Page 4 - Better-You-Fall-2022

Benefits of robotic-assisted surgery

The potential benefits of this minimally
invasive approach include:
• Smaller incisions
• Less pain
• Faster recovery times
New to • • Shorter hospital stays
Less operative trauma
Park Rapids • • • Less blood loss
Less scarring
Less risk of infection or post-
operative complications With the addition of this state-of-the-art
technology, our experienced surgical team
This advanced technology can be can perform a wider variety of innovative
used for a variety of patients and
procedures. It’s just the latest tool our
procedures, including:
surgery team has adopted to proudly
• Hernia repair (ventral, incision, support our community and partner in
your care.
umbilical, inguinal, hiatal)
Robotics at • • • Appendectomy (appendix) “The addition of this advanced technology
Cholecystectomy (gallbladder)
allows us to better serve our patients by
Colon and rectal resection
CHI St. Joseph’s Mark Smith, MD, Surgeon • • • • Lysis of adhesions offering minimally invasive surgery to a
wider range of patients. Robotic-assisted
Small bowel resection
surgery will be used not only for general
Splenectomy (spleen)
surgery, but also for bariatric surgeries.
Hysterectomy (uterus)
Health Medical School: • Bariatric procedures: Patients can expect less discomfort and a
University of Minnesota — Twin Cities
quicker return to normal activities,” says
- Roux-en-Y gastrectomy
Ben Koppelman, President, CHI St. Jo-
- Sleeve gastrectomy
General Surgery Residency:
Hennepin County Medical Center - Duodenal switch seph’s Health.
- Nissen fundoplication
Minimally Invasive and Bariatric
Surgery Fellowship:
University of Texas — Houston
Surgical precision. Smaller incision.

Precise and versatile, robotic-assisted surgery has a magnified and high-definition 3D view not only general surgery, but also bariatric
provides the most advanced technology. inside the patient’s body. The surgeon guides surgery, giving our patients more options.
That’s good for patients and surgeons alike. the instruments via a console that translates
the surgeon’s hand movements in real time “The robot allows us to do many operations
As medical technology evolves and improves, — making the tiny instruments move like more precisely. It is going to be an important
an increasing number of historically “open” human hands, but with greater range of tool to help us provide innovative and
surgical procedures are being performed motion. Robotic-assisted surgery does not excellent surgical care to Park Rapids and the
using advanced minimally invasive place a robot at the controls — the surgeon surrounding region,” says Mark Smith, MD,
techniques. That means surgeries that once is controlling every aspect of the surgery. Surgeon.
required large incisions can now be done The robot cannot be programmed, nor can it
with small ones using a robot. CHI St. make decisions on its own. The system The small, intricate instruments allow for
Joseph’s Health is excited to offer this requires that every surgical maneuver be exact incisions and delicate stitching not
breakthrough technology to our patients. performed with direct input from your possible through other minimally-invasive
surgeon. It is essentially an extension of the techniques. The number of incisions used
How robotic-assisted surgery works surgeon’s hands. varies by procedure, but the significance is
Surgeons use this technology to precisely their size — an average of only 1 to 2
control tiny instruments that can bend and Dr. Mark Smith, a native of Park Rapids, is centimeters — or roughly the size of a dime.
rotate. With the help of a laparoscope (thin just one of the surgeons excited to utilize this
tube with a camera and light), the surgeon advanced technology. He will be performing

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