COOPERSTOWN _ The surgical team at Bassett Healthcare has a new, high-tech tool to perform minimally invasive prostatectomies and other procedures.
The da Vinci Surgical System debuted recently with the successful removal of a man's prostate gland through the use of the system's surgeon-controlled robotic arms.
The system has an approximate cost of around $1 million, said Dr. Steven Heneghan, chief of surgery for Bassett Healthcare.
"The benefits of this type of surgery to patients are enormous," Heneghan said. "Patients want the least-invasive surgical treatment option available, and now they won't have to travel to Albany or Syracuse to get it."
The advantages of the robotic-assisted surgery are less bleeding, better nerve preservation and quicker recuperation for patients, said Dr. Carlos Bermejo, a urologist and surgeon who is trained in using the da Vinci system.
For prostate cancer, the technology offers the same cancer control as the open-surgery procedure to remove a patient's prostate gland, he said.
But unlike open surgery, the da Vinci system allows for small incisions and more precise procedures.
"By making small incisions, people can recuperate quicker," said Bermejo, who joined the Bassett staff three months ago.
Bassett Healthcare acquired its da Vinci system two months ago.
The system was initially designed for heart surgery, but has since found favor among surgeons for prostatectomies and gynecological procedures, such as hysterectomies, Bermejo said.
The system's robotic arms are equipped with a camera and surgical instruments that are controlled by a surgeon using a console at a separate station.
"Robot is a misnomer because there are no independent motions initiated by the instrument. All the motions are translations of the surgeon's movements," Bermejo said.
Unlike open surgery or more traditional laparoscopic surgery, the system eliminates hand tremors, Bermejo said.
"The results are very encouraging, to the point where a lot of surgeons in the country are changing to this new technology," Bermejo said.
During surgeries, he will likely be sitting about 10 feet away from a patient, Bermejo said.
The system is portable so that it can be utilized in different operating rooms and in other areas of the hospital if the need arises.
Heneghan said there may be some people who are skeptical of the system.
"Some people have concerns that a machine is doing the surgery," Heneghan said.
But the da Vinci Surgical System simply translates the motions of the surgeon, he said.
The initial prostatectomy was a success for the patient, Bermejo said.
"He's doing well," Bermejo said.
Next up for Bassett's da Vinci system is a kidney operation and then another prostatectomy, he said.
The public will have a chance to view the technology and "test drive" the da Vinci system at Sangertown Square Mall in New Hartford at 10 a.m. Saturday.
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