An IT specialist, Sapp said she was highly impressed by the robot-assisted surgery and the recovery time that followed the minimally invasive procedure.
“I’ve had gall bladder surgery through microscopic surgery and a C-section before. This was a piece of cake compared to both of those,” the 44-year-old Hamilton resident said.
A hysterectomy normally would require at least three days of hospital care followed by weeks of recovery at home. Sapp spent 24 hours at Atrium and was back to work in a week.
The key is how the da Vinci allows doctors to make smaller incisions when performing the surgery thanks to 10-times magnification and lack of human tremor when using the instruments. This means less tissue damage, trauma, blood loss, scarring and pain, said Dr. Juan Reina, an obstetrician/gynecologist at Atrium who performed Sapp’s surgery April 26.
“It’s the same surgery it’s just that other tools aren’t as versatile as the robot,” Reina said. “Literally, I compare it to me being a puppeteer and the robot being the puppet and the puppet has smaller hands.”
While the surgery does take longer — about 2.5 hours for Sapp’s case and 4.5 hours for a more complex one — Reina said his extra time is worth it when it improves the patient’s outcome.
“The benefit I see is the patient walk out the door early the next day,” he said.
Two gynecologists, including Reina, are trained to use the da Vinci and more than 20 procedures have been performed to date. Two urologists are also trained to perform surgery with the assistance of the robot.
“For active women like Monica, this tool is a blessing,” Reina said.
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