St. Bernards Unveils Latest Robotic Surgery Option, Performs First Procedure Using Device in Arkansas

JONESBORO, Ark. – Building on 16 years of successful robotic surgeries, surgeons at St. Bernards Medical Center have begun using a new, highly advanced surgical robot that could improve patient outcomes and give doctors greater insight and accuracy.

The new robot, the Intuitive da Vinci 5® Surgical System, specializes in minimally invasive surgical procedures in urology, gynecology, thoracic surgery and general surgery. Since St. Bernards began working with Intuitive in 2008, its surgeons have performed more than 7,500 surgical procedures using previous iterations of the da Vinci. St. Bernards general surgeon Dr. Willie Harper completed the hospital’s first da Vinci 5 procedure, a gastric bypass. The procedure marks the first surgery in Arkansas using the da Vinci 5.

Dr. Harper explains the benefits of using the newest, most technologically advanced da Vinci surgical robot.

“The newest da Vinci helps us provide our patients with the most advanced and innovative surgical care possible,” said Dr. Harper. “This new system allows us to perform our procedures with superior efficiency and precision through improved visualization and the latest electrosurgical technology. The da Vinci 5 is another major step toward achieving our goal of providing the best possible care for our surgical patients.”

The da Vinci 5 has more than 150 new design innovations that translate the surgeon’s hand movements into smaller, more precise actions. Its key improvements include:
Force feedback technology that allows the surgeon to feel resistance during surgery on the patient’s tissue. This resistance potentially reduces the amount of force used;
Better imaging, such as more accurate colors and higher resolution, realistic 3D;
Improved ergonomics providing the surgeon with greater comfort and better visibility during surgery;
Over 10,000 times more computing power than the da Vinci Xi.

The da Vinci 5 System marks the ninth robotic surgery system at St. Bernards Medical Center, the most at any hospital in Arkansas. Robotic surgery applications at the hospital include colorectal, pulmonary, esophageal, general, gynecologic, joint, neurosurgery and urology.

A recent 10-year meta-analysis by Intuitive looked at seven robotic-assisted surgery (RAS) procedures. It measured health outcomes of using robots in surgery compared with traditional laparoscopic and open procedures. The analysis found that patients undergoing RAS procedures spent fewer days in the hospital and were also less likely to require a blood transfusion and experience postoperative complications.

Connie Hill, vice president of surgery at St. Bernards Hospital, calls the da Vinci 5 system a social investment.

“Surgery encompasses both life-saving and life-enhancing procedures,” Hill said. “Many of us have needed or have loved ones who have needed these services. Anytime we can give our team another tool to perform these procedures, we do so knowing it will change lives across our region.”

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