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Dr. Robert DeSantis (standing) and Dr. Joseph Washburne (seated) both OB/GYNs with the Women’s Pavilion of South Mississippi have special training and have performed hysterectomy and myomectomy procedures with the da Vinci® S HD™ System.

Tammy McLeod never imagined that when she and her OB/GYN, Dr. Joseph Washburne, discussed her need for a hysterectomy that she would be the first in the Pine Belt to be operated on by her physician with the assistance of a robot. With the acquisition of the da Vinci® S HD™ System, Wesley Medical Center physicians have the most advanced technology at their fingertips, literally.

From a remote station, three to six feet from the patient, the surgeon manipulates robotic “hands” that perfectly mirror the natural motions of traditional surgery. The da Vinci S HD Surgical System integrates 3D High Definition endoscopy and state-of-the-art robotic technology to virtually extend the surgeon’s eyes and hands into the surgical field. It enhances surgical capabilities providing superior visualization, enhanced dexterity, greater precision and ergonomic comfort for the surgeon. Because only the robot’s “hands” ever touch the patient after the preliminary incision, there is much less bleeding and risk of infection, as well as minimal scarring.

“The da Vinci is the wave of the future in hysterectomy procedures,” noted Washburne. “With the number of benefits it brings to patients, every woman in need of a hysterectomy will be asking for daVinci. It is truly cutting edge.”

While the traditional hysterectomy requires a surgical incision stretching several inches across the patient’s bikini line and a recovery that can take months, da Vinci allows the procedure to be performed with tiny incisions no wider than a dime, and reduces recovery time by days or sometimes weeks. In less than two weeks from her surgery, McLeod was headed to Pensacola to cheer for her sons in their softball tournament. “I feel great,” she said, with a smile. “It was worth it.”

At this time, Wesley is using the da Vinci for hysterectomy and prostatectomy procedures. Both Washburne, an OB/GYN with Women’s Pavilion of South Mississippi and Dr. Jeff Wilson, a urologist with Hattiesburg Clinic, have undergone extensive training on the da Vinci® S HD™ System.

Wilson expects to perform the majority of his prostatectomy procedures using da Vinci. A traditional radical prostatectomy, which is one of the most common treatments for prostate cancer, requires a large, 8- to 10-inch incision. This open surgery commonly results in substantial blood loss, a lengthy and uncomfortable recovery and the risk of impotence and incontinence. With this new technology, the incisions are each less than an inch long, the hospital stay is shorter, and the recovery time is shorter. “The da Vinci Robotic Surgical System has revolutionized the treatment of prostate cancer,” said Wilson. “It combines the benefits of surgically removing the cancer with a minimally invasive approach. The precision of the robotic arms and the enhanced visualization allow the surgeon to spare vital nerves and blood vessels that are important to erectile function and bladder control while avoiding potential risks of secondary malignancies and other side effects sometimes seen with radiation therapy.”

Both hysterectomy and prostatectomy patients who have had their procedures performed by their surgeons with the assistance of the da Vinci experience potential benefits including shorter hospital stay, less pain, less risk of infection, less blood loss, less scarring, faster recovery, and quicker return to normal activities.

Even though Baptist Hospital and St. Dominic Hospital, both located in Jackson, have First Generation da Vinci systems, and Baptist Golden Triangle in Columbus has a system, Wesley has the only da Vinci® system with the HD feature in Mississippi.

“Wesley brings the highest level of technology and couples it with quality physicians and employees to provide the people we serve throughout south Mississippi with the greatest standard of care,” said Wesley CEO Ron Seal. “We’re proud of our physicians, nurses and techs who make up our da Vinci team. They’re excited about this unbelievable technology and have trained to provide the highest level of surgical precision and patient care.”

Soon, other procedures may be added to the list of those being performed by Wesley physicians with the assistance of the da Vinci® S HD™ System.



Dr. Jeff Wilson a urologist with the Hattiesburg clinic is performing
prostatectomy procedures using the da Vinci® S HD™ System.



September 2007

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