Surgery Update
Expanding, Adding New Technology and Services
The Outpatient Surgery Center hosted the King’s Daughters Surgical Innovations Showcase, which provided visitors unique access to state-of-the-art surgical suites and medical devices.
Attendees also received a first hand look at the da Vinci robotic surgery system and other innovations offered by the medical center’s Surgery Department, including:
the lap band device used in weight loss surgery
the stents and grafts used in heart and vascular procedures
the tools and products used in cataract and sinus surgeries
Growing and expanding
The number of surgical procedures performed at King’s Daughters grows every year. Over the past 12 months, the medical center has hosted more than 19,500 surgeries. The Outpatient Surgery Center, (OSC) in particular, has seen tremendous growth. The facility, which opened in November 2003, hosted just under 3,400 procedures in its first year. Today, the facility hosts completes more than 6,500 surgeries annually. To meet surgeons’ increasing demand, KDMC is constructing a sixth state-of-the-art surgical suite in the OSC.
da Vinci robotic surgery
In August, King’s Daughters introduced the da Vinci robotic surgery system, which enables physicians to perform a broad range of complex procedures using minimally invasive techniques. 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 da Vinci also provides a magnified, three-dimensional view that enables physicians to perform complex procedures through small surgical incisions.
Urologists Tim Dixon, M.D., and William Boykin, M.D., have performed laparoscopic prostatectomy with the robotic system. In addition, OB/Gyns Richard Ford, M.D., and Brian Frederick, M.D., (hysterectomy) and cardiovascular surgeon Marcos Nores, M.D., (valve surgery) also will be utilizing the da Vinci.
“The da Vinci allows greater visualization, as well as enhanced dexterity and precision,” Dr. Dixon says. “It promotes the use of minimally invasive surgical techniques, which means shorter hospital stays and faster return to normal activities.”
Lithotripsy services renewed
The King’s Daughters Surgery Department is providing lithotripsy services. Patients with kidney stones are being treated with one of the most advanced and versatile lithotripters in the world—the Storz Modulith SLX-T. The procedure is performed Monday through Friday.
Every year, more than one million Americans seek medical attention for kidney stones, a condition that affects men twice as much as women.
KDMC urologists include William Boykin, M.D., Tim Dixon, M.D., James Krick, D.O., Francis Ogbolu, D.O., Charles Thorndyke, M.D., and E.W. Unnikrishnan, M.D.
Cornea transplantation
Ophthalmologist Parveen Nagra, M.D., recently became first in the Tri-State to perform a revolutionary new outpatient corneal transplant procedure that offers faster healing for patients.
Descemet’s Stripping Automated Endothelial Keratoplasty (DSAEK) involves the insertion of a thin piece of donor corneal tissue through a small incision on the side of the eye. This tissue adheres to the back surface of the old cornea and clears the corneal swelling. Dr. Nagra says the DSAEK procedure reduces the chance of a devastating hemorrhage during the surgery or infection afterward.
“Since we use a small incision, the eye is stronger so that if it is inadvertently struck sometime in the future, there is less likelihood of a serious injury,” she explains.
Dr. Nagra adds that another advantage of DSAEK is the speed in which patients recover. “Vision is typically restored within one to three months following DSAEK, versus one to two years with the traditional transplantation.”