UofL Hospital exceeds 5,000 da Vinci Robotic Surgery procedures

Robotic surgery at UofL Health – UofL Hospital has provided patients the benefits of smaller incisions, less pain, shorter hospital stays and faster recovery for the past decade.

The hospital recently surpassed the 5,000th surgery mark utilizing the da Vinci Robotic Surgery system, providing surgeons pinpoint accuracy in a number of specialties: colorectal surgery, ear, nose and throat surgery, general surgery, gynecologic oncology, gynecology, surgical oncology, urology and urogynecology.

Daniel Metzinger, MD, associate professor at the University of Louisville School of Medicine and gynecologic oncologist at UofL Hospital, performs 400 robotic surgeries annually.

He explains how the use of robotics is a significant improvement over laparoscopic surgery, which was an advancement to traditional open surgery.

“Robotic surgery gives us the ability to work in a relaxed console without the difficult ergonomics of standing over a patient with our arms outstretched for hours,” Metzinger said. “The da Vinci imitates wristed movements with a 3-D camera that provides exceptional vision and improved access to the site of treatment.”

The technology, he says, offers radically better outcomes for patients.

“I have patient after patient with very complex cancer surgeries who are back to work in less than a week and some have never taken pain medication,” Metzinger said. “Many are out of the hospital either the same day or the next morning. It’s amazing.”