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Bethesda North Hospital Expands Robotic-Assisted Surgery Program
Second robot to open the minimally invasive surgical option to more specialty areas
July 31, 2008
A little more than a year after being the first and only suburban hospital in Greater Cincinnati to offer robotic-assisted surgery, Bethesda North Hospital has brought a second robot to patients and doctors who live and work north of the city. Both physician preference and patient demand for the minimally invasive surgical option led to a full surgical schedule and the need for an additional system.
Bethesda North purchased its first robot in 2007 with a focus on urology, and more specifically, on prostatectomy procedures. Mark Delworth MD performed more than 200 robotic-assisted surgery cases before bringing his expertise to Bethesda North Hospital. Since his arrival at Bethesda North, he has used the robot to perform more than 270 additional robotic surgical procedures to treat conditions such as prostate cancer, bladder cancer, cancerous and non-cancerous kidney conditions and ureteropelvic junction (UPJ) obstruction.
“Patients have a clear advantage in choosing robotic-assisted surgery over traditional open surgery,” said Dr. Delworth, urologist and chairman of the department of surgery at Bethesda North Hospital. “The technology allows for such incredible dexterity and visualization that patients ultimately experience less pain and blood loss, quicker recovery, a better cosmetic result and, most importantly, a reduced risk of cancer recurrence.”
Adding a second robot at Bethesda North will allow the surgery teams to extend the benefits of minimally invasive surgery to more patients and procedures. Bethesda North already routinely sees more acute heart attack patients than other hospitals in Greater Cincinnati; the robot will further strengthen the hospital’s already-robust cardiac program. Gynecology is another area of focus, particularly with regard to hysterectomies and gynecologic oncology procedures.
To date, more than 30 heart and gynecology procedures have been performed with a robot at Bethesda North, and the second system will allow that number to grow significantly in the coming months. Geoffrey Answini MD performed the first robotic-assisted heart procedure at Bethesda North June 2007. Gerard Reilly MD performed the first robotic-assisted gynecological procedure at Bethesda North December 2007. James Sosnowski MD performed the first robotic-assisted hysterectomy at Bethesda North June 2008.
“The strength of our robotics program is derived from cross-training and teamwork,” said J. Michael Smith MD, director of robotic-assisted surgery for TriHealth. “This isn’t just about new technology. Our success comes from surgeons, nurses and other support staff working together to form specialized surgical teams focused on improving patient outcomes.”
Bethesda North’s robotic-assisted surgery program began by leveraging the pioneering expertise at its sister hospital, Good Samaritan Hospital, which brought the first robot to Cincinnati in 2003, just two years after the technology was approved by the FDA. Bethesda North has since become an expert in its own right and is making the technology more accessible to patients in the northern corridor of Cincinnati.
“Greater Cincinnati’s suburban communities have been growing at a very rapid pace. We continue to grow with those communities and honor our mission of improving the health status of the people we serve,” said Sher McClanahan, vice president and chief operating officer at Bethesda North. “Less than a year ago, we opened a brand new 7-story patient care tower, and now we’ve purchased a second robot to respond to patient demand for leading-edge, minimally invasive surgical options.”
Today TriHealth is one of only eight health systems nationwide with six or more robots. Nationally, there are approximately 650 such surgical systems in use, with about 850 in the rest of the world. Good Samaritan Hospital has become one of 23 training sites worldwide.
For more information about Robotic-Assisted Surgery at Bethesda North, call 513-745-5194 or visit the program's Web site.
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