Submitted by
Dee Loflin, SMT Manager/Writer
Poplar Bluff, Missouri – A surgical team at Poplar Bluff Regional Medical Center performed their first da Vinci Single-Site Cholecystectomy on April 9, 2013. They are the only hospital in the region and one of only four hospitals in the entire state to have performed this procedure. The patient’s gallbladder was removed through one tiny incision in the belly button, making the procedure virtually scarless.
Led by David Mauterer, M.D. General Surgeon, the team removed the gallbladder using Single-Site instruments on a da Vinci System. The minimally invasive procedure is traditionally called a laparoscopic cholecystectomy. Using robotic assistance, surgeons removed the gallbladder through an incision of approximately one inch.
“Neither robotic surgery nor single-incision surgery is new, but combining the two to remove the gallbladder requires additional training and special equipment,” says Charles Steward, CEO of PBRMC and the Missouri Region. “To be one of the first hospitals to offer this technically advanced surgery demonstrates Poplar Bluff Regional’s commitment to providing patients with the most up-to-date minimally invasive surgical options.”
Potential benefits of Single-Site gallbladder surgery may include virtually scarless results, minimal pain, low blood loss, fast recovery, a short hospital stay and high patient satisfaction. The surgery can be performed in about one hour with a typical hospital stay of less than 24 hours.
During the procedure, the surgeon sits comfortably at a console, viewing a 3D, high-definition image of the patient’s anatomy. The surgeon uses controls below the viewer to move the instrument arms and camera. In real-time, the system translates the surgeon’s hand, wrist and finger movements into more precise movements of the miniaturized instruments inside the patient.
Unlike traditional robotic surgeries requiring three to five small incisions, this new technology allows for a single incision in the belly button where instruments are placed and the diseased gallbladder is removed.
Most people who require gallbladder removal are candidates for the robotic, single-incision surgery. According to the American College of Surgeons, surgery is the recommended treatment for gallbladder pain from gallstones and non-functioning gallbladders.
More than 1 million people in the U.S. have their gallbladder removed each year. Most are performed with traditional laparoscopy using several incisions.
PBRMC offers various types of robotic-assisted surgeries. In addition to gallbladder removal, PBRMC surgeons perform robotic-assisted surgery for gynecology and various other general surgery conditions. PBRMC also offers a wide range of minimally invasive conventional laparoscopic surgeries.
For information on robotic and other minimally invasive surgeries at PBRMC, call 855-444-PBRMC (7276) or visit www.poplarbluffregional.com.
