OMHS Begins Robotic Heart and Lung Surgery
First patients receive minimally invasive coronary bypass, lung procedures
OWENSBORO, KY – (February 26, 2010) – Owensboro Medical Health System is among a handful of hospitals across the nation now offering robotic surgery to treat heart and lung disease. Robotic surgeries offer a number of benefits to patients, including less pain, shorter recoveries and quicker return to daily activities. Doug Adams, MD, a cardiovascular and thoracic surgeon at OMHS, is one of few surgeons in the US performing both bypass surgery and removing lung cancer using the daVinci Surgical system. OMHS is the only Kentucky hospital providing coronary bypass surgery with the daVinci.
Robotic assisted heart and lung surgeries require only four minor incisions made between the ribs. In the case of bypass surgery, the heart continues to beat, eliminating the need for a heart-lung machine. The daVinci provides surgeons with high-definition, three-dimensional vision and a magnified view that even exceeds that of some open technique surgeries.
“Robotic surgery is very beneficial to patients and greatly accelerates recovery and treatment course.” Adams said. “The quality of the bypass has been shown to be equal to that of conventional bypass surgery with considerably less surgical trauma.”
About ten percent of patients who need bypass surgery are candidates for robotic assisted revascularization at this time, a figure anticipated to increase as technology advances. Some require only single-vessel bypasses; those who have multiple blockages can receive hybrid procedures—a combination of bypass surgery and angioplasty or stenting.
In the case of lung cancer patients, nearly all are candidates for robotic assisted, port-only surgery, where the portion of the lung containing the cancer is removed. In addition to quicker recovery, the lessened surgical trauma allows patients who require chemotherapy or radiation to begin treatments sooner.
Benefits of robotic assisted surgery include shorter hospital stays and faster recovery, less pain, minimal scarring, lower infection risk, significantly less blood loss and a quicker return to normal activities.
Traditional (open technique) surgeries require large incisions to restore blood flow to blocked arteries or remove portions of lungs. Surgeons split the breast bone and spread ribs for open-heart procedures. A lung cancer removal procedure involves making a six-to 10-inch incision on the side of the chest between the ribs. Both incisions can be very painful and recovery times can last several weeks to months, requiring patients to limit activities for extended periods and take more pain medication.
Owensboro Medical Health System serves an eleven-county region in western Kentucky and southern Indiana. The hospital received the HealthGrades the distinguished hospital for Clinical Excellence Awards in 2009 and 2010 placing it among the top five percent of hospitals in the nation for quality. OMHS includes a licensed 477-bed hospital, the HealthPark—a medical-based fitness center—and a number of ancillary clinics and diagnostic centers. The system also operates a number of physician clinics, Multicare regional clinics in Madisonville, Beaver Dam (KY) and Tell City (IN) well as the Clinic at Wal-Mart in Owensboro and Henderson (KY) and Newburgh (IN). The system currently employs a workforce of approximately 3,200.