Speedy Recovery

Fitness enthusiast returns to form after robotic surgery

For avid skier Richard Humphreys,  surgery was not going to prevent him from hitting the slopes last winter. Having skied much of his life, Humphreys loves the exhilaration of gliding at top speed  down a snowy summit. So last October, when he was diagnosed with a hernia,  a weakening in the abdominal wall that  got in the way of his physical activity, Humphreys opted to have a minimally invasive procedure that would get him back on the mountain fast.

“I chose robotic surgery because my surgeon told me the postoperative pain would be reduced and I would be able to resume normal activities and do more things quickly,” says Humphreys. “He was right on the money about everything.”

Humphreys had also been diagnosed  with diverticulosis, a condition that occurs  when small pockets of the intestine become weakened, potentially leading to life-threatening complications. Satisfied with the way his hernia surgery turned out, Humphreys had another robotic procedure for the diverticulosis after ski season was over. So far, the 68-year-old is racing through recovery from his  second surgery at top speed.

“I had very little pain associated with the surgery and I was out of the hospital two days after the procedure, a day  earlier than expected,” says Humphreys, who has been enjoying getting back to the gym, running and gardening with his wife. “It was all very positive.”

One particularly encouraging aspect of the surgery: “The day after surgery I planned my wife’s surprise birthday party from my hospital bed.”

Peak Performance

Robotic-assisted surgery provides a minimally invasive approach resulting in a high level of precision and a quicker recovery for sports enthusiasts like Humphreys.

“The advantage with the robot is we have a better camera that provides a three-dimensional view of the surgical site and we have advanced instruments allowing us to be extremely precise,” says Bernard Cross, MD, a general surgeon at Inova Loudoun Hospital specially trained in the field of robotic surgery who treated Humphreys. “With robotic surgery, the patients have less pain, feel better sooner and are able to get back to their normal lives quicker than they would with  traditional laparoscopic or open surgery.”

Inova Loudoun Hospital has offered robotic surgery for more than a decade and now offers the technology to treat a wide array of conditions in urology, gynecology, gastroenterology and  general surgery.

“Any patient who is eligible for  traditional laparoscopic surgery may be  a good candidate for robotic surgery,”  says Dr. Cross.

The medical team’s top-notch expertise brings the best possible  surgical experience to each patient.

“The team at Loudoun Hospital  is so efficient,” says Dr. Cross. “The  staff is excellently trained and I feel  fortunate to work with such talented OR [Operating Room] staff.”

“The whole idea is to do things in a minimally invasive way so that the patient has less pain, is feeling better sooner  and can get back to his or her normal  life faster,” he adds.

New Advances

To ensure the highest level of precision, the Inova Loudoun Hospital medical team uses the latest technological advances in robotic surgery. In addition to a wide array of leading-edge instruments, the team now uses the vessel sealer for tissue dissection and manipulation. The addition of the Endowrist Stapling platform ensures precise tissue division and closure with more mobility during robotic-assisted procedures.

“We are the first in the Inova Health System to acquire a stapling device that you can use on the robot to transect bowel and connect it back together internally. That helps us to keep the incisions small during surgery,” says Dr. Cross.

Another surgical advance designed to improve patient outcomes is an imaging guidance system called Firefly, greatly enhancing the view of key blood vessels and bile duct. The device uses a special fluorescent dye detected by near-infrared light that allows the surgeon to ensure proper blood flow during intestinal surgery and identify bile ducts during gallbladder surgery.

“The fluorescence technology allows the surgeon to see the patient’s blood supply during the procedure and identify anatomy,” says Dr. Cross. “That gives us an extra advantage to increase the safety of our procedure that we may not have with open surgery.”

Maximum Precision

Robotic-assisted surgery provides a high-definition, three-dimensional view of the patient’s anatomy, resulting in a greater level of precision. The surgical site can be magnified up to 10 times, allowing the surgeon to see a close-up view of the area he or she is operating on.

“The magnification is so great, it’s like operating with a microscope,” says Bernard Cross, MD. “We are able to see so much more detail that we weren’t able to see in the past.”

During a robotic-assisted procedure, the surgeon uses controls to guide tiny surgical  instruments and a camera through small incisions in the body. The instruments mimic the movements of the surgeon’s hands with a high level of precision and accuracy.

High-Tech

Find out more about robotic assisted surgery at www.inova.org/davinci.