July 16, 2010
The University of Virginia Medical Center is on the cutting edge of technology, and doctors recently got to try out their newest companion in the operating room, the Da Vinci Robot. CBS19's Bianca Spinosa got to suit up and join them in the operating room for the first procedure with the new medical companion.
The UVa Medical Center is the only hospital in Virginia to have the latest version of Da Vinci, and Doctors are already using the new robot to save lives and speed up recovery times.
Dr. Sean Corbett used the robot while operating on a child with a serious kidney condition, and came away impressed with the new technology.
"Both of us are able to manipulate the tissues and do the procedure, and assist each other in ways we hadn't been able to before," said Dr. Corbett, a Pediatric Urologist.
Doctors are able to see exactly where Da Vinci's metal hands are by following its movements on a monitor that is hooked up to a camera inside the patient's belly. This camera also allows them to steer the robot's hands where they need to be to fix the patient's problem.
Before Da Vinci, surgeons used their hands to do all the cutting and sewing, but now they have an even more precise tool.
"I think we're just starting to realize more of the robot's potential," said Dr. Corbett.
The Da Vinci robot is most commonly used by urologists, gynecologists and ear, nose and throat doctors. However, Dr. Corbett predicts his colleagues will be seeing a lot more of robots like Da Vinci in the future.
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