Holy Cross Health recently celebrated a major milestone in its renowned robotic surgery program – the 10,000th robotic procedure – demonstrating the system’s ongoing commitment to innovation, surgical expertise, and forward-thinking, patient-centered care.
An early adopter of robotic surgery, Holy Cross Health was the first in Montgomery County to offer this minimally invasive option, introducing the da Vinci® Robotic System in 2008 with OB/GYN Albert Steren, MD, performing the first robotic GYN procedure. Aptly, Dr. Steren performed the hospital system’s 10,000th robotic surgery 14 years later in December 2022.
What You Should Know About Robotic-Assisted Surgery
Over the past decade, robotic surgery has become a standard of care in minimally invasive surgery, providing patients with a number of important benefits. Here’s what you need to know:
1. Robotic surgery isn’t performed by a robot.
That is why it’s referred to as robotic-assisted surgery, as the surgeon performs the procedure by controlling and guiding the robotic arms and instruments through the da Vinci robotic console.
2. Robotic-assisted surgery translates the surgeon’s hand movements.
Unlike traditional open surgery where the surgeon makes a large incision and uses handheld instruments to perform the operation, robotic-assisted surgery extends the capabilities of the surgeon’s hands.
Seated at the console, your surgeon is in complete control, using his or her hands to maneuver the surgical instruments and surgical arms. The tiny wristed instruments move like a human hand but with a better range of motion that allows the surgeon to perform complex procedures in hard-to-reach areas of the body with great accuracy. The system also has a built-in tremor control feature that ensures smooth movements throughout the procedure. What results is surgical precision beyond what is possible with traditional open surgery.
3. 3D, high-definition visualization of the surgical area enhances a surgeon’s eyes.
The da Vinci system provides increased visualization and magnification of the surgical area that is 10X greater than what the normal human eye can see.
4. Robotic surgery is truly minimally invasive.
Requiring only one or a few very small cuts is one of the many benefits of robotic-assisted surgery. Tiny instruments require tiny incisions, which means less scarring and bleeding for our patients.
Additional benefits of robotic surgery include:
- Greater surgical precision compared to open surgery
- Fewer post-surgical complications and bleeding
- Shorter hospital stay
- Quicker recovery
Robotic Surgery By The Numbers
Holy Cross Health’s robotic surgery program has grown exponentially over the years to provide the community with an advanced, minimally invasive surgical option.
Since the inception of our program in 2008:
- 51 surgeons have used our robotic equipment to perform less-invasive, more-precise surgeries
- 30 credentialed surgeons are currently active in our program and more specially trained surgeons are added on a regular basis
Of our robotic surgeries:
- 52 percent are gynecologic oncology procedures
- 13 percent are gynecologic
- 12 percent are urogynecologic
- 8 percent are general surgery/bariatric procedures
- 8 percent are colorectal
- 5 percent are thoracic
- 2 percent are urologic
Holy Cross Health is proud to be the only health system in the region to offer such a wide range of robotic surgical services and expertise.
Learn more about robotic surgery at Holy Cross Health, view the full list of procedures we perform, and the conditions treated with this minimally invasive surgical technique.
Related blog article: What is Minimally Invasive Surgery