a patient cart with four interactive robotic arms, a high-performance vision System and patented EndoWrist instruments.

At the da Vinci console, your surgeon operates while seated comfortably, viewing a highly magnified 3D image of the body’s interior. To operate, the surgeon uses master controls that work like forceps.

As your surgeon manipulates the controls, da Vinci responds to your surgeon’s input in real time, translating his or her hand, wrist and finger movements into precise movements of miniaturized instruments at the patient-side cart.

da Vinci's patient cart holds up to three EndoWrist instruments and one 3D camera. To access the target anatomy, your surgeon introduces the precisely controlled EndoWrist instruments into the body through a series of dime-sized incisions. A broad range of instrument types are available to help your surgeon perform specialized surgical tasks with precision and control.

While clinical studies support the effectiveness of the da Vinci® System when used in minimally invasive surgery, individual results may vary. Surgery with the da Vinci Surgical System may not be appropriate for every individual. Always ask your doctor about all treatment options, as well as their risks and benefits.