A GLIMPSE OF EXCELLENCE:
Cutting-Edge Robotic-Assisted Surgery at Harris Health Lyndon B. Johnson Hospital
Robotic-assisted surgeries have been on the rise, especially in private hospitals, where the cost of the technology is usually passed on to patients.
While publicly funded healthcare systems tend to avoid expensive purchases altogether, Harris Health System uses a cost-benefit analysis and evidence-based practice to evaluate new technology like robotic-assisted surgery systems to see how its use can benefit patients and produce better health outcomes.
Harris Health has consistently demonstrated a desire to be at the vanguard of medicine. As a safety-net public healthcare system charged with caring for all residents of Harris County regardless of economic status, the arrival of Da Vinci XI Surgery Robotic System, the stateof-the-art robotic-assisted surgery technology, highlights Harris Health’s commitment to providing excellent care to the population it serves.
“One of the goals of Harris Health is to extend access to the highest quality care to our patients,” says Erik Askenasy, MD, colon and rectal surgeon, Harris Health Lyndon B. Johnson Hospital and associate professor of surgery, McGovern Medical School at UTHealth Houston. He is an expert at robotic-assisted surgeries and a Da Vinci system proctor tasked with teaching the exciting technology to other hospital staff.
“The staff loves the Da Vinci; it’s an opportunity for them to learn cutting-edge technology,” says Renee McElligott, nursing director, LBJ Hospital. She’s been serving patients at Harris Health for the last 25 years and has watched the system become an innovator in patient care delivery. “I love it for our patients; roboticassisted surgery is sometimes the best option for a patient regardless of insurance.”
The Da Vinci system was extensively vetted before landing at Harris Health LBJ Hospital and proved to hold real benefits for patients and hospitals. While Harris Health used the system specifically for minimally invasive abdominal surgeries traditionally done laparoscopically, Askenasy notes that robotic-assisted surgeries can be used in a wide variety of applications and predicts more surgeries will be performed with robotic assistance in the future.
Use of the robotic system allows surgeons to improve patient procedures for general surgery, obstetrics and urology cases by reducing pain, lowering the risk of infections or complications, less blood loss, shorter hospitals stays and quicker recoveries.
So, what is robotic-assisted surgery? And why is it so innovative? Askenasy and McElligott walk us through everything you need to know.
Unlike what many people imagine, robotic-assisted surgery is not surgery performed independently by a robot. “There is no autonomous function of the robot; it’s not a Tesla,” laughs Askenasy. Rather, robotic-assisted surgery is more similar to an Oculus virtual reality headset. The surgeon sits at a console and is immersed by a 3D camera in the operative field. Every movement by the robotic tools measuring in millimeters is directly controlled by the surgeon.
“I am in control of all aspects at all times,” Askenasy says. “The robotics allow my movements to be more precise, more accurate and better visualized.”
While the surgeon is interacting via the system, the nursing staff is bedside with the patient assisting the procedure and supporting the patient – as McElligott puts it — just like in a traditional operating room setting.
The advantages of roboticassisted surgery are many. First, using tiny instruments allows complex surgeries to be done with minimal invasiveness. Like laparoscopic surgery, only small incisions are needed to perform robotic-assisted surgeries. The possible complications and increased recovery time of open surgery are thereby avoided. Instead, the patient is in and out of the hospital quicker, with some patients even leaving the same day as the procedure.
Second, with an expert surgeon controlling the robotics, the precision of the procedure is magnified. The robotics can work in tight spaces with an incredible accuracy that’s impossible to replicate with human hands. This makes the surgeries just as safe, if not safer, than traditional surgery while also producing more positive health outcomes. It even reduces some surgeries that were once open surgeries – like colorectal operations and colostomy reversals – to minimally-invasive procedures.
Third, because of the quality of the procedures performed, far fewer patients need readmittance from complications that can arise from traditional surgeries. While the robotic-assisted surgery may take a bit longer, the time saved by quickened recovery and decreased hospital readmission means patients are home faster and more medical resources – like hospital beds and staff – are made available to others in need. All this amounts to better overall health outcomes for patients and reduced costs for hospitals, a win-win.
“It’s about less pain and less recovery time,” says McElligott of the procedures Harris Health now offers. “If I had to have surgery and it was possible to be done robotically, I’d want it done that way.”
“What’s exciting and inspiring is that with robotic-assisted surgery, we can now offer our patients the highest-quality care available anywhere,” Askenasy adds. “It’s an honor and a privilege to be at the forefront of the technology that our patients deserve.”
This glimpse of excellence into the exciting innovations at Harris Health has big implications. The work of care providers like Askenasy and McElligott is part of a wider effort by Harris Health to showcase the advances and cutting-edge technology available to patients through the public healthcare system. Through a glimpse of the Da Vinci system and other use of emerging medical technology, Askenasy hopes to enlighten the community to the top-of-the-line medical care available to all at Harris Health.
“I’m really proud of Harris Health for determining that robotic-assisted surgery is a worthwhile endeavor,” he says.
“It took a lot of hard work to get these machines and Harris Health did their due diligence. Our program is seeing great results and we hope to grow the program in the future.”
“The robotics allow my movements to be more precise, more accurate and better visualized.”
- Renee McElligott, nursing director, LBJ Hospital.