OAHHS Spring Summer 2019

18 » A magazine for and about Oregon Community Hospitals. HOSPITAL SPOTLIGHTS, CONT. PEACEHEALTH SACRED HEART  PEACEHEALTH SACRED HEART REACHES ROBOTIC SURGERY MILESTONE It’s been an exciting couple of milestone months for the robotic surgery team at PeaceHealth Sacred Heart Medical Center at RiverBend. In late January, the team performed the 5,000th minimally invasive procedure using a da Vinci ® robot. “This is a fantastic accomplishment,” said Heather Wall, chief nursing officer at RiverBend. “It’s a testament to the collaborative spirit, hard work and exceptional skill this team has demonstrated over the last 10 years. We could not be prouder.” RiverBend welcomed its first robot, a da Vinci Si, in 2009; it has since been decommissioned. Since then, the hospital has acquired two more—both the more advanced model da Vinci Xi—and plans to further build the fleet. The da Vinci robots offer a minimally invasive alternative to both open surgery and laparoscopy. With da Vinci, small incisions of typically one to two centimeters are used to introduce miniaturized instruments and a high-definition, 3D camera. Seated at the da Vinci console, the surgeon views a magnified, high- resolution, 3D image of the surgical site. At the same time, state-of- the-art robotic and computer technologies seamlessly translate the surgeon’s hand movements into precise micro-movements of the da Vinci instruments. In other words, the surgeon is always in control, but there is no longer a need for incisions large enough to accommodate the surgeon’s hands. One surgeon practicing at RiverBend is Kathleen Yang, MD, a gynecological oncologist with Willamette Valley Cancer Institute. Dr. Yang reached a personal milestone last December when she performed her 1,000th da Vinci procedure. She has performed about 90 percent of those at RiverBend. Dr. Yang was the first female surgeon in Oregon to reach 1,000 da Vinci procedures. She said the benefits of the minimally invasive procedures are “dramatic,” in some cases reducing the time spent in the hospital from several days to a few hours. There’s also less pain and blood loss, she said, and a lower chance of infections or other complications. The technology has advanced constantly since she did her first procedure on the da Vinci in 2010, according to Dr. Yang. Initially used almost exclusively for gynecological procedures, the da Vinci is now deployed for colorectal, urological, cardiothoracic, bariatric and other types of procedures. “Our surgical team has become a highly dedicated and efficient team that is able to accommodate up to four to five robotic cases a day, depending on the case mix,” said Dr. Yang. She also credited the anesthesia team, pre- and post- operative staff and others involved either directly or peripherally for their commitment to excellence.