Inova Fair Oaks Hospital Performs Regions First Single-Site Robotic Surgery

Patients home same day

FAIRFAX, VA – (October 31, 2012) – Inova Fair Oaks Hospital has performed the first-ever Northern Virginia area da Vinci robotic operation for removal of a gall bladder using a single surgical incision. The U.S. Food and Drug Administration approved the Single-Site technique for cholecystectomies using the da Vinci robotic surgical system last December.

The innovative Single-Site technology allowed Inova Fair Oaks Hospital surgeon Hazem Elariny, MD to remove a patient’s gallbladder through a single, one-inch incision made through the navel.  During Single-Site cholecystectomies, only one incision is made instead of the usual 3 or 4 incisions used in laproscopic surgery, and patients go home the same day with virtually no scarring, minimal pain and a quick recovery.  “The advancement of single incision technology is a true milestone for robotic surgery.  This is the most important advancement this decade for General Surgery performed using a robotic minimally invasive approach,” according to Dr. Elariny.

Using state-of-the-art robotic and computer technologies, the da Vinci surgical system has allowed surgeons to perform complex operations with greater precision. The robot translates the surgeon’s hand, wrist and finger movements into precise, real-time movements of surgical instruments. Specially trained surgeons control the robot from a console, using high definition cameras and manipulating the high-performance, miniature instruments to perform the operation. Inova is one of the first hospitals in the Commonwealth of Virginia to provide this groundbreaking surgery.

“We are proud to be a leading provider of robotic surgery in the region,” said Inova Fair Oaks Hospital Chief Medical Officer Michael Lynch, MD.  “Inova’s commitment to excellence and vision for the future is foremost in the decision to bring this exciting new technology to the area.”

For more information or to schedule an interview, contact Christine Tea, Service Line Director, Inova Fair Oaks Hospital, at 703-391-3486.

About Inova
Inova is a not-for-profit health care system located in the Washington, D.C. metropolitan area, serving over two million people with over 1,700 licensed beds based in Northern Virginia.  Inova consists of five hospitals including the area’s only Level 1 Trauma Center and Level 3 Neonatal Intensive Care unit.  Inova encompasses many health services including the nationally and internationally recognized Inova Heart and Vascular Institute (IHVI), Inova Translational Medicine Institute (ITMI) on genomics, Inova Neuroscience Institute and Inova Children’s Hospital.  Inova’s mission is to improve the health of the diverse community it serves through excellence in patient care, education and research.  More information and statistics about Inova is at www.inova.org.
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