“Making surgery more precise” … these words are music to the ears of any person awaiting a medical procedure. According to Dr. Michael McCann, DO, FACOS, FACS, Chief of Trauma and Surgical Critical Care at Hurley Medical Center, the daVinci Surgical System has done just that. The hospital has utilized the daVinci Surgical System for a wide range of surgeries since 2012. “The daVinci Surgical System is designed to facilitate complex surgeries using a minimally invasive approach,” explains Dr. McCann. The surgeon controls it from a console. “This has been extremely beneficial to patients!” he exclaimed. “The incisions are smaller and pain is greatly reduced. It also cuts down on recovery time, lowers the risk of infection, there is less blood loss and it allows the surgery to be more precise.”
The daVinci robotic system is used to perform surgeries in Hurley’s recently launched Minimally Invasive Surgery Center.
The robotic system is used to perform surgeries in Hurley’s recently launched Minimally Invasive Surgery Center. Robotic training is required by surgeons who use the equipment. On staff are four highly skilled surgeons, and most have had expert training including robotic experience, which supports their ability to perform the various minimally invasive procedures. “They have to learn how to set it up and understand how to use it,” Dr. McCann explains. The majority of procedures performed with the robotic system are completed on an outpatient basis, allowing the patient to be discharged on the very same day of surgery. Dr. McCann is also the Director of the Hurley Hernia Center of Excellence, the only one in the region. The use of the robot is especially effective for gall bladder surgeries and hiatal hernia repair. Some other eligible procedures include urological, colorectal and GERD-related diagnoses (reflux), adrenal gland removal and esophageal stricture. “There isn’t any surgery we can’t do,” he says. The robot is also used for obstetric-gynecological (ob-gyn) procedures, including some hysterectomies. To date, there are 11 obstetrician-gynecologists at Hurley trained to use the robot for these types of procedures. “It’s very precise and we do a much a better job.”
According to the doctor, procuring the daVinci Robotic System was a big investment for Hurley. “It is a state-of-the-art tool and it saves money for both the patient and the hospital.” Dr. McCann was the first Hurley physician to perform a hernia surgery using the daVinci system. “Patients are extremely grateful and happy with their results,” he reports, “especially the reduced recovery time. It gets them back to normal life much faster.”
Dr. McCann hosts a lecture series all around mid-Michigan every three months to educate people about minimally invasive hernia surgeries. The seminars are free and open to the public. The next Hurley Hernia Center of Excellence seminar with Dr. McCann and his team of experts is scheduled at Holiday Inn Gateway Centre (Hill Road, Flint) on March 24, 2016 at 6pm. For more information or to register to attend, call 810.262.4855.
