At many hospitals, the youngest children have the fewest surgery options
because the small size of their bodies makes conventional laparoscopic
surgery difficult. Their still-growing anatomy makes procedures that are
routine for adults difficult for kids. Large, open incisions are used
due to lack of minimally invasive options.
The
da Vinci surgical system provides surgeons with an alternative to both traditional open surgery
and conventional laparoscopy by putting a surgeon's hands at the controls
of a state-of-the-art robotic platform. This equipment offers the most
precise and least invasive surgical options available, and Children’s
Hospital is the only hospital in Louisiana and along the Mississippi Gulf
Coast to have this technology dedicated solely to the care of children.
Superior control with unmatched precision
Surgeries using the da Vinci insert three robotic arms into a few tiny
(<1 cm) incisions or even a single entry point at the belly button.
One robotic arm is equipped with a special endoscopic camera that gives
the surgeon full 3D vision and can magnify the view of the surgical site,
offering a far superior view than the naked-eye alone can provide. The
other robotic arms are fitted with miniaturized surgical instruments,
designed to clamp, dissect and suture tissue. The surgeon controls the
arms from a console that is located in arm's length of the child. The
da Vinci scales, filters, and translates the surgeon's hand movements
on the console into extremely precise micro-movements of the robotic arms.
This enables surgeons to perform even the most complex and delicate procedures
with unmatched precision.
The benefits of da Vinci surgery include:
A shorter hospital stay
Less blood loss
Fewer complications
Less need for narcotic pain medicine
A faster recovery
Smaller incisions associated with minimal scarring
Da Vinci surgery At Children’s Hospital
The da Vinci Surgical System arrived at Children’s Hospital in April
2014, but the surgeons have a combined 25 years of robotic surgery experience.
Having the surgical robot at Children’s Hospital has allowed the
providers the ability to perform more complicated procedures, with the
full support of the child-focused ancillary services.
The da Vinci Surgical System is ideally suited for many of the urologic
procedures that the experienced surgeons perform, such as the surgical
treatment of kidney obstructions and reflux of urine. Physicians are extending
the use of the robot to surgery for other more complex bladder problems
such as neurogenic bladder.
Robotic surgery may not be appropriate for every child. Our surgeons are
available to discuss your child’s individual needs. To schedule
an appointment, please call
504.896.2888.
