The Southeast Georgia Health System Brunswick Campus is the first hospital
in the southeast
Georgiaregion
to offer single-incision cholecystectomy surgeries using the daVinci Robotic
Surgery System®. The procedure was performed on December 16, 2013,
by Stephen Kitchen, MD, FACS, a board-certified general surgeon, using
a single incision through the belly button.
In the past month, Kitchen has performed several more single-incision
cholecystectomy
procedures,
or removal of the gallbladder. Using the
daVinci
, the procedure is done in a single one-inch incision, rather than three
to four small incisions, delivering virtually scarless results.
“We take great pride in our ability to deliver advanced,
high quality
care to our community,” says Gary R. Colberg, FACHE, president &
CEO, Southeast Georgia Health System. “Minimally invasive
daVinci
surgery offers patients better outcomes and we are excited to add this
procedure to our robotic surgery program.”
Kitchen, who has performed more 1,000 single-incision laparoscopic cholecystectomies
at Southeast Georgia Health System, said he became interested in using
the daVinci when the surgical platform that enables a single incision
became available. Now, patients can experience the benefits of both single-incision
surgery and those offered by the
daVinci
, which includes less post-operative pain, faster healing
and
almost no visible scar.
“For the patient, the primary advantage of single-incision cholecystectomy
using the
daVinci
is a more gentle surgery because the instrumentation has been designed
so that less pressure is applied to the tissue,” explains Kitchen.
“This translates to less pain at the incision site, and several
patients have told me that their pain is so minimal that they are not
filling their pain prescriptions.”
For the surgeon, the
daVinci
also offers more dexterity of the surgical instruments and much better
visualization of the surgical site. “The visualization that the
3D and HD technology provides is just incredible,” Kitchen says.
In 2011, Southeast Georgia Health System became one of the first in the
region to acquire the daVinci Robotic Surgery System. Surgeons initially used
daVinci
for gynecological procedures, including hysterectomies; removal of fibroids,
ovarian cysts and masses; treatment of pelvic organ prolapse; and some
types of gynecologic cancer. In 2013, the program was broadened to include
prostate and gallbladder procedures.
For more information about the daVinci Robotic Surgery System at Southeast
Georgia Health System, visit sghs.org/davinci.