Two hospitals get high-def surgical system

Equipment arms race continues as locals look to $1.6M system to drive patient volumes

Email | Print By Erin Lawley

© 2009 Intuitive Surgical Inc.

In the race to provide the latest and greatest options in patient care, both Centennial Medical Center and Vanderbilt University Medical Center recently bought the newest system model in robotic-assisted surgery, the da Vinci Si Surgical System.

With the system for minimally invasive procedures, doctors maneuver four robotic arms that hold a high-resolution camera and minute surgical instruments inserted through small incisions. The system provides a better view of the patient’s anatomy – in three-dimensional high definition – and greater range of motion and dexterity than previous models by the system’s manufacturer, Intuitive Surgical (Ticker: ISRG).

Centennial began using the system in the second week of September and has performed about 30 procedures with it so far, said Cornell Randle, director of surgical services at the flagship facility of HCA's TriStar Division. The hospital is using the system for cardiac, urological and gynecological surgeries such as bypass surgery, valve repair and procedures for prostate, ovarian and uterine cancer.

Randle said the system cost the hospital about $1.6 million, including instrumentation.

Vanderbilt is in the midst of the installation and training for its da Vinci Si system and expects to begin using it within the week, according to a spokesman. Vanderbilt’s urologic, gynecologic and general surgery faculty will use the equipment.

Both Centennial and Vanderbilt — as well as Saint Thomas Health Services’ Baptist Hospital and Middle Tennessee Medical Center — use older models of the da Vinci system. A spokeswoman for Baptist said the hospital is considering new system.

Randle said the newer technology cuts procedure times – from two hours down to 20 minutes in some cases – and speeds recovery. He expects this will help drive patient volume as people look for the fastest way to get back on their feet after surgery. Centennial is projecting a minimum of 300 procedures using the system next year.

Additionally, the system has slightly longer instrumentation than previous models, which will allow surgeons to operate on obese patients that may not have been eligible for the robotic-assisted procedures in the past, he said.

Tennessee has the fourth-highest rate of adult obesity in the nation, at 30.2 percent, according to a July report by the Trust for America’s Health and the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation.