Man thanks robot and doctors for successful operation

~ Southeast Hospital touts its new da Vinci Surgical System, a robotic tool for prostate surgery.

Prostate cancer patient John Goss thanked his doctors on Monday -- and he thanked the robot who removed his prostate.

Southeast Missouri Hospital President and CEO James W. Wente introduced the hospital's newest surgeon, the da Vinci Surgical System, on Monday. The hospital is the third medical center in Missouri to offer the robotic-assisted surgery for men with prostate cancer, Wente said. There are fewer than 400 nationwide.

Goss, a pastor at the Assembly of God Church in Morehouse, Mo. was the second patient to undergo the robotic-assisted surgery at the hospital.

Dr. Gregg S. Hallman, primary da Vinci surgeon at the hospital, said the instrument offers significant benefits for prostate cancer patients.

A prostatectomy using the da Vinci tool requires five or six pinpoint incisions to the patient's abdomen -- compared to an eight- to 10-inch incision required for an open surgery. There is also less blood loss and fewer complications.

"Patients are able to go home and get back to a normal life much sooner," Hallman said.

In fact, Goss was released from the hospital a day after his surgery, which took place 10 days ago.

"I got my pain medication prescription filled, and I didn't even need to take it," Goss said.

When the da Vinci system is in use, the surgeon sits at a viewing console several feet away from the operating table and manipulates the robot's surgical instruments.

The robot has three arms attached to a free-standing cart. One arm holds the camera that passes into the patients abdomen through a small incision. The surgeon controls the other two arms by inserting his fingers into rings while seated at the console.

The two arms use a technology called EndoWrist -- flexible wrists that surgeons can bend and twist like human wrists to allow increased dexterity, maneuverability and precision.

"These instruments mimic normal movement of my wrists," said Hallman as he demonstrated how the da Vinci operates by tying a piece of string into knots.

Using the da Vinci surgical tool, surgeons from Cape Girardeau Urology Associates are able to remove the prostate gland while looking through the viewing console. The viewing console displays a magnified, three-dimensional view of the prostate.

Men who are candidates for surgery using the da Vinci system are those whose cancer is confined to the prostate, Hallman said. The da Vinci may not be appropriate for patients with prior extensive abdominal surgeries.

"We're very pleased to have the program up and running at Southeast," Hallman said. "It will be a tremendous benefit to patients in our region. We can now offer men every treatment option available for prostate cancer."

Hallman said he's performed a handful of surgeries using the da Vinci system at the hospital.

Currently it's only use at Southeast Missouri Hospital is for prostate gland removal, but the system can also be used for other procedures, such as gynecologic, thoracoscopic (lung) and thoracoscopically assisted cardiotomy (heart) procedures. It is the only device to be approved by the Food and Drug Administration for prostatectomies.

Along with the introduction of the da Vinci tool, Southeast Missouri Hospital unveiled its $8.5 million addition to the Surgery Department. The expansion increases the number of operating suites from 14 to 18.

The new suites are available to the more than 60 surgeons at the hospital, Wente said. "The new operating suites are spacious and equipped with cutting edge technology that allows the surgical team to instantly view critical patient information."

jfreeze@semissourian.com

335-6611 extension 246