Only one problem: Since Atrium wasn’t equipped with a robot, Piccioni had his surgery at Kettering Medical Center. He called the surgery and the short and painless recovery “a non-issue.”
But now, thanks to the work of the Atrium Medial Center Foundation and the “Imagine a Cure” campaign led by Pat and Karen Piccioni, Atrium has a robot that Pat Piccioni said will allow area residents to receive “high-powered care” without leaving the city.
“Patients are seeking out hospitals that offer the robot,” Pat Piccioni said. “We’re delighted that Atrium now offers this advanced technology close to home.”
Robots assist surgeons in operations through the use of smaller incisions that result in shorter hospital stays, reduced pain and faster recovery times, said Dr. David Miller, an urologist at Atrium.
Miller said the robot has “changed the landscape” in the medical field.
The robot has four arms that control up to three surgical instruments and a high-definition camera. The camera allows the surgeon to see the operating image at 10 times magnification, a picture so clear you can count the ridges on a dime. This enhanced view, coupled with a lack of human tremor and touch precision controls, allows for more precise surgeries by the physician, who operates the robot from a console in the same room as the patient.
So far, the foundation has raised $575,000 toward the campaign goal of $750,000 with a stretch goal of $1 million. The foundation committed to raising the final payment of $500,000 of the robot’s nearly $2 million cost.
The campaign also will increase the number of chemotherapy infusion rooms, expand comfort care for cancer patients and their family members with additional recliners, music, movies and hospitality stations; offer a case navigator to more patients to coordinate care from all specialists; expand clinical trials and research; provide for the needs of indigent cancer patients; and establish endowments.
Contact this reporter at (513) 705-2842 or rmccrabb@coxohio.com.
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