Mercy’s Dr. Dwight Im First in the World to Use Single-Site Wristed Needle Driver Robotic Surgery for Benign Hysterectomy
November 24, 2014
A new Food and Drug Administration-approved device is helping surgeons perform benign hysterectomies with better precision.
The device is called the Single-Site Wristed Needle Driver. It's part of the Da Vinci Robotic System in which the surgeon works from a console unit and manipulates the robotic-like hands through a single one-inch incision.
The tips of the device move flexibly like wrists. According to Dr. Dwight Im, Director of The Gynecologic Oncology Center at Mercy, that's good for the patient and the surgeon.
"For the first time ever, you can move as if moving your wrists, so this is really a game-changer for most gynecologic surgeons," Dr. Im said. "Instead of taking an hour to close the vagina, now you can spend 10 minutes closing the vagina. It's better for the patient because the amount of time you spend in the operating room is less."
Most women who have benign conditions that require a hysterectomy are candidates for the minimally invasive procedure. However, women should still check with their doctors first.
View Dr. Im’s interview regarding this advance in robotic surgery for women’s health.
About Mercy
Founded in 1874, Mercy Medical Center is a university-affiliated medical facility named one of the top 100 hospitals in the U.S. by Thomson-Reuters with a national reputation for women’s health. Mercy is home to the nationally acclaimed Weinberg Center for Women’s Health and Medicine as well as the $400+ million, 20-story Mary Catherine Bunting Center. For more information visit Mercy online at www.mdmercy.com, Facebook, Twitter or call 1-800-MD-MERCY.
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