By Jamie Allen
Metro Health – University of Michigan Health
With its latest expansion and update of robotic surgery capabilities, Metro Health – University of Michigan Health becomes the first health care system in West Michigan to offer the newest generation of this minimally invasive robotic option in an outpatient setting.
Metro Health recently acquired two da Vinci Xi robotic systems, state of the art technology that allows smaller incisions, greater precision, fewer complications and less pain for patients. One of the systems will be used at the main hospital in Wyoming. The other system will be available for outpatient procedures at the Health Park East Surgery Center, 4055 Cascade Road SE.
The equipment gives surgeons a 3-D view inside the body. Working from a console, surgeons guide precise movement of the robotic system’s tiny instruments, with far greater range of movement than possible with the human hand.
This technology builds on a tradition of surgical innovation at Metro Health, which has offered robotic surgery for more than a decade, said Dr. Ronald Grifka, Chief Medical Officer, Metro Health – University of Michigan Health.
“The Xi system is a quantum leap forward in technology,” Grifka said. “Our surgeons are poised to have another advantage in the treatment of our patients.”
Metro Health’s first generation of da Vinci robotics was funded through a donation by local philanthropists Tom and Mickie Fox. The addition of the Xi robotic systems was made possible through a $1M grant from the Metro Health Hospital Foundation.
“We are grateful to the foundation and its donors, who once again are helping our non-profit health system advance patient care for West Michigan,” said Grifka. “We are especially pleased that we can now offer this option for outpatient procedures.”
The versatility of the Xi system allows it to be used in a wide range of procedures, including prostatectomy, other urological surgeries, thoracic surgery, hysterectomy, additional gynecological surgeries, general surgery and ENT procedures.
“This Xi equipment is the latest example of our innovations in minimally invasive procedures, which promote speedier recoveries, reduced pain and less need for narcotics,” Grifka said. “Whenever patients are facing surgery, we are pleased to have options that help them get back to their lives sooner.”
