ROBOT WILL BE ON DISPLAY AT FEBRUARY 16 HEALTH FAIR AT THE MALL AT ROBINSON

Moon Township, PA, (January 31, 2013) - Heritage Valley Health System is proud to announce the addition of its latest advancement in medical technology – the da Vinci® Surgical System.  This state-of-the-art system, a sophisticated surgical platform designed to facilitate complex procedures using a minimally invasive approach, will be housed at Heritage Valley Health System’s Sewickley campus.  In addition, a mobile version of the system will be on display for the public at Heritage Valley Health System’s Health Fair at the Mall at Robinson on Saturday, February 16 from 10:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m.

The da Vinci® Surgical System allows surgeons to perform complex procedures through just a few tiny incisions and provides them with enhanced capabilities, including high-definition 3D vision and a magnified view. The surgeon controls the da Vinci® System, which translates his or her hand movements into smaller, more precise movements of tiny instruments inside the body. Though it is often called a “robot,” the da Vinci® Systemcannot act on its own - surgery is performed 100% by the physician. As a result, patients may get back to their lives faster ― without the usual recovery following major surgery.

Since it was introduced in 1999 by Intuitive Surgical, Inc., the da Vinci® Surgical System has been used successfully worldwide in hundreds of thousands of procedures. The enabling features of the da Vinci® System raise the standard of care for complex surgeries. Complex conditions like cancers of the prostate, cervix, uterus, lung, colon/rectum, as well as heart disease and fibroid tumors can now be treated minimally invasively with da Vinci® Surgery. There are many potential benefits for patient when comparing da Vinci® Surgery to traditional open surgery, including shorter hospital stay, less blood loss, less pain, faster recovery, and smaller incisions for minimal scarring.  Today, there are 2,462 da Vinci Systems installed in 1,936 hospitals worldwide.

The da Vinci® Surgical System consists of an ergonomic surgeon’s console, a patient-side cart with four interactive robotic arms, a 3D HD vision system and miniaturized wristed instruments. Powered by state-of-the-art technology, the da Vinci® System is designed to scale, filter and seamlessly translate the surgeon's hand movements into more precise movements of the instrument tips. The net result is an intuitive interface with breakthrough surgical capabilities.

“For appropriate cases, the da Vinci® Surgical System is a remarkable improvement over conventional laparoscopy, in which the surgeon operates while standing and uses hand-held, long-shafted instruments that cannot bend,” said Kathy Harley, Vice President of Surgical Services at Heritage Valley Health System.  “With conventional laparoscopy, the surgeon must look up and away from the instruments to a nearby 2D video monitor to see an image of the target anatomy. By providing surgeons with superior vision, enhanced dexterity, greater precision and ergonomic comfort, the da Vinci® Surgical System makes it possible for more surgeons to perform minimally invasive procedures involving complex and delicate dissection or reconstruction.”

At Heritage Valley, the da Vinci® System will initially be used in several surgical specialties including Urology, Gynecology and General Surgery.  “Our surgeons are excited to add the da Vinci® to our services and capabilities, which can lead to outcomes that minimize surgical complications, minimize pain after the surgery and greatly improve recovery time,” added Harley.

The da Vinci® Surgical System public display at the Heritage Valley Health System Health Fair on Saturday, February 16 at the Mall at Robinson will include demonstrations of da Vinci robotic surgical approaches and techniques.  Representatives will be on site to discuss how the da Vinci® Surgical System can help avoid large incisions and lengthy hospital stays, minimize narcotics, and get patients back to their lives more quickly and easily.  The Health Fair is free and open to the public from 10:00 a.m. – 4:00 p.m. and will take place in the Mall’s Center Court near Starbucks.  In addition to the da Vinci® Surgical System, the Health Fair will also include health screenings and Heritage Valley Health System informational booths.