SUBMITTED NEWS RELEASE
RENO, Nev. (March 18, 2010) – Near its two-year anniversary of having the technology, Renown Regional Medical Center announces that it has become one of only 11 da Vinci Connect training sites for the da Vinci® S HD™ Robotic Surgical System. The da Vinci Connect system allows surgeons to watch a da Vinci surgery live from anywhere in the US and is designed to aide in the training and proctoring of physicians from across the nation who are working to become a certified da Vinci surgeon.
The system enables remote observation of live cases, remote mentoring by qualified physicians and remote monitoring within the hospital. It was created to provide da Vinci surgeons with easier access to skilled, mentoring-physicians, for observing and learning best-in-class techniques.
Last Thursday, a gynecologic oncologist in San Diego, Calif. logged in to watch Dr. Peter Lim, M.D., medical director of da Vinci services at Renown Health and medical director of gynecological oncology at Renown Institute for Cancer, do a robotic radical hysterectomy and lymph node dissection. Dr. Lim and Renown Regional Medical Center were the first in Nevada and California to conduct a live, remote case observation. The closest hospital or healthcare network with this capability is in Seattle, Wash.
Dr. Lim is one of the top-tier robotic surgeons in the United States in terms of volume of cases and is hugely popular among his colleagues for case observation.
“I believe the new features of da Vinci Connect will help us provide the best possible outcomes for patients and healthcare providers throughout the United States and probably internationally,” said Dr. Lim. “Surgeries where da Vinci was used have not only made a huge difference in the quality of life for my patients here locally these past two years, but I think it will also have a positive impact for others globally.”
Dr. Lim completed his 261st da Vinci procedure at Renown Regional March 18. To date more than 589 da Vinci procedures have been done at Renown including Dr. Lim’s first on March 6, 2008.
Renown Regional was the first hospital in northern Nevada to offer this type of surgical option and in less than two years the hospital has recorded a large volume of cases with patients who may have otherwise left the region for their procedure.
“These noninvasive procedures are so effective that patients are able to get back to their daily lives quicker and with much less pain,” said Linda Ferris, Ph.D., vice president of the Renown Institute for Cancer and lead administrator for the da Vinci® S HD™ Robotic Surgical System. “This advancement in training technology is proof of our commitment to provide our community access to the skill and expertise they need and deserve.”
Patients and physicians who are interested in learning more about the da Vinci Robotic Surgical System at Renown Health should call Linda Ferris, Ph.D., at 775-982-6830 or visit www.renown.org/davinci.
About the da Vinci® S HD™ Robotic Surgical System
The da Vinci S HD Surgical System is powered by state-of-the-art robotic technology. The System allows a surgeon’s hand movements to be scaled, filtered and translated into precise movements of micro-instruments within the operative site. The magnified, three-dimensional view the surgeon experiences enables him/her to perform precise surgery in complex procedures through small surgical incisions. For more information, please visit www.intuitivesurgical.com.
