Robotic-assisted surgery at Sparrow offers expanded treatment options

Mid-Michigan residents don’t have to travel long distances to receive care from surgeons equipped with some of the world’s most advanced technology. Sparrow was the first to bring robotic-assisted surgery to mid-Michigan, and our team of expert surgeons train specialists around the state on using Intuitive Surgical’s da Vinci Surgical System.

Benefits of robotic-assisted surgery

Because robotic-assisted gynecological and urological surgeries at Sparrow are minimally invasive, they give you options you wouldn’t have with traditional open surgery — like returning to your daily routine two weeks after a hysterectomy, or hitting the golf course just three weeks after surgery to remove prostate cancer. It’s no wonder that more and more patients are telling their friends and family about the benefits of robotic-assisted surgery.

Women who undergo a robotic-assisted hysterectomy typically return to their daily activities in 14 to 20 days, rather than the typical six-week recovery period required for open surgery. With incisions as small as the size of a quarter, there is significantly less scarring. For men who need a prostatectomy to remove a cancerous prostate gland, robotic-assisted surgery decreases the risks of two common complications of the traditional prostate surgery — impotence and incontinence.

Sparrow leads the way

Nearly 1,000 robotic-assisted surgeries have been performed at Sparrow since 2005. While major hospitals around the country are only now beginning to use the revolutionary da Vinci Surgical System, Sparrow premiered mid-Michigan’s first da Vinci unit three years ago and in 2008 acquired its second advanced robotic surgical platform.

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Potential Benefits: Significantly less pain Less blood loss Fewer complications Less scarring A shorter hospital stay And a faster return to normal daily activities

With a team of 11 surgeons, registered nurses and surgical technologists who have intensive training in the da Vinci system, Sparrow’s program is regarded as a model program. Sparrow’s specialists train surgeons at other hospitals that are establishing a program using the da Vinci system.

How robotic-assisted surgery works

In a da Vinci-assisted surgery, the chief surgeon sits a few feet away from the patient, viewing a highly magnified, three-dimensional image of the surgical area while manipulating robotic arms. The four robotic arms cannot be programmed, relying on the surgeon's movements that are transmitted into real-time, micro-movements of the instruments. Another surgeon, nurse practitioner or certified first assistant remains at the patient’s bedside to assist. To learn about gynecological procedures, click here and to learn more about urological procedures, click here.