George Washington University Hospital Robotic Surgeons have mastered the robot, performing more than 2,500 robotic procedures
Washington, DC- The George Washington University Hospital, the regional leader for Robotic Surgery and the home to one of the largest robotic programs in the nation, will be the home to the region’s first multi-specialty robotic training center in late summer 2012. The hospital also recently added two daVinci Si robots to its product line making it the first hospital in the Washington/Baltimore area with two daVinci Si systems with dual console capability and complete with fluorescence imaging and skills simulation for surgeon training. 

“As a leader for robotic surgery in the region, the new multi-specialty robotic training center will promote vital continuing education attracting surgeons from across the United States and worldwide here to our nation’s capital,” says Kimberly Russo, Chief Operating Officer. “By investing in two daVinci Si’s, The George Washington University Hospital has again shown that it is committed to using the most advanced technology to care for our patients.”

The addition of the two daVinci Si robots, along with a dual console system which was purchased, will enable two surgeons to collaborate during a procedure for daVinci-enabled surgical assistance, or facilitate teaching. It will allow surgeons to exchange control of the instrument arms and endoscope. The daVinci Si’s also feature built-in intercoms to facilitate communications between surgeons while both are seated at consoles.

2012 will also be a pivotal year for robotic surgery. Last month, Intuitive Surgical, Inc., announced new single-site instrumentation for the daVinci Si for laparoscopic cholecystectomy procedures, the surgical remover of the gall bladder. As a result, George Washington University Hospital will send a team of surgeons, led by Dr. Fredrick Brody, MD, Director of Minimally Invasive Surgery to take part in a series of training sessions at Intuitive Surgical Inc., to learn about this newest breakthrough for a single incision surgery. 

“Since it was first introduced, the daVinci robotic Surgical System has offered surgeons many benefits over traditional open methods of surgery,” said Dr. Farid Gharagozloo, MD, Chief of Clinical Cardiothoracic Surgery. “The daVinci System allows surgeons to be more precise and increases range of motion. The System makes no decisions on its own, nor can it perform any type of surgical maneuver without the surgeon’s input. The System replicates the surgeon’s movements in real time.”

With its flexible robotic arms and sophisticated three-dimensional imaging system, the daVinci allows surgeons to perform delicate procedures with unprecedented precision.
“The advantages of robot-assisted...