Butler Hospital now has robotic surgery.
The da-Vinci X-I system is being used for laparoscopic surgeries.
We spoke with Dr. Tony Maalouf, a General Surgeon at Butler Memorial Hospital, about this new surgery. He says it “enables the surgeon to be able to do things that technically and physically that that surgeon was not able to do before.”
Laparoscopic surgeries use a minimally invasion approach with the goal of lessening the degrees of herniation, infection and pain after surgery. According to Dr. Tony Maalouf, this kind of surgery should lessen those aspects even further. In the operating room, special tubes are docked to the robotic arms. The surgeon then goes to a console, which is in the same room and has a 3D screen, and the surgeon then begins the process. Physician assistants are in the operating room as well, alongside the patient.
Robotic surgery started about 10-15 years ago. Dr. Malouf says about 30-40 patients in Butler have undergone surgery using the robotic option. This type of surgery has been at the Butler Hospital for about 3-4 months. Three to four surgeons are already or are being trained in using the robotic surgery with the Butler Health System.
Written By: Tracey Morgan for the Butler Radio Network
