Hospital incorporates new surgical system
Robots have come to Butler, and they're performing surgery.
Butler Memorial Hospital acquired robotic equipment to aid in performing surgeries in its general surgery department.
“It's the gold standard of care,” said Dr. Tony Maalouf, who along with Dr. Meng-G Martin Lee, uses the equipment in surgery.
For more than 30 cases since May, Maalouf and Lee have operated the da Vinci Xi Surgical System, a four-arm machine, from a console that includes controls and a camera.
Maalouf said the advantages of robotic surgery are that the arms have better range of motion than a human arm, as well as being able to see minuscule anatomy better.
“You're able to move the anatomy much more safely and efficiently,” he said.
The machinery, which cost $2.5 million and requires annual maintenance, was purchased from Intuitive Surgical, which runs the da Vinci Surgery System. Maalouf said robotic surgery has been used by hospitals since the mid-1990s and originated in the military.
A full report will appear in the Butler Eagle.
