
Recently,
da Vinci Masters Level surgeon Dr. Joseph Washburne completed the 1000th
da Vinci robotic-assisted surgery to be performed at Wesley Medical Center. Reaching
this milestone makes Wesley’s the most experienced da Vinci surgical program in
south Mississippi.
“Every da
Vinci surgery is exciting because the technology is truly incredible, but breaking
the 1,000 mark is a remarkable thing,” said Dr. Washburne. “I believe da Vinci robotic-assisted
surgery offers the best possible clinical outcomes, so the expansion of the
robotics program to this level is a very good thing for patients.”
Dr.
Washburne, an OB/GYN with Women’s Pavilion of South Mississippi, earned the
Masters Level da Vinci surgical skill designation in 2011 and has performed
nearly 250 robotic-assisted surgeries using the da Vinci surgical system. The
1,000th da Vinci surgery was a minimally invasive hysterectomy
procedure, performed using only a few incisions less than one inch long. The
small incisions often result in significantly less pain and scarring as
compared to other surgical techniques.
“With
robotics, patients have very little pain compared to traditional laparoscopy,” said
Washburne. “There is no comparison to an abdominal hysterectomy.”
Da Vinci
robotic-assisted surgery often results in notably better clinical outcomes. Other
benefits for patients may include significantly less pain, less blood loss, less
scarring and a shorter recovery time.
Wesley
Medical Center introduced da Vinci surgery to the Pine Belt in 2007 and remains
committed to being the leader in robotic-assisted surgery for the area. In 2011, their upgrade to the newest da Vinci
Si Surgical System enabled physicians to take a minimally invasive approach for
even more complex surgical procedures and made single-incision surgery an
option for specially trained physicians.
In 2012,
the first single-incision gall bladder removal surgery in south Mississippi was
performed at Wesley. Dr. Wesley Girod, a general surgeon with Southern Surgery
and Urology Center, completed the surgery using only a single, inch-long
incision camouflaged by the belly button. Dr. Girod has performed more than 80
surgeries using da Vinci robotic-assisted technology. Wesley Medical Center is
one of only a small percentage of hospitals nationwide to offer single-incision
da Vinci surgery.
The da
Vinci Si Surgical System integrates robotic technology to virtually extend the
surgeon’s eyes and hands. Using the system, the surgeon operates while seated
at a console viewing a 3-D image of the surgical area. The system mimics the
surgeon’s hand movements in real time, on a smaller scale, within the operating
site in the patient’s body. Wesley Medical Center’s team of da Vinci Si
Surgical System trained physicians includes Dr. Andrea Carter, Dr. Lee Drake,
Dr. Joel Flynt, Dr. Wesley Girod, Dr. Charles Moore, Dr. Bill Pace and Dr.
Joseph Washburne. No other da Vinci surgical team in south Mississippi is as
experienced as the surgeons at Wesley Medical Center.
“Patients
are traveling great distances to take advantage of the minimally invasive da
Vinci surgical options at Wesley and providing 1,000 patients the benefits of
such a dramatically different surgical experience is something we’re very proud
to have accomplished,” said Mike Neuendorf, CEO for Wesley Medical Center. “Da
Vinci technology means that we’re able to meet our ultimate goal of getting
patients returned to health and back to their lives faster.”
Wesley Medical Center is committed to providing
superior care to the Pine Belt and has been recognized for patient safety and
top performance on key quality measures. The da Vinci minimally invasive
surgical program at Wesley is one of the fastest growing in the state.