Allina Health's most recent additions are two of Intuitive’s da Vinci 5 robotic (DV5) surgical systems, which teams successfully piloted at Mercy Hospital in Coon Rapids and Abbott Northwestern Hospital in Minneapolis this summer. With more than 150 improvements over its predecessor, the da Vinci Xi, the DV5 platform has upgraded visualization capabilities and introduces technology that provides a sensation to help surgeons feel as if they are touching what the robotic arm touches. For example, when the technology touches tissue, the surgeon will feel the resistance of that touch, which enhances safety and surgery performance.
“The DV5 robotic surgery platform is the latest major advancement for soft tissue robotic surgery from Intuitive Surgical and we are proud to be the first in the region to make this innovative technology available to our surgeons and patients,” said Allina Health Robotic Surgery and Technology Program medical director Christopher Macomber, MD, whose team at Abbott Northwestern Hospital used DV5 to successfully repair a hernia in July.
With robotic surgical platforms at Mercy Hospital, United Hospital, Abbott Northwestern Hospital, and Abbott Northwestern – WestHealth, as well its regional sites – Buffalo Hospital, Cambridge Medical Center, Faribault Medical Center and New Ulm Medical Center – Allina Health ensures people across Minnesota and western Wisconsin have easy access to highly-skilled providers who are using the latest technology.
“The DV5 robot provides Allina’s surgeons with cutting-edge technology, enabling us to deliver the best possible care to our patients with the most advanced tools and equipment available,” said Samy Maklad, MD, an Allina Health surgeon whose team at Mercy Hospital in Coon Rapids successfully completed a cholecystectomy (gallbladder removal) with DV5 in June.
In addition to 25 da Vinci surgical systems, Allina Health’s expansive fleet of robotic platforms includes more than a dozen other systems, including the Ion, used in lung procedures; the Mako for orthopedic surgeries; and the Mazor X for spine surgeries. It illustrates Allina Health’s commitment to using the latest technology to provide its patients with the most innovative surgical care possible.