Da Vinci wows the crowd at Annual Meeting
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Not many people realize that if you look really close at the back of a penny, Abraham Lincoln can be seen between the columns of the Lincoln Memorial.
It's nearly impossible to see it with the naked eye. But with the help of the da Vinci Robotic Surgical System, you can see it clear as day.
This kind of magnification is one of the ways this surgical robot helps surgeons in the Operating Room, explained T. Casey McCullough, DO, a board-certified urologist on the Backus Medical Staff who is specially trained in robotic surgery. This was part of hands-on demonstration of the actual robot at the Backus Hospital Annual Meeting of Corporators Nov. 20 at the Backus Outpatient Care Center.
Dr. McCullough performed several maneuvers that showed how the 3-D vision, magnification and amazing precision of the robot enhance surgeons' operating skills. From picking up pennies to threading needles to suture demonstrations, Dr. McCullough wowed the audience of approximately 150 people. He also showed a video clip of the first robot-assisted prostate cancer surgery at Backus earlier this month - which, by the way, was recorded by the actual robot as well.
Backus is the only hospital in eastern Connecticut robotic technology and a fellowship-trained surgeon to use it.
"We are initially using it for prostate cancer, bladder and kidney operations, but the future potential of this combination of man and machine is limitless," Dr. McCullough said. "We believe that there will be at least one robot in every hospital OR in the future. The future is now at Backus."
Smaller incisions, less pain, shorter hospital stays, less scarring and faster recovery are among the benefits of da Vinci, he added.