It’s been a year now since Newman Regional Health’s da Vinci robotic surgery arm went online and feedback has been overwhelmingly positive from both staff and patients alike.
According to Newman Chief Administrative Officer Cathy Pimple, a guest of KVOE’s Newsmaker 2 segment Thursday, there has been a large number of patients opting for da Vinci procedures over the past 12 months.
The robot is used for “minimally invasive” procedures and serves as a natural extension of a surgeon’s eyes and hands. Dr. Bradon Bitter is one of the surgeons trained in how to utilize the da Vinci equipment and has performed upwards of one hundred procedures with the machine since coming to Newman last summer.
Bitter says robotic surgeries bring a variety of benefits including reduced post-procedure pain, shorter or, in some cases, no hospital stays and it gives the surgeon “total control” of every aspect of the procedure.
The da Vinci arm is available for general surgery, urology, obstetrics and gynecology procedures. Newman is one of only three Critical Access hospitals in Kansas to offer robotic-assisted surgeries. For more information on the da Vinci system go online to newmanrh.org/davinci.