Investing in robotic surgery at California Hospital Medical Center

This past May marked a first for Dignity Health - California Hospital Medical Center (CHMC)—patients underwent surgery with the assistance of the newly acquired da Vinci XI robot. Surgeons at CHMC are now using da Vinci XI robotic surgery to provide minimally invasive procedures on complex diagnoses such as gynecologic and urologic cancers.

close up of the da Vinci XI robot “Robotic surgery broadens the range of minimally invasive surgeries that we can offer patients, especially in tight anatomical spaces like the pelvis,” says gynecologic oncologist Dr. Eijean Wu. “The visualization is much better and the instruments have improved maneuverability.”

What does that mean for patients? For some, expedited care.

“For cancer patients, robotic surgery decreases recovery time, which means they are well enough to start chemotherapy or radiation therapy faster,” Dr. Wu adds. “The shorter delay to receiving adjuvant therapy has shown to improve patient outcomes.”

In other cases, it allows better precision according to Dr. Darlene Morrissey, who specializes in female pelvic medicine and reconstructive surgery. “For instance, prostate removal with a robot is more precise, which spares the surrounding nerves and the patient from impotency.”

The benefits of robotic surgery are multi-pronged. In addition to being less invasive and more precise, less anesthesia needs to be administered resulting in faster recovery times, shorter hospital stay and less risk of complications—making a patient’s road to recovery as quick and safe as possible.

“This is world-class care,” says urologist Dr. Leonard Liang. “In one case, we saved the patient’s kidney and the patient went home after a partial nephrectomy. I could not have performed this procedure and expect these results without the da Vinci robot.”

The da Vinci robot allows California Hospital Medical Center to meet the unique needs of the patients in our community who come to us for hope and healing. CommonSpirit Health, parent company of CHMC, invested in this robot to help doctors meet the needs of patients and donor support funded specialized instrumentation required for these surgical procedures. “I am so excited to offer this advanced surgical approach in the most minimally invasive way to women who would otherwise not have access to this standard of care,” adds Dr. Morrissey.

“This was an investment that was very important to us because it mirrored what our physicians needed to care for their patients,” says Rebecca Siason, Director of Surgical Services at CHMC."We are very grateful to generous donors for making this possible and allowing us to provide the best care possible to our patients.“

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