In January, I was honored to be the first surgeon in East Tennessee to perform robotically assisted, laparoscopic gastric bypass surgery. Robotically assisted surgery offers fewer complications, shorter recovery times, less post-operative pain and a quicker return to normal activities than with the traditional laparoscopic method.
The surgeries are performed with the da Vinci Robotic Surgical System, a four-armed robot that mimics the hand and finger motions of the surgeon. It is a tremendous breakthrough in surgical technology that provides more surgical precision than typical laparoscopic surgery and is much less invasive than traditional “open” surgery.
The da Vinci offers these advantages:
- It gives the surgeon a better view by using high definition, three-dimensional imaging, rather than the two-dimensional view offered with standard laparoscopic surgery.
- The robotic mechanism offers more precision, greater magnification and easier manipulation.
- The robotic technology makes hand sewing much easier by allowing better access to some of the hard-to-reach abdominal and gastrointestinal areas. This allows us to perform the delicate and challenging bypass procedure with even greater precision resulting in the most effective surgical outcomes for our patients.
Recent studies at the University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center indicate robotically assisted surgery results in the least post operative complications for bariatric surgery and the quickest recovery times. We’re seeing similar results and expect that robotically assisted surgery will soon become the preferred technique for bariatric and many other surgical specialties.
Contact us today to see if you are a candidate for this revolutionary surgical method.