Robots in the operating room
Story By: Andy Koen
Source: KOAA
Surgery patients at Penrose Saint Francis Hospital in Colorado Springs will meet a new doctor in the operating room. But the funny thing about Doctor John Mehall, the new director of Cardiovascular Robotic and Minimally Invasive Surgery, is that his hands never really touch a patient.
Instead, he guides a medical robot called the da Vinci Surgical System through the procedures. The robot uses advanced computers and cameras to move robotic arms into areas where human hands can't reach.
"It's really amazing when you sit at the controls how natural the movements flow," Mehall says. "There's no delay, there's tremor elimination and the movements are scaled so the machine actually makes a finer movement relative to what your hand makes."
Robot-assisted surgery means simpler procedures and shorter recovery times. In fact, certain heart procedures can be done without opening the patient's chest. "I love to see the patients back two weeks later when they look and feel pretty much normal again," Mehall says.
Penrose Saint Francis is the first hospital in Southern Colorado to use the da Vinci technology.
