HeaLtH 15
CHAUTAUQUA STAR
FRIDAY, MAY 2, 2014
wCa Hospital’s robotics Program Celebrate one year milestone
Contributed Article
WCA Hospital
WCA Hospital, the region’s leader in
healthcare, recently celebrated the
one year anniversary of its robotic
program. The only hospital in the
Southern Tier to perform the newest
advancements in minimally invasive
surgery, robotic surgery represents
a third generation of advances in
surgery—one which builds upon
the advances of open surgery and
minimally invasive surgery.
The new daVinci® Surgical System at
WCA takes surgery beyond the limits
of the human hand, introducing precise, versatile instrument movement
combined with three-dimensional
visualization of the operative site.
The team of credentialed robotic surgeons on staff at WCA Hospital, led
by Dr. Timothy Brown, FACS, boardcertified general surgeon chair of the
robotics steering committee, includes
Galo Grijalva, M.D., FACS, board
certified surgeon; Matthew Chang,
M.D., FACS, board-certified surgeon;
Russell Lee, M.D., FACS, board certified surgeon; Ichabod Jung, M.D.,
FACS, board certified urologist; Ryan
White, M.D., board certified urologist; and Robert Daniels, M.D., board
certified OB/GYN physician.
“We are committed to remaining at
the forefront of technological advancements,” said Betsy T. Wright,
FACHE WCA Hospital President/
CEO. “Robotic surgery is the dawn
of a new generation of advanced
minimally invasive surgery and we
are humbled by the opportunity to be
the first hospital in the Southern Tier
to normal activities.
“Robotic surgery is not just the
wave of the future,” says Dr. Timothy Brown who performed the first
single incision robotic gallbladder
surgery at WCA with one small incision through the belly button. “It is
the future. With our new revolutionary surgical system, many of the operations we perform laparoscopically
are now performed with our robot
with even greater ease. The patient
Celebrating the one year anniversary of robotics at WCA Hospital, (left to
benefits are numerous including
right) Nicole Wilson, surgical technician; Myles Lyons, R.N.; Terra Caruso,
less post-operative discomfort, less
R.N.; James Kenney, R.N.; Russell Lee, M.D., FACS, credentialed robotic
surgeon, vice chair of the WCA Hospital Surgical Committee; Timothy Brown, scarring, and a quicker return to
M.D., FACS, credentialed robotic surgeon, chair of the WCA Hospital Surgical patients’ normal activities of life.”
Committee; Raleigh White, R.N.; Debra J. Micek, surgical O.R. Technician.
The one year milestone was celebrated with a surprise cake for the
to apply this groundbreaking techform extremely precise surgery. The
hospital’s surgical team. The daVinci
nology that is redefining how surgery robotic system has the added benefit
is performed across the nation. Our
of compensating for even the slightest robot, given the name ART, was
selected from a coloring contest that
brand-new technology is not only the movement, providing great accuracy
latest tool to assist our surgeons, but
and less disruption to surrounding tis- was held last year with area students.
“I chose the name ART because
patients are able to receive the very
sues than ever before.
latest surgical techniques and care
Earlier this year, surgeons performed WCA uses state-of-the-art technology
to perform surgeries,” said Holland
locally without leaving the area.”
single incision gallbladder removal
Able to perform highly complex pro- surgery. With the da Vinci Single-Site Isaacson, pupil at Lincoln Elementary School and winner of the coloring
cedures with unparalleled precision, Surgery, a gallbladder is removed
contest alongside Yavier O Santana,
the credentialed robotic surgeons
through a single small incision in the
pupil at Love School. “ART stands
have performed more than 200
belly button similar to traditional
cases since the program’s inception. single-port laparoscopy. The result is a for advanced robotics technology. I
also read that this is a daVinci robot.
Robotic surgery at WCA is currently virtually scarless surgery procedure.
Since Leonardo DaVinci is famous
used for gallbladder, uterus, colon,
Surgeries performed at WCA Hospi- for art, this name seemed perfect. I
adrenal glands, kidney, appendix,
tal, including robotic surgery, provide love art, too!”
spleen, anti-reflux surgery, ventral
all of the benefits that conventional
Listen to what patients are saying
and inguinal hernias, and prostate
laparoscopic surgery including
about robotic surgery. Go to www.
surgery procedures.
smaller incisions, minimal scarring,
wcahospital.org/roboticsurgery to
During robotic surgery, the skilled
and less operative discomfort. The
access patient video testimonials and
surgeon operates from a console where daVinci robot brings the range of
he or she can watch a live threebenefits to the next advanced level of a list of credentialed surgeons on
dimensional video feed of the patient’s surgery technology with the ability to staff at WCA Hospital. To make an
surgical site. Guiding the robotic arms perform highly complex rec